FOUR INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO AVOID HAVING TO WATERPROOF YOUR WHOLE HOUSE

Repairing your wet basement doesn’t have to be expensive.  Sixty to 70% of the time wet basements can be alleviated with only minor repairs.  As your home ages, the basement waterproof system breaks down and becomes more vulnerable to water penetrating through the walls.  Sitework Developing, Inc. has prepared a list of inexpensive repairs that can be done to possibly alleviate a wet basement before you go through the expense of a complete waterproof system.

1. GRADING  - The first requirement for a dry basement is good (positive) drainage away from the foundation.  Soil is sometimes added to low areas along foundation or drainage can be installed to intercept water before it can penetrate the foundation.
    
2. GUTTERS and DOWNSPOUT PIPING – Plugged up gutters can cause big problems when water overflows directly along the foundation walls.  These problems are very easy to spot and inexpensive to repair.  Broken downspout piping underground can be a little bit tougher to inspect.  Sitework uses a device called a camera snake that is pushed through the piping system.  This camera snake sends a picture back to a color television monitor that shows us the exact condition of the piping system and any crushed or broken pipes that may be leaking into the basement.  This device also shows us the exact location and depth of pipes to be repaired, minimizing the amount of excavation required to repair the pipe.
    
3. FOOTER TILES – 99% of the homes in our area have footer tiles.  These tiles (perforated piping) were originally installed by the home builder to keep the water table (along the outside of the basement) below the basement floor.  The footer tiles intercept the ground water diverting it to an area that is lower than the basement floor or into a sump pump to be pumped away from the foundation.  Many times these footer tiles need cleaning.  When the tiles are plugged up with roots, a power cutter snake is used to cut through and remove roots.  Other times the footer tiles may be plugged with dirt or silt.  In this case we use a device called a jet snake that uses high pressure water to blast out the dirt and debris.
    
4. MAIN STORM PIPE – The most common problem we find is the main storm pipe is smashed, plugged or broken.  During a heavy rain, all the downspouts and footer tiles run into one main pipe that is supposed to exit the property somewhere.  When this pipe is not functioning properly, all the downspout water backs up around the exterior of the basement walls or comes up through floor drains.  This problem can be easily diagnosed by once again using the camera snake to locate the problem.  This problem can usually be repaired the same day as the diagnosis.

For more information, or if you are interested in a complete waterproof system that comes with a lifetime transferable warranty, call Sitework Developing, Inc. at 440-543-3683 for a free consultation or click on our fee consultation tab now.