Basement Waterproofing

[LD92599]

Have you had your basement waterproofed? And if so, what method? And does it work?

We have 2 estimates now and will get 1 more next week; we think we may finish part of the basement in 2009 so we want to be prepared.

We don't get *that* much water, but enough to not put a piece of carpet on the floor and when I do lift items off the floor, it's damp underneath.

Thanks/Laura

[khm]

Do you know what the cause of the water is?

What are the TYPE of waterproofing are you looking at? My husband is a concrete guy, he thinks most "waterproofing" methods are simply band-aids (at best). When we got water in our last house, waterproofing wasn't really an option for him. We had to fix the outside slope and some other exterior things. But, he said those commercials for waterproofing wouldn't help.

You have to correct the cause, not mask the problem, etc.

[Nyfeara]

We had ours "waterproofed" because the original drainage system the builder put in, was done incorrectly. The water was not able to move under the floating slab and would come up & over on its way to the pump.

They had to jackhammer about 1-1.5 ft of the slab, around the entire basement perimeter, redo the stone and relay the drainage pipe going to the sump pump. It's worked great since we had it done 2-3 years ago. With the original drainage, we never saw water coming out of the drainage pipes into the sump pit, now we do. He also added a second, commercial grade pump b/c of the size of our basement. We also have a battery backup on the original pump. It's expensive, but in our area, it seems like it's the way to go if you have any intention of finishing your basement. We have clay soil here.

[khm]

Karen,

What you had done is totally the way to go in your situation. I hope I didn't sound dismissive. You addressed problem, installed drainage, etc.

When I said "waterproofing" in quotes in my other post, it is because there were several services on my old area that advertised waterproofing that was really a type of paint or another quick-fix that wouldn't address any underlying issues. (Clogged or improperly installed or sized drainage pipe, or no drainage pipe at all.) Such issues are only going to get worse over time, so any interior fix that doesn't address the why is destined to disappoint. I'm glad you got your situation fixed! I hope the builder had to pay for the re-work!

[LD92599]

One contractor for the basement finish job did mention regrading outside and that usually takes care of moisture in the basement, which i definitely notice after I put an extender on the downspout. However water comes in elsewhere where there's no downspout. I think. I'll put that on the list of things to check in the morning when it's light out!

Thanks for the insight!

Laura

[khm]

If you are getting dampness on the floor, but not near the walls, it likely means you are sitting on water that is unable to drain away properly. Water is then seeping up through your floor. How old is your house? Do you know if it has drainage pipes? (I'm sure this varies from area to area, but we have drains built in with the foundation that lead to a sump pump to keep the water pressure from getting to be too much.)

You might need to build up the soil around your foundation so the water drains away from the house, rather than pools by it. Does the yard grade away, or it is pretty flat near the foundation? DIY type articles should be able to tell you how much grade there should be, etc.

I don't really know who the "experts" in this area are. But, our home inspector for our new house knew a ton. I made a mental note to call him for recommendations should the need ever arise!

[bubbaray]

ITA, you need to fix the problem, not cover it up. Sounds like you need new/better perimeter drains. FYI, it can be expensive to do it properly.

Personally, I wouldn't finish the basement until you fixed the problem AND went through an entire winter (rainy/wet season) with a dry basement.

[ThreeofUs]

Ask your neighbors what they had done. In our neighborhood, there are a couple of methods that work (always the more expensive kind, lol, for reasons pp's have listed), and a huge number of "waterproofing treatments" that will set you back in money, time, and annoyance - but won't fix the problem.

[LBW]

When we were in the process of buying our house 5-ish years ago, we found standing water in one of the lower-level rooms. The owners had external drainage added along the inside and outside of one wall of the house before closing. (Only one wall because house is on a slight slope, so the water was all coming from the hill side.)

Anyhow, we've had no water since. They used:
http://www.aridbasementwaterproofing.com/

I know you're in NJ, too, so they might be worth a call.

[Nyfeara]

KHM - Nope, didn't sound dismissive at all. I wasn't sure what type of waterproofing the the OP was referring to either. In our area, waterproofing pretty much means doing what we did. They have treatments for the walls too, but we never really had those issues.

We also added about 4-5 yards of fill around our foundation on one side. There was quite a bit of settling & the original owners never filled it in. That did help the situation, but with our soil, did not solve it. We were also told to make sure that our downspouts or any pooling water is at least 10 feet from your house. Where my mom is in NJ (near the shore), she has very sandy soil and doesn't have the same issues we do with the clay soil here in PA. So, YMMV.