Another: Do-it-yourself Q&A

http://www.bnd.com/living/home/story/496273.html

Q. Water was seeping into our basement through the concrete floor, and in an attempt to stop it we applied a waterproofing paint to the floor. Since then, although we have solved the water problem with an expensive drainage project outside the house, we have had a lot of problems with the floor. The paint bubbled up in some areas and we scraped it off. Parts of the floor are now white and crumbling. How can I get my smooth floor back? -N. Hermann

A. As you discovered, putting waterproofing paint on the floor was a mistake. These paints are designed to stop seepage through walls, and they often do a very good job of that, but they should not be used on floors.

You should have the floor examined by an experienced concrete contractor. It is possible the slab can be cleaned up and given an overlay of fresh concrete, but only a personal examination by an expert can determine that. You can also get a smooth, good-looking floor by covering the existing floor with interlocking tiles. The tiles are not fastened to the floor, and can be removed at any time, but they give a smooth, attractive, skid-resistant surface. For more information, visit www.XXXXXX.com and type Garage Floor Tiles in the search space.

Sadly, yet again, I have to make a correction on this:

These paints are designed to stop seepage through walls, and they often do a very good job of that, but they should not be used on floors.

Paints don't work for long-term solutions. If it covers, paints or seals, it can bubble, crack and peal. By "sealing up" the pores in concrete you're only doing this on the inside of the basement. For a sealing to truly work you must apply it on the exterior of the foundation in the first place. HOWEVER, even doing that, it's only a temporary stop measure.

Getting back to the inside: by sealing up the pores you're creating more pressure against the wall. If you poke a hole in a bottle, the water dribbles out, you put a stopper in that and what happens, the stopper eventually gets forced out because the build up of pressure behind it, due to the fact that the hole is the path of least resistance for the water to flow.

So what you're really doing is creating more pressure beyond the wall to force against this "paint". Because hydrostatic pressure build up is more common below floors more moisture comes in direct contact with your basement floor. So by putting a paint on the floor, the moisture seeps and travels through the concrete of the floor, and just like paint upstairs, will cause it to peal, crack and come right off the floor.

The paint bubbled up in some areas and we scraped it off. Parts of the floor are now white and crumbling

If you're experiencing "white" parts on your foundation, that's a sign of water contact with that surface. It's the left over mineral deposits from water after it evaporates.

Plenty of businesses sell attractive solutions for your basement flooring needs: www.homebasementfinishing.com and www.basementdepot.com are just two I know from my own network of friends.

Water Coming in through the Foundation of the House.

This is the typical issue that people with wet basements have. Moisture/Water is coming directly through the foundation via a crack or puncture.

Punctures can happen from direct impact on the foundation wall, or through a very long process of micro-pores finally being connected via the concrete separations giving way.

Cracks are a common thing in many homes, especially older homes. Settlement, soil expansion and contraction, hydrostatic pressure, rapid cooling and drying of new concrete, or in the case of concrete block and brick, the mortar breaking up and dissipating.

The first step in correcting any foundation leaks that lead to a flooded basement is to formally address the foundation issues. Re-point the blocks or bricks, correct mortar issues, fill cracks, add FiberLock or Wall Anchoring systems (if one is needed) and then move onto the next step.

After the foundation is secure it’s time to waterproof the basement . Many people think that hydro-sealing the cracks is good enough to repair the crack and waterproof the basement. Sadly, after years of watching such repairs fail, it’s not. It’s a good temporary solution to get you safely to a permanent solution.

Installing an interior drain system in your basement is the only proven, permanent method to keep your basement dry. This will cover the addressed foundation, trap and redirect water to be properly drained and removed from the basement.

All foundations require an amount of water, especially in places like Texas, to stay stable, upright and without major incident. Concrete being naturally porous and absorbent, water will naturally find its way into concrete to fill the holes left behind by the drying process during the curing of the concrete walls.

