If basement floor waterproofing wasn’t overlooked on such a regular basis, then there wouldn’t be as many problems with seepage and flooding when it was finished. A basement can be so much more than just a convenient place for storing junk! The possibility of family rooms having extra space are realized.

Water situation was not encountered in the beginning by homeowners, but it later appeared because sub-floor and sub-surface drains clogged with mud.

The soil will become too wet and saturated if water from the roof isn’t directed far away enough from the foundation. As the home settles, walls crack, protective coatings applied to the exterior biodegrades and drainage systems fill up with silt. Leakage in the basement can be caused by all of these problems. It is possible that flowing water on the ground enters the foundation through cracks or other openings; even solid masonry is not free from moisture as saturated soil enters through the walls as well as other openings. This is due to the natural pressure the soil exerts against the foundation. A high water level can create a great amount of pressure. In turn this water, under increased pressure, seeks entry through cracks and crevices in the walls and floors, and concrete is no match for water pressure. The end results are a water filled crawlspace or basement.

If you want to keep hydrostatic water from getting into your home, pressure relief systems will do the job for you. However when the electricity goes out, most likely during a  rainstorm, primary pumps cannot work. Over time this pressure increases until the moisture is literally pushed through the floor or wall (often called bleeding). Corners and joints that connect the floor and the wall are the most likely candidates for seepage.

If you think that water is comming out of an isolated area, you can lower the water table and the underground hydrostatic pressure by using an easy-to-install sump pump below your floor table. Water vapor passes through porous concrete. This moisture makes it feel even colder, causes carpet or other floor covering to rot, allows mold to grow, and causes the basement to smell musty.

One solution is to use one of the high-grade sealants that are available on the market for the home-owner. It is often possible to paint them with either the roller or spray method.

A typical basement floor waterproofing project might involve:

- first the floor of the area being worked on must be prepared to make it smooth and remove any excess material
- Use large fans and heaters as needed to make sure the basement floor is as dry as it can be.
- You must seal all joints between the walls and floor.
- filling any particularly noticeable cracks or joints.
- Find out if it is necessary to use a primer and if it should be, prime the floor as per instructions
- top-coating floor with the final product, using 2 or 3 coats as appropriate.

If you waterproof your basement floor with a good product the results should last for a number of years. There exist sealants in the market like PermaFlex which has lasting and durable basement floor waterproofing. Quoted as being the only indoor waterproofing system that completely seals any basement floor permanently, no matter how wet or deteriorated, seems a good easy system that costs a few hundred dollars as opposed to thousands for considerable manual work, pumps and pipes.

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Filed under: Every Day Life

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