Basement waterproofing systems:

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.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.However if like most this method wasn't followed to the complete letter of the suppliers instructions you are going to need to continue reading. 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.

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.

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. Many companies will sponsor seminars and instructional videos on how to handle any basement waterproofing problems that you may have.

Tips:

Waterproofing your basement will prevent a number of expensive problems from arising in the future. All it takes is a little time and effort on your part. The following section offers articles that will help you seal up and waterproof your basement, keeping the water outside where it belongs.

Out side:

Following that, you're not done with the rainwater once reaches ground level. You need to have a mechanism in place to take that flow of water from the gutters quickly away from the house. This usually entails some form of piping or drainage system. If you can get the rainwater out to the street where it can empty into a storm drain, that water will be headed in the right direction (ie: away from your basement).Many of the basics of basement waterproofing are just good common sense. In short, you should begin by keeping as much water away from the foundation of your house as possible. Starting at the roof, you'll want to make sure that your gutters and leaders are functioning properly ... if they leak profusely, that rainwater will pour downward and form an expressway to your foundation, negating any interior work you've done to waterproof the basement.

With that out of the way, the next step in your basement waterproofing quest is to ensure that the ground around (not to be confused with ground round) your home is graded away. This might sound like simple stuff, but it isn't always easy or possible. For the best results, the ground should slope away from the house. If the geography of your lot prevents this from happening, all is not lost. You'll just have to get more creative in redirecting the flow of water, through the use of similar methods.

Once you've taken care of the basics of one-two-three (getting that rainwater away from the house), you can turn your attention inward. In the next passage, we'll take a quick look at the topic of inside of basement waterproofing ...