Grate Drain vs. Floor Seepage - protecting against wet basements

One of the popular advantages of GrateDrain over other french drains is that it is specifically designed and installed to protect against floor seepage.

Floor seepage is when water pushes its way up through the floor of the basement. Cracks and separations can often make problems worse than they would be normally. However the problem that is causing the basement to become wet is the fact that water mass builds up under the floor of the basement.

As water builds, pressure is put on the underside of the concrete floor. As water seeks the path of least resistance, holes and separations are the first choice - but they're not always available - so water finds other ways in. The most common area that sees seepage is the perimeter around the basement; the gap between the wall and the basement floor.

Pressure can cause puddling in the middle of the floor, flooding, and wet spots around the perimeter of the basement.

How GrateDrain targets both, and Fixes them

GrateDrain, the french drain in question, has a bigger advantage of having holes on both sides of it. The holes are large and can accommodate large volumes of water. This is key to keep the volume of water under control under the basement floor. This is most importantly during a series of rain storms. The Grate Drain is installed so that the water drains into it inches before coming in contact with the bottom of the floor. This keeps the volume from building and building to the level of the footing and the floor.

This is important for a few reasons
1.) Moisture and water aren't touching the floor. This keeps puddling and floor crack seepage under control.
2.) It keeps water under the floor from jumping up on the footer and through the floor/wall gap.
3.) Volume is less shocking because it's under control most of the time - this is important for your drainage to be affective and also to increase the life of your sump pump.

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Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

The Grate Sump - more about the Grate Products Sump Liner

The Grate Sump is much more than a normal sump basin to place a sump pump in. It's a total connection system that ends up being the command center for the GrateDrain system.

It helps the Grate Drain Work.
The entire run of the french drain, known as Grate Drain, is pitched to outlet ports that dump any moisture and water directly into the sump. This connection point can also pivot which makes fitting a drain with the proper pitch easy in any basement. If the floors are thicker than normal than the outlet ports can connect lower on the body of the Grate Sump to keep that perfect pitch throughout the system.

Cord Management
Every GrateSump has built in pipe and cord management. The most dangerous thing about submersible pumps are open cords with live electricity. These formed openings are smooth and keep the cords from moving and getting caught in the pull of the pump. This helps to keep any technician safe while performing maintenance on your system.

Child-Proof Lid
The lid is also extremely difficult to remove. This is perfect for households with children. Open sumps can cause injury or death, so this tight lid that never has to be removed (except for during service) will stay tightly put, keeping children out.

Large openings open to the center of the floor.
One of the biggest problems with store bought sump basins are that their holes are small. This is bad for a few reasons. The Grate Sump's openings are large, smooth and punched so there is no rough surface. They're small enough to keep stones out with filter fabric and large enough to keep iron bacteria colonies from forming and causing clogs. These openings are extremely important - your sump pump now has direct access to the water underneath the home. This helps to keep this level under control so as to not cause seepage elsewhere in the basement.



Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog now on Facebook - Become a Fan!

I wanted to take the time to announce that Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog is now officially on Facebook. If you are a fan of the blog, or even found one helpful post, I would love to have you become a fan!

Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog on Facebook

I'll be updating the page with the newest posts, polls, links and other news sources for you to do more research or just enjoy the blog on a different site. 




Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog on Facebook

2010 NAWSRC Annaul Convention - Texas - Celebrating 30 years!

The NAWSRC is celebrating 30 years!

The National Association of Waterproofing and Structural Repair Contractors announced their 2010 Annual Convention dates and locations. This year they strike out to talk foundations, leaks, and the best in solutions in San Antonio, Texas.

August 14-18th, 2010, San Antonio, Texas


They've gone to the trouble of getting hotels and registration information together on one page of the website.

http://www.nawsrc.org/meetingAnnual.php

If you're a contractor, a waterproofer, or a seasoned member of the NAWSRC, this years convention sounds like the place to be.

Convention Schedule 

Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Interior Waterproofing Systems - Better protection for a Finished Basement

Homeowners often ask, "what's the difference between an exterior system and an interior system?" and sometimes quickly followed by "well, then why not just install an exterior system?"

Both very good questions - Let's address them.

Interior system
An interior waterproofing system is a system that installed on the inside of the basement. They typically run along the perimeter of the basement, and in the example of Pioneer Basement's Grate Drain system, it comes complete with sealed vapor barrier, sump pump, sump basin and all the piping for removing the water from the system.

Exterior system
Exterior systems, as the name suggests, are installed around the foundation on the outside. Depending on the design by the contractor, it would normally include a pipe with holes (to allow water in) a type of geo-tech fabric to filter out soil, and crushed stone. They don't typically include pumps, and are gravity fed to a low point in the landscape.

In a perfect world, both systems would be installed on every new home built in the country, but the truth is, they aren't.

Basics of their Functions
Exterior systems are designed to channel the water away from the foundation and move it to a spot where it can be absorbed by the soil.

Interior systems are designed to trap any water that gets through a repair, foundation or separation and pump it back out of the system and into the landscape.


Dependability
Exterior systems are surrounded by soil, rodents, insects, rocks and other things that can clog or dislodge the drain. Over time these drains will clog and stop working, which will result in leaks and flooding which it was designed to protect. Life expectancy is 5-10 years.

Interior systems, by being installed on the inside of the home, take care of water coming in from all angles, under the floor, from behind the wall, or from the separation between the wall and the footer of the home. With proper installation and proper maintenance these systems can last the life of the house.

Why do you need maintenance?
Exterior systems rarely have access points from which you can flush the system out. Because of this the systems get clogged faster and become a problem source, rather than a problem solution.

Interior systems, most of the new designs like the GrateDrain from Grate Products, come with access points that allow service men to clean and maintain the flow of the system. This in combination with sump pump maintenance can increase the life of the system, the pump, and the dryness of the basement.

How would each affect me finishing off the basement?
Exterior systems won't affect the way you finish the basement, but it will affect the way you live in the space in 5-10 years. With possible problems down the road, a basement with an exterior system only isn't ready to be finished and a serious investment shouldn't be made in the space.

Interior systems simply require that your finished walls be installed 1-2" away from the foundation, which won't change your floor plan that much. Finishing the basement with this method should also include using in-organic material such as metal studs and mold/moisture resistant dry wall for best results. After finishing install a dehumidifier to provide circulation and over all moisture/humidity control for your finished space.


Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!