Pioneer Basement Waterproofs Rochester, MA Police Department

Pioneer Basement Waterproofs Rochester, MA Police Department:


This letter was sent to Pioneer Basement in regards to a Job installed at the Rochester Police Department in Massachusetts
January 3, 2006

Dear Mr. Andras,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your company for the outstanding work completed at the Rochester Police Station. In particular, I would like to recognize the exceptional work by your employees Rafael V, Wilfredo C. and Jorge C. I have not seen such dedicated and conscientious employees as these three young men. Having outside workers in a police facility can be a very difficult and complicated situation. With the integrity shown by theses three workers, this was never a concern.

I would also like to tell you how pleased we are with the results of this project. Water has been an issue in the cellar of this building for two years. At the start of the project, there was about an inch of water covering the entire floor. Since the installation of the waterproofing system, it has been completely dry. I was pleased that the project was completed within budget and earlier than expected.

Sincerely,
Paul M.
Chief of Police

Michael M.
Facilities Manager

Vapor Barriers and why you need them.

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Vapor Barriers and why you need them.


There’s a lot of talk circulating around forums and interest boards about basement waterproofing. A standard question comes up about this topic about Vapor Barriers: Do I need one and how do I install it?

Simple:

Traditional techniques dictate that the location of the Vapor Barrier should be placed outside of the studs, covering both the studs and the insulation. The drywall is then installed on top of the Barrier. It’s the right idea in the wrong order....

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To read the rest of the blog please click the Title link and read the rest.
I can't stress enough the importance of this major element in the health of the Basement. Just by installing it wrong you open yourself up to so many problems that could have been negated just by doing some research or by simply biting your pride and calling someone for advice or an estimate.

If you have any questions about why I stress this, comment, I can contact you and link to you articles and other information that's vital to this idea.

Home Improvement in a "down" economy

Most people I meet associate waterproofing a basement is a seemingly daunting task that immediately makes them feel overwhelmed and out of control. In this slow economy their behaviors around spending are forced to change. With this, people’s priorities shift and focus to the bare essentials: food, warmth and shelter. There is something that many market observers see a trend in: That in a “down” economy people focus on the necessities which also includes doing preventive maintenance on their homes.

''Projects that should take priority are those that will protect your home from
deterioration damage"
Consumer Reports "Making Your House Pay Off'' November 2002

Why is this important?
The two things you should be able to depend on (in my own opinion) in tough times is a home and your health. If you’re home is in jeopardy of deteriorating you leave yourself open to the elements and other outside leaches that will suck your wallet even dryer (such as oil cost, heating and cooling, bugs, allergens, etc.). If you’re health is effected by any of the above mentioned that could not only put mental and physical strains on families and individuals but also emotional and financial strain.

By taking care of your biggest investment, your home, you ensure that you have a stable base to fall back too, which helps emotional well being and mental stress. Plus, after the “down” aspect of the economy mellows out and starts to rise again, any further work or investment in your home will pay off.

One of the key areas that people neglect to deal with is the basement. It not only houses the foundation for the rest of the living space above, mandating that it’s stable, level and sound, but also a contributor to the air we breathe in the home and also possibly the rate of decay of the house.

If a basement goes unattended a few things could happen: Cracks, mold, mildew, flooding, bugs, which could all contribute to other dismal things upstairs in your main space. If mold exists in the basement because of decaying natural material, it’s spores can populate rapidly and with each spawn they can kick allergens into the air, which will join the air circulation in the rest of the house.
Cracks can let water and bugs in. Water can cause more mold and mildew to grow.
So what’s the solution?
Fill your cracks and waterproof your basement.

By doing this you earn a whole other floor to your house that’s usable and friendly. You seal out the elements from the space, eliminating bugs coming from the cracks or foundation gaps below the sill plate, and controlling the amount of moisture in the space. From here conditioning the environment in the basement is simple. A dehumidifier (a SanaFe Unit is one I like) will easily remove moisture and allergens (if there’s a filter installed to do so) and pump out clean air that helps to increase basement air circulation.

All in all you end up with cleaner air and less headaches. And in a recession it’s nice to have one less thing to worry about.

So, if you're going to do anything to your house take care of your basement. The air quality will become better, you'll control mold, mildew and allergens, and then in the process you'll increase your usable space and the value of your home.

That time of year again

With all the snow that's come and quickly gone due to our strange weather lately, more and more of this is happening. In CT during the 40's and 50's there was a HUGE housing boom. Most of those post war houses are still very much in use and very much out of date. It was standard practice back then to install wooden framed windows on hinges to allow the homeowner to open them and get some cross ventilation in the basement (back then it wasn't thought to be a bad thing to have air flowing freely through the basement and up into your home.)




Before you get too sad and upset about your situation there are a few things that you do in deed have control over. I do implore everyone to get a moisture control system installed in their basements anyway, but there are definitely things that you can do before the installation.

1.) Extend all your rain gutter spouts at least 3 feet from the house. You can get parts for this at home depot. Don't be afraid to really get the parts together. You can rivet, bolt, screw, or heck, even duct tape the parts together. If you duct tape though, put some white spray paint on it, to cover it up...no sense in showing off your handy work to the neighbors ;-)

2.) Make sure that the flashing above your bulkhead door is flush against the house and is indeed keeping water from leaking back. These things do tend to rust and must be changed every so often. So keep your eye on that, and if in desperate need on the inside, run a bead of caulking down the seams of the bulkhead to the basement wall.

3.) Get your windows in your basement fixed and or updated. New windows have been designed to help with keeping your house energy effective and warm, so why not extend that benefit to your basement as well? PLUS having a new threshold for the window will give you a tighter seal which won't allow the picture above to happen until many many years from now.

4.) During a rain storm, take a walk outside. Map out the trouble areas of pooling and basement contact with water. This way you'll know more about the slope of your land, where it needs to go, and have more detailed information for the professional coming to help you install a Moisture control system.

there are some forums on Pioneer Basement that you can ask questions about other things you can do before an install to get your house ready.

HVAC issue in CT 1

I had a client not too long ago that has a type 1 (or level 1) mold issue in the basement. There's a secure bulkhead and an open stair well to the stairs up to the apartments.

The problem is tha the duct to the window for the ventalation is open. There's a grate on the outside. One vent coming stright down out of the window to about 2 feet from the floor. The second comes straight out at window/ceiling level. The idea is for the warm air to escape through the top vent and colder air from the outside is to come through the bottom vent opening closer to the floor in order to then travel, stir up air away from the furnace and then heat, and escape out the top. Simple right?

Yes, simple, however creating some complications. Apparently there are large piles of leaves and other outside material that has found it's way through the grate into the basement. Which leaves me to beleve that the moist air is coming in through the vents as well. Trying to do research has lead me to noting. Most vents on the furnace are carried through normal ducts to the outside, keeping the circulation in a close ciruit between the ouside and the furnace....right?

Besides having a water issue which will be corrected by installing the Grate Products System I can't see where else the moisture could be coming from. Even having a Santa Fe working full tilt couldn't eleminate an endless stream of moisture from the outside.

I'm vexed by the idea. I don't want them to install and then still experience mold because of the outside. I'll have pictures and I'll have information before anything happens..That's for sure.