Keeping your basement dry can be a difficult task. But it’s not surprising when you consider that your house is surrounded by water. The soil surrounding your house contains water from rain and snow. Soil is very good at retaining water to keep it fertile. The water retention of the soil isn’t usually a problem, unless the soil becomes saturated with too much water.
When the soil surrounding your home becomes saturated, the excess water starts to look for places to escape. This is when it might end up in your basement. Concrete is usually the preferred material for building foundations. However, despite being very strong and tough, concrete has very poor waterproofing capabilities.
It doesn’t take long for a small hairline crack to appear in concrete until you’ve got trouble. The problem starts when water gets into these tiny cracks. When the temperature freezes, the water turns into ice and expands. This can cause a small crack to literally become a small hole.
So, in this article we’ll look at 3 things you can do to waterproof your basement. If carried out properly, you won’t suffer from any water leaks in your basement again. However, make sure you do the job properly. If you’re unfamiliar with waterproofing cement, hire an expert with experience.
If you have any leaks in your basement already you’ll need to fix them. Holes in cement and hairline cracks will need to be professionally treated and filled. There’s no point sticking poly-filler in the cracks as you’ll waste a lot of money if you waterproof the basement and it leaks again!
Let’s go right back to the cause of the excess water in the soil. Is there a drainage system in place to allow the soil to retain enough water, then let the excess water drain away? Are all your gutters clear of leaves and debris? A leaking gutter can soon cause a puddle to form on patches of soil. Make sure the soil slopes away from the home.
If there’s no slope to take water away from your home, try to adjust the slope of your garden and grass/soil area. If it’s not possible to do this then you may need to install a drainage system made of weeping tiles. The drainage system should continue around on the perimeter of your house to carry the water away from the building.
This stage should always be carried out by a professional since it must be done properly. It’s a fairly substantial task and can take a lot of time and effort to complete. Your contractor will need to dig a perimeter hole next to the cement. The waterproofing product will then need to be applied directly against the cement to be effective.
Since there is a lot of skill involved in waterproofing cement, and a lot of machinery involved; it’s best to hire a professional. This makes sense since contractors will not only have the right skills and experience, but also insurance should anything go wrong.
