How Basement Waterproofing Can Prevent Structural Damage to Your Home

If your basement is prone to flooding or is just consistently damp and humid, you may not think of this as anything beyond an inconvenience. After all, unfinished basements are supposed to be damp, and as long as any moisture is contained to the basement, it’s not a problem, right? It’s actually a much greater problem than you think as moisture can cause significant damage throughout your home. Fortunately, basement waterproofing can prevent these problems. To help you determine if it’s right for you, we’re exploring how waterproofing your basement can prevent structural damage and the expensive repairs that are required.

The Causes of Basement Moisture

First, let’s look at how water is getting into your basement so you can understand how damage can occur. Concrete is naturally porous, and water within the soil around the home can seep in through the blocks. However, unless there are large cracks in the walls, the majority of water is entering your basement at the joints where the concrete walls meet the slab due to hydrostatic pressure.

When the ground is saturated with water, the soil expands. When the soil meets resistance, such as when the soil under your home expands and meets the floor of your basement, pressure builds up. To relieve the pressure, the water the soil is pushed upward where it seeps into the concrete or flows into cracks and voids.

How a Damp Basement Leads to Structural Damage

Leaks in the basement walls and floor and excess humidity can lead to serious foundation and structural damage, as well as other problems within your home.

• Excess humidity and moisture rots wood, causing floor joists and support beams to weaken;
• As water moves through concrete, it causes small cracks and voids to grow. Over time the cracks widen, which can lead to a weak foundation wall;
• Moisture causes rust and corrosion in metal, affecting your HVAC system, electrical system, and water heater.

In addition to these major problems that can cause your home to become unsafe, excess moisture in the basement can lead to mold growth through the home and attract insects including termites. Remediation for both these issues can be incredibly costly.

How Basement Waterproofing Prevents Structural Damage

The key to preventing water is to eliminate the moisture and stop hydrostatic pressure. Our Dual Pressure Relief System does these through the following steps:

• Our experienced team excavates a trench around the inside perimeter of your basement wall.
• The bottom row of your concrete block wall is drilled at each pocket to allow trapped water to exit in a directed manner.
• A drainage pipe is laid in the trench and pitched toward a sump pit so the water coming up from the ground and in through the blocks is directed to the submersible sump pump.
• A heavy vapor barrier is laid over the trench and fresh concrete is poured.

The trench within your floor will direct water out, keeping the walls and floor dry and eliminating the risk of cracks, wood rot, and corrosion occurring.

Schedule a quote for Basement Waterproofing in Raleigh Today

For a clean, dry basement and a more secure home, reach out to Crawl Space & Basement Technologies today to schedule a quote for basement waterproofing. We offer a lifetime warranty on our work so you can feel confident in your investment. Contact us today at (919) 847-7072 or fill out our contact form to learn more.