5 Common Exterior Basement Waterproofing Techniques

A wet basement, caused by foundation wall leaks, is a major cause of nightmare to homeowners. This leaking could be as a result of poor concrete mixing, drainage of downspouts and gutters or poor grade sloping into the house, among other problems.

An excavation contractor has the right tools and expertise to diagnose, recommend and apply an exterior basement waterproofing solution. This is because modern construction technology has come up with systems to ensure your joy as the newest homeowner is not short-lived.

Check some of the ideas essential to fixing basement leaking:

1. Starting from the Source

Foundation wall waterproofing is an expensive undertaking hence the problem must be diagnosed first and solved once and for all. Issues such as poor roof drainage need to be addressed by creating extensions to downspouts and gutters to divert water away.

What’s more, the slope gradient must be recreated away from the walls to avoid soil saturation, which leads to basement leaking through seepage. This ensures the problem will not recur thus saving you further home maintenance expenses.

2. External Waterproofing Membrane

This is the most applied method over the last 30 years. Tar and Polymer-based water proofing materials are used to create an impermeable water barrier on the outside of the basement walls. This is a skill-intensive process that only a qualified contractor can manage. It involves:

• Excavation: Digging is done down to the foundation footings with enough space created to allow technicians to work comfortably.
• Wall cleaning and prepping: All the soil, loose mortar and any other dirt is scrubbed off to ensure the exterior basement waterproofing membrane holds to the wall. Pare mortar can be applied to even the wall in case of a coarse brick wall.
• Waterproofing membrane application: The technicians apply the thick coating using towels or even spraying depending on the specific material.
• Backfilling: The excavated material is backfilled after the membrane has cured.

3. Crack Repair

Crack injection with expanding polyurethane stops water seepage in floors constructed of poured concrete. Digging to get access to the cracks is also involved again calling for skilled manpower, which a contractor comfortably offers.

4. Exterior Waterproofing Drainage

This is a way of fool proofing the exterior basement waterproofing membrane you had already installed. An exterior drain tile helps. Laid along the membrane, it alleviates pressure from the wall by draining away the water.

5. Vinyl and Plastic Sheeting

This is a temporary measure as it cannot stick for long to the damp foundation wall. Indeed, it can trap water into bags thus exacerbating the problem further.

External basement waterproofing is by all means a technical operation best handled by the experts. As such, make sure you call in an experienced, reputable and reliable contractor for your waterproofing project.