Basement Waterproofing at a Glance

Many people are intimidated by the topic of waterproofing, not only because the subject usually arises during an emergency situation, but also because they don’t follow some of the technical jargon surrounding the industry. This doesn’t have to be the case. Below is our attempt to explain some of the salient issues in straightforward, easy-to-understand terms.

1. Interior waterproofing focuses on removing water that has already leaked into your home. Exterior waterproofing keeps water out from the beginning, draining it from the soils surrounding the basement walls.
2. Beyond leaks, these wet clay soils expand in freezing weather and exert dangerous pressure against the foundation of your home, causing wall cracking. A second step in exterior waterproofing involves removing some of these clay soils.
3. Exterior waterproofing involves excavating to the footer (the bottom of the foundation), replacing or adding footer tile, treating the foundation walls with a sealer, and adding a good gravel backfill to aid in drainage of the wet soils to the footer tile.
4. The overwhelming consensus among industry experts, structural engineers, building inspectors, and new construction contractors is that exterior waterproofing is ALWAYS the best choice, dealing with the issue outside, where it originates. So why do so many companies propose interior solutions? Because these systems are relatively easy to install and require very little in the way of equipment, material, or time. While water control systems have their place in dealing with leaks, they can’t address cracking and shifting walls. For this reason, Eco-Seal has made the investment and takes the time to specialize in exterior prevention methods.
5. Many basement water issues are due to bad grade, and/or gutters and downspouts not working properly. It is critical to make sure you have a positive grade sloping away from your foundation to avoid pooling and ponding water, which will find its way into your home. Working gutters and downspouts, free from debris, are also a critical piece of your waterproofing system. While addressing these two factors first will improve your situation, it might not make the water intrusion problem go away entirely. An exterior waterproofing system offers that guarantee.
6. Likewise, running a dehumidifier can aid the problem by lowering humidity and reducing condensation and dew point moisture. Just as your bathroom mirror fogs up when you run a hot and humid shower, your basement walls gather condensation in the presence of too much wetness and humidity. A good humidity target for your basement is between 40 and 50% humidity, but again, a dehumidifier is not as effective as an exterior prevention system.
7. Mold is also caused by moisture that leaks in, or by high humidity levels for extended periods of time. It can only thrive on an organic material (wood, cardboard, etc).