According to WhiteHouse.gov, the data for 2021 showed that “weather and climate disasters” caused around $150 billion in damages nationwide. They don’t come often, maybe once or twice a year, but you’ve likely experienced one of these storms with heavy rain that comes down fast. But for those who don’t know how to prepare their home for a storm such as these, it can lead to trouble in their basement when that water starts finding a way inside.
Maybe you’ve noticed some water seeping out from along the edges of your basement. Or maybe you’ve seen firsthand what happens when a sump pump fails during a bad storm and a basement gets flooded.
For most homes, it’s easy enough to manage a typical rainy season. But every so often a heavy three- or even six-inch rainstorm comes along. These rare but powerful storms can place a heavy burden on waterproofing systems and home foundations.
With massive amounts of rain coming down, your local water table is sure to rise and put your waterproofing system to the test. No two waterproofing systems are equal. Armed with the proper information though, you can find the best basement waterproofing for your home.
Your home may already come with exterior waterproofing or parging that had been put in place during its original construction, but it’s unlikely to protect your basement and home sufficiently. An interior basement waterproofing system can not only handle greater amounts of water from a storm, but it can also help save your foundation and home from other water-related damages.
Let’s explore more about basement waterproofing systems and, ultimately, what you’ll need in such a system to prepare for a storm!
Exterior Versus Interior Basement Waterproofing
Exterior
During construction, exterior waterproofing is placed down to protect the foundation from groundwater intrusion. This usually comes in the form of round, corrugated drainage channels. A waterproofing or damp-proofing panel or membrane may be placed on the foundation wall as well.
The idea is that as water seeps down into the soil, water enters the corrugated drainage channels before being led to a dry well. But what exterior waterproofing systems don’t account for is the water table.
This is especially important during a storm because of the great amounts of rain that tend to come with it. If the water table rises to the exterior drainage channels, the dry well is likely to be saturated and there will be nowhere for water in the drainage channels to go. This will lead to hydrostatic pressure building up against the foundation and eventually groundwater intrusion.
Interior
To redirect water while also relieving your foundation of hydrostatic pressure, a different solution is required. This comes in the form of interior basement waterproofing.
Due to being installed around the basement perimeter and beneath the floor slab, an interior basement waterproofing system can address the rising water table. This is because of how the drainage channels are placed to catch the water and redirect it to a sump pump. The sump pump then pushes that water out through a discharge pipe and away from your home.
The end result is less water sitting against your foundation, which means less hydrostatic pressure and less groundwater intrusion. But there isn’t an one-for-all solution in interior basement waterproofing, especially when you want to prepare it for a storm. As mentioned earlier, you will want to make sure you have the right waterproofing products in place to ensure that your basement waterproofing system performs as intended.
Let’s explore what the winning factors are in a storm-worthy basement waterproofing system.
Capacity, Design, and Efficiency
In a basement waterproofing system, there are two very important components that facilitate the redirecting of incoming water: the drainage channels and the sump pump. Major storms bring much more rain than your average rainy day—these two basement waterproofing components need to be up to the task of moving all that water out and away from your home.
But no two of them are alike, and it is vital to consider their design, capacity, and efficiency.
Drainage Channels
There are a variety of drainage channels available for basement waterproofing. They will often have these characteristics…
- Round or angular in shape
- Corrugated or smooth
- Differing gallon per foot water capacity
- Varying number, size, and positioning of drainage channel perforations
- Position in relation to the footer
With so much to consider, it can feel confusing in which drainage channel is best to prepare for a storm. These are the common shortcomings that drainage channels can encounter…
- Many drainage channels experience clogging or stagnant water because of their shape and design. Corrugated drainage channels can trap water and silt in their grooves. These corrugated drainage channels are also flexible, making it very difficult to lay them down truly straight or pitched. This creates an additional challenge in getting the water to move towards the sump pit.
- Any round drainage channels can develop debris build up as dirt settles along the curved bottom.
- Perforations that are too small won’t take in enough water to help during a storm, and they can clog easier. Some drainage channels only have perforations on one side, which means it’s more difficult for water to enter.
- Many drainage channels are installed on-the-footer because it is faster to install and cheaper to complete. But the footer is made to be flat. On-the-footer drainage channels don’t have much positive drainage, which means you could have water entering and flowing elsewhere in the channel instead of heading straight for the sump pit.
Choosing the Right Drainage Channel
With these potential obstacles in mind, be sure that your drainage channel is designed to be inflexible and smooth to let water flow freely towards the sump pit. The channel should also have perforations on more than one side to allow water to get into the channel.
You will want a drainage channel that has a higher gallon/foot capacity. Many drainage channels offer around 1 gallon/foot—but these are not enough to take on the amount of water that can come with a major storm.
Move More Water Faster with Channel ‘58
Fortunately, ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing offers its own specially-engineered Channel ‘58 drainage channels. Our drainage channels have a capacity of 3 gallons/foot, providing up to three times the capacity of other drainage channels. Our drainage channel also features larger perforations and on more than one side so that more water can easily enter.
Finally, the Channel ‘58 drainage channel is installed beside-the-footer at a pitched angle. This creates positive drainage and gets the water moving fast and immediately towards the sump pit.
Sump Pump
The sump pump is responsible for evacuating any water that’s collected by the drainage channels. The power and reliability of the sump pump will determine how effective your waterproofing system is at completing the process.
During a heavy storm, it’s possible that there may be power outages. If that happens, your primary sump pump won’t function. This can result in a flooded basement as there’s no sump pump to move the water away from your home. To help prepare your sump pump for a heavy storm, having a battery backup sump pump is essential.
A Redundant Sump Pump System is Best
’58 Foundations & Waterproofing offers a truly redundant solution in the form of our Workhorse OT+ sump pump. This will ensure that your basement waterproofing system remains functioning even in the event of a power outage. What’s more, our sump pumps offer ¾ horsepower—again that’s up to three times as much power to move water compared to other sump pumps which stand around ¼ horsepower.
Prepare for the Next Storm With ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing
’58 Foundations & Waterproofing has the foundation repair and waterproofing solutions to protect your home against heavy rains. From our high-capacity drainage channels to our battery backup sump pumps, we provide our valued customers with the basement waterproofing they need to keep their home safe, dry, and happy even during heavy storms. We have the quality products and honest methods to create a customized waterproofing solution that will last years and years.
We have local offices located throughout the Eastern Seaboard. Whether you live near Knoxville, TN, Charlotte, NC, or Marietta, GA, you can always depend on the experts at ’58 to keep your home safe from those rainy days!
Contact us today to schedule a free inspection and to receive a detailed estimate! Be sure to ask us about our industry-unique lifetime warranty!
Sources:
The White House (Written Materials), The Rising Costs of Extreme Weather Events