Waterproofing Basement Floors
Keeping Basements Dry Since 1958
So, let’s talk wet basements. When water is leaking into your basement, that space becomes unusable, possibly damaged, and can even become hazardous to your health.
You won’t be able to take advantage of this part of your house either as extra living space or even for storage.
Fortunately, there are proven ways to solve basement water problems. Read on to learn about basement waterproofing, from basement floors to other basement waterproofing details.
With ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing, you’ll find that enjoying a safe and dry basement is possible!
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Basement Floor Waterproofing Solutions
Select a topic below to learn more
Waterproofing Your Basement Preserves Your Homes’ Value
Warning Signs You Have A Wet Basement Problem
Where Is The Water Coming From?
Your Solution To Waterproof Basement Floors
Waterproofing Your Basement Preserves Your Home’s Value
Having your basement waterproofed can offer a wide range of benefits from making the space useable to making your home more valuable. Let’s explore some of the benefits of waterproofing your basement!
- Prevents structural damage to the basement and your foundation
- Prevents basement flooding
- Improves air quality and keeps it free from mold
- Lowers heating and cooling costs
- Prepares your basement for a nice remodeling
With a proper waterproofing system in place, your basement can be kept dry and safe to use and/or remodel, which opens all sorts of possibilities for you. With the extra space that a basement provides, you can use it for:
- Extra storage space
- An extra living room or recreation space
- An extra bedroom with another bathroom or even a kitchen
- A place to install your laundry machines
All these ideas can help transform a dry, waterproofed basements into useful spaces for the entire family to enjoy. It can also increase your home’s resale value, should you decide to ever sell it. With ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing, it can all become possible!
Warning Signs You Have A Wet Basement Problem
Did you know that 98% of basements experience a water problem during its lifetime? That means, if you have a basement, you most likely will have a wet basement at some point.
While standing water or a busted pipe may be obvious signs of a wet basement, there are other signs that you may have a water or moisture problem.
Here are some signs to look for:
- Musty smell
- Dampness in areas like the drywall, ceiling, carpet
- Cracks in foundation walls or floors
- Condensation on windows and doors
- Clogged drains
- Soil settlement that slopes toward the foundation
- Efflorescence (white, chalk-like powder on walls)
- Mold and mildew
When moisture problems arise in the basement, it’s ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing and our basement waterproofing experts to the rescue! Give us a call for a free inspection to dry your space permanently!
Where Is The Water Coming From?
Does water seep into your basement when it rains? Do you have a leaky heat pump? Are you noticing water around your windows? Is water leaking into the basement through cracks in the basement floor slab? If so, it’s time to do something about it! Since 1958, we have kept hundreds of thousands of basements dry…permanently!
But first, you need to determine the source of the intrusive water or moisture. Why? If you don’t, the fix will only mask the problem temporarily. You need a permanent solution!
Finding water on your basement floor doesn’t always mean that the floor is the source. It is important to look for evidence of water coming through cracks in the floor. But if you cannot find any, the two other most common sources for a wet basement floor are basement walls, and the edge of the basement floor where the slab meets the foundation walls. Most commonly you will find a gap or seam between the slab and the foundation walls—this is due to the construction process, which occurs at two different times.
Other causes of basement water problems include:
- Cracks in the basement walls or floors
- Broken or leaky pipes
- Loose water lines
- Poor drainage around your foundation
- Sump pump failure
- Clogged sewer lines
- Water heater that leaks
- Clogged gutters and downspouts
- Improper grading around the foundation
When waterproofing your basement, look at the whole picture and create a strategy that focuses on the entire basement—not just one aspect or one section.
Call ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing to create a holistic approach to waterproofing your basement. We offer home and commercial property owners free estimates and price quotes, and many of our services are backed by a lifetime warranty and a money-back guarantee. Ask your Foundations Specialist for more details!
Your Solution To Waterproofing Basement Floors
’58 Foundations & Waterproofing is equipped with effective and long-lasting solutions that can keep your basement a safe, dry, and healthy place, whether you’re planning to use it for extra storage space or as a finished living space. Have a look at the quality products that we use to keep groundwater moving out and away from your basement and home:
The Channel ’58 Drainage System
The sub-floor ’58 Drainage Channel is your solution (also referred to as a French drain). It is a shallow trench filled with loose gravel and a perforated pipe that carries water to a sump pit. It’s installed as part of our waterproofing system to address leaks from basement floors and walls.
Our ‘58 Drainage Channels are also designed differently from our competitors to improve waterflow and keep water moving towards the sump pit instead of sitting within the drainage system.
How is the ’58 Drainage Channel installed? These drainage channels are installed around the perimeter of the basement floor (and could be used laterally as well) and meet at a sump pit where a sump pump can expel collected water to the exterior of your house.
How do they work? To understand how the French drain system can keep a basement floor dry, let’s look at what’s underneath your basement floor slab. If the builder followed code or your home isn’t too old, a thick layer of coarse gravel was put beneath the concrete floor. This layer provides innumerable spaces between pieces of gravel, creating pathways for water movement beneath the concrete slab. This is where the drainage channel comes in.
