Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Basement waterproofing systems

If you own a home and have a subsoil basement then you need to be concerned about basement waterproofing. Basement waterproofing is defined as preventing water from penetrating into your basement area.

Keeping the water out of your basement will limit the amount of mold and mildew that can occur in your basement area. The mold and mildew due to improperly waterproofed basement walls can cause illness and sickness in you and your family.

The construction industry is full of basement waterproofing products that are designed to keep your basement dry. However through proper research you will find that there are only three separate types of waterproofing available to you.

The first type is called “Tanking” or bonding a substance or membrane to the outside of your basement that will prevent water ingress into your basement walls.
This method is predominantly used during the initial construction phase of your home. If your builder built the structure properly this should be all of the basement waterproofing that you will need.

The second basement waterproofing method that is utilized is called a “Cavity Drainage System”.
When your basement is constructed you will have a thin plastic honeycomb membrane installed on the walls and floors.
The floors will be sloped toward the sump pump so that any water that ingresses into your basement structure can be promptly removed.

If your house experiences only mild rains year round this system may be all that you need for proper water removal. The downsides to the cavity system is one of system failure.
During power outages the sump pump may not work allowing your basement to be filled by water.
The honeycomb over time also could become a harbinger for mold and mildew spores.
Thereby disallowing the reason that you have the basement waterproofing product in your home in the first place.

If you live in parts of the country that occasionally receive heavy downpours then you will most assuredly be in need of the third and final type of basement waterproofing product.
This product is an “Exterior Foundation Drain”, also called a “French Drain” by many in the construction industry. The drain is a system that is built on the outside wall of your foundation and diverts water through a ground drainage system away from the basement walls.

Utilizing the Tanking method and the Exterior Foundation Drain is the best methodology for preventing basement waterproofing problems.

more information about this and other solutions go to: www.statewidebasements.com


3 comments:

angel said...

Yes, constructing french drain is very important to us especially to a construction industries for the welfare and security of the workers and you can find the information and resources in building a french drain.

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Basement waterproofing is essential because the basement is the foundation that supports the home. And, here is brief detail about several types of basement waterproofing systems that offer different solutions.

Thanks for such useful post... :)

Anonymous said...

This article is extremely fascinating. I am so happy I found your blog page.You made some good points there. Thank you so much for sharing it. Kudos! I'm also sharing this basement waterproofing systems that we have. basement waterproofing systems as we all know is an important consideration for homeowners since it prevents pressure on the wall creating cracks, allowing molds and wood rot. This would surely be of great help to you.