Basement Waterproofing Professionals: Reliable Contractor Services

Serious Wet Basement Problems? When it’s Time To Call In The Basement Professionals

A dry basement for work, hobbies, storage, and extra living space is an asset to any home. On the other hand, a wet, damp, musty basement taints the value of the entire house as an investment, and is a source of continuing annoyance and frustration for a homeowner.
The best general advice to anyone attempting to eliminate unwanted water from a basement is that all cures and options should be fully researched. If an obvious simple solution cannot be found a basement professional firm should be contacted like Reliable Contractor Services, Northeast Ohio’s premier basement and slab waterproofing solution experts.

Persistent Problems

If every apparent, logical way of eliminating wetness fails to produce a dry basement, do not waste time or money on random potential solutions. Finding the cause of the problem is absolutely essential to its cure. The hardest type of water problem to correct is one created by faulty construction practices at the time the house was built. Proper drainage is a crucial consideration in selecting the site for a new house. This includes not only the drainage of surface water but also drainage of any subsurface or ground water that may already be present, or that may accumulate over a period of time and be blocked from its normal course of flow by the new construction.

If the subsurface or ground water level is close to the underside of the basement floor slab, water rises through the slab by capillary action, producing dampness. If the subsurface or ground water level is higher than the basement floor, water leaks in through the walls and floor or enters by capillary action, causing standing water in the basement and, at times, dampness in the rooms above. Under ideal conditions, a house should be situated so that even during rainy seasons the subsurface or ground water level is at least ten feet below the finished grade–well below the average basement floor.

In some cases, it is impossible to completely eliminate dampness from a basement whose construction did not take into consideration the basic principles of good drainage. Only after soil borings have been done can anyone knowledgeably predict which, if any, course of action has a chance for success.

Weigh Alternative Methods Of Treatment

An accurate diagnosis of the main cause of persistent basement wetness may lead to a recommendation of one or more of the following actions:

Redirect Water Away From Foundation

The various exterior waterproofing barriers have varying levels of effectiveness in protecting the outside wall areas. But wall anti-leaking barriers do not affect water penetration due to water accumulation at the footer or floor level. The ideal solution to this problem lies in directing the accumulation of water away from the foundation or into drainage or pumping system.

Install An Interior Drainage System

Although it is always best to control leakage in the basement from the outside, you may install a drainage system on the inner side of the foundation. The floor is broken up along the perimeter of the basement wall and drain tile is placed in a trench that carries the water to a discharge point, or sump pump, which takes the water away from the house. With hollow block walls, holes may be drilled at the bottom to allow the water to pass into the drain pipe and relieve the water pressure. The trench may then be filled with gravel and the floor replaced or recemented. If installed correctly this system will remove basement leakage water. Channels may also be installed on the basement floor to take the water away through a sump pump.

Apply Waterproofing Compounds To Interior Walls

Only in cases where mild and occasional capillary seepage occurs are applications of waterproofing paint or other interior compounds likely to provide any lasting degree of improvement in achieving a dry basement.

Injection of Waterproofing Substances

Not recommended.

Excavate

Basement Professionals

Sometimes it is necessary to resort to the measure of exposing the basement walls, treating them to make them watertight, and then regrading the soil. Among possible treatments are:

Covering the walls with a prepared waterproofing felt or fabric coated and cemented together with hot coal-tar pitch. If properly applied, the membrane is a very effective method of waterproofing. However, it is very expensive, and if subsequent leaks develop they may be difficult to locate and repair. Remember, water can still come in through the basement floor.

The newly cemented walls should be properly protected and cured.
Installing drain tile around the footings, at least on the sides where trouble is occurring. This procedure is generally recommended in addition to one or more methods above.

Good, four-inch drain tile should be used, laid parallel with, and at the bottom of the footings. Great care must be taken to see that the bottom of the tile is not lower than the bottom of the footings, so that the footings are not undermined.

In normal, porous soil, the tile should be covered with 18 inches of screened gravel. In heavy, non-porous soil, the gravel should extend almost to the top of the excavation.

This footing drain and belt of gravel should drain off all seepage water and prevent the accumulation of water around the walls. This method is especially suitable on the upper side of a house located on a hillside.

Reliable Contractor Services in the Cleveland, Ohio area is your one stop shop. We also perform plumbing drain cleaning and repair/installation, excavation, and pipe video inspection/recording along with high pressure water jetting.
Residential, Commercial, Municipal and Industrial maintenance services are available 24/7!

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