When a drainage channel is installed at the edges or perimeter of the slab, extending into the under-slab gravel layer, it creates an escape route (pathway) for excess water around your foundation and under the slab. This helps relieve water pressure, ultimately keeping your basement dry.
The ’58 Rigid Sealer
As water passes through your footer, it may need a guide to keep it moving towards the drainage channels to maximize the efficiency of your waterproofing system—that’s where our Rigid Sealer comes in. The L-shape of our Rigid Sealer guides the intruding groundwater straight to the drainage channels where it can quickly proceed to the sump pit.
A skirt of liner material may also be installed in the case of leaking walls—these will help guide moisture from the wall to behind the rigid sealer. The rigid sealer will then guide the water to the drainage channel to join the rest of the water moving to the sump pit.
The Workhorse Sump Pump System
Once water reaches the sump pit, it becomes the job of the Workhorse Sump Pump System to push that water out to the exterior of your home. With the capacity to move 5,100 per hour (that’s 85 gallons per minute!), you can be assured that this system does not give water time to settle in. Other features include:
- Non-mechanical float switch
- Capacity to handle up to ½” of solids (that’s a lot of…)
- Cast iron and stainless-steel parts
- Thermal overload for maximum protection
- Backed by a lifetime warranty
The Workhorse OT Plus
Our Workhorse OT Plus works overtime (OT) to protect your investment. This redundant battery backup is always on standby no matter how bad the storm. It protects your home in three ways:
- When the power goes out. That way, your waterproofing system continues to work, no matter how stormy it gets out there!
- When your primary system fails. Things happen! Whether it’s a mechanical failure or some other issue, the Workhorse OT Plus works to protect your investment.
- When water levels become too high. This is for your additional peace of mind.
This system has been tested for over 400,000 cycles, which is equivalent to 20 years. Rest assured, you can count on this proven, redundant battery backup system to work for you OT overtime—it’s always on standby! Other features include:
- Easy-to-read LCD screen display so you will always know the battery capacity, pump amps, and load capacity
- Capacity to move up to 4,680 gallons of water per hour
- Non-mechanical float switch—as the water levels rise, it comes on automatically
- 5-Year Warranty
Call The Five-Star Basement Waterproofing Experts For An Inspection And Price Quote
While most people think of a basement as an extra storage space, it plays a much larger role towards your home’s structural integrity and the environmental healthiness of your living space. Whether you have leaks coming from your basement walls, or you’ve discovered that your basement’s been flooded by a recent rainstorm, it can cause both great amounts of stress and huge repair costs.
’58 Foundations & Waterproofing has the basement waterproofing solutions you need to ensure that water keeps moving out and away from your home, so that a wet basement is the last thing you have to worry about while enjoying your home life. From our effective Channel ’58 Drainage Channels to our powerful Workhorse Sump Pumps, we cover all the bases when it comes to keeping your basement safe, dry, and useable for many years to come.
Contact us to schedule for a free inspection and receive a detailed estimate! With more than 64 years of keeping basements dry, there’s no one with our level of expertise!
What You Can Expect From ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing
- Conversation and Collaboration.To understand your goals, we’ll be asking a lot of questions…and we’ll listen to your answers and concerns! That way we can clearly understand the problem.
- Detailed Inspection.Together, we will walk around your home to perform a thorough inspection. You can point things out and we’ll talk about the process.
- A Healthy Solution.Your Foundations Specialist will provide a written recommendation that meets your goals, cost estimate included.
- Five-Star Installation.The ’58 Crew will be there on time and communicate with you throughout the process. No surprises!
- Money-Back* Confidence.Combined with the industry’s strongest warranties you can rest assured that your system will protect your home for the length of the warranty: a lifetime!
*That’s right, if we can’t fix it, we’ll return your money. Ask your Foundations Specialist for details. Working together to deliver a five-star experience!
FAQ
If your basement has a water or moisture problem, most likely mold will follow if you do not promptly fix the situation. If water damage is not treated within 24-48 hours, that’s plenty of time for mold to make a home in your basement.
There are many factors that contribute to a wet basement including rain or groundwater that accumulates near the foundation. Clogged gutters or downspouts can be another culprit, and so can poor drainage systems.
That musty smell means that there is excess water or moisture in your basement…and possibly mold! Check the humidity level to make sure it’s under 60%. Clean up any mold or mildew spores that are present. Then call in the professionals like ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing to neutralize the situation before it becomes a bigger health hazard.
Efflorescence is the formation of a powdery deposit on the surface of brickwork, rocks, or other materials as moisture is lost due to air exposure. It appears as a white, fluffy substance. If left untreated, it may break down the concrete or masonry and cause structural damage.
You bet! Water can come up through the dirt. Even if you don’t see standing water, moisture in the air can develop and result in damage to building materials.