Questions about your basement or foundation? Contact me on the Pioneer Basement Help Forums and Ask away. Don't forget to leave your comment here or to quote it in your forum posting.


Related Reading and Links

Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.

Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

What does Iron Bacteria look like?

Iron Bacteria isn’t something that we see on an every day basis. Many people who have read this blog and others like it are curious to see what Iron Bacteria looks like. So I went on a hunt, even borrowing pictures from blog friends of mine such as Steve Andras and from sites like http://www.homebasementfinishing.com/ to try to bring you a realistic collection of images of Iron Bacteria.

I don’t want to paint too much of a biased picture of Iron Bacteria. It can be some rather nasty stuff dependant on the soil content and the moisture content where you are

As I've said countless times, Iron Bacteria isn't harmful to humans. It might smell slightly odd, clog pipes and indicate a high level of minerals in the area that could be harmful... but the bacteria itself isn't harmful.



Related Reading and Links

Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.

Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Do you need to get your basement storm ready?

If you have a waterproofing system, thinking about getting one or just need something to give you a little bit of an edge in the next big storm, consider investing in a Battery Back-Up Sump Pump.

Battery Back-Up Sump Pumps are not just batteries that can be connected to an existing pump. They are typically whole separate units that require separate discharge lines as well. The higher quality units will also give you an alternator box to help recharge these batteries using AC power.

The nice thing is that these pumps don’t just come in handy during a power outage. They can be tailored to help out in any situation, using AC power or battery power. By simply placing the switch at a level that allows for the Battery Back up to kick in at a particular water level under your basement floor, you’ll set yourself up to add in pump redundancy. If the normal pump can’t handle the flow, the battery back up will turn on and jump in to “lend a hand.” BBU Sump pumps are essentially adding another two pumps to your line of defense against basement flooding. 1 pump that works when the power is on and another pump that works when the power is off.

With the massive storms blowing through over the next few weeks because of Hurricane season don’t forget to have a solid waterproofing company in your phone book in case you need an emergency pump out.

One such company is Pioneer Basement. Serving as far west in Massachusetts as Berkshire county, as far west in Connecticut as Hartford, all the way to the shore lines of southern Rhode Island, and well back up into Boston.

If you need an emergency pump out, if you want to stop the water from ever coming in again after this big storm, or you just want to get pumps to keep you well defended, get in touch with Pioneer Basement: the Basement Experts.

How safe are Battery Back ups for Sump Pumps?

The right word is Extremely.

Battery back ups are low maintenance, encased in waterproof covers, usually accompanied with user control panels to monitor battery power levels and functionality.

Not all sump pumps can be powered by battery. Many companies supply sump pumps that are already designed to be powered by battery power. These would be the first option to a battery-back up sump pump system. Some are strong enough even to take over for the primary A/C power pump you have installed.

There are quite a few battery-back up sump pumps on the market. However, there are only some that are as versatile, strong, and rugged as the PHC-2400 Pro-Series Battery Back-Up pumps from Glentronics. Pioneer Basement has often supported the need for a battery back up. In New England Nor’easter storms, hurricanes, and heavy rain in spring and fall can, and often do, cause power outages.

By having 2 incased batteries supplying your sump pump with power; you give yourself an extra 18 hours of fighting chance to keep your basement dry under the worst of conditions.

There has been no record, that I have access to, of any major injuries with any battery back up system.

As with anything, there is some simple safety tips to familiarize yourself with if you choose to have a battery-back up sump pump system installed:

* Know when it needs to be maintained.
* If it’s refilled, what does it need, how do you do it, and what safety protection do you need.

As with any battery, use common sense. Don’t handle the battery out of the case with bare hands. Don’t open the battery to do any refueling unless you have gloves and eye goggles on. Don’t slam the battery down on the floor because that could render it useless by shaking the plates inside the battery.

If you have any questions about having a battery-back up sump pump system installed, contact your local GrateProducts Contractor in your area to ask how you can have a Basement Inspection at your home and find out which style battery back up sump pump is right for you and your basement’s protection needs.