Are you experiencing a wet basement yet unable to identify the root of the basement leakage? Fret not! In this article, we will be sharing on basement leakage. The best advice that we can provide to any homeowner who is attempting to eliminate unwanted water from a basement, or any area within a property, is that the first step is to always look for obvious solutions.
Fortunately, basement leakage is not an uncommon problem. Water can leak into your basement over the top of your foundation/ basement wall when the ground is near level or sloping into the house. Possible causes to such problems could be when your lawn is sloped towards your house and permits surface water/ rainfall to drain down against basement walls. Water enters through cracks or other openings in the walls and causes wet spots on them. Other possible causes might be window leak, leaking basement wall cracks, sewer pipe leaks, floor cracks floor and wall joint leakage and such. These problems may potentially be the cause of your basement leakage. Such problems may also lead to structural damage to toxic mold that is hazardous to your health. So, what can you do fix it?
The easiest and most common approach to such basement leakage problems would be to engage a waterproofing contractor to waterproof the walls that are affected by leakage problems. Waterproofing the walls may be costly but it is more likely to solve the leakage problem, and a more lasting solution.
In cases whereby the cracks in the walls are mild, waterproofing membrane, paint or other solutions will most likely be able to do the job and to provide a lasting degree of improvement to achieving a dry basement. If such compounds are applied in a correct manner, it can penetrate several inches into the concrete from the cracks and close off the capillaries by forming crystals in the presence of water. However, for homeowners who are planning on doing this by themselves should take note of the label on the product and read properly to check the waterproofing product’s limitations and terms of any guarantee as promised. Another point for homeowners to take note is that the solution, that is, waterproofing membrane or paint, is most effective when applied directly over cement and not as effective when applied on existing painted walls.
For more serious cases of basement leakage, it is safe to say that most homeowners would settle for this type of treatment as it does not require hacking. Drilling would do the job. For this type of treatment, waterproofing substances is injected into the cracks between the concrete. These substances would then penetrate and seal the cracks, disallowing water to find its path to your basement. What we usually suggest to our clients here at SWC is to go for high pressure PU injection grouting. Similarly, this method is an injection of liquid grouting substances into the cracks under pressure. High pressure PU injection grouting helps to fill the existing cracks with grouting substances which would subsequently hardens up and connects the disintegrated surfaces. This treatment not only has a strong bearing on the success of correcting the problem, it is also a more lasting solution.
If you are currently facing a basement leakage, do not hesitate to contact us and get a LeakDetect™ consultation from us today!