Why Waterproof Your Basement?
By Damian Riccitelli
Is your basement wet? Do you see white streaks on the walls? Is there a damp, musty odor? Do you see visible mold on the walls, floor, or ceiling?
If so, you have a water problem.
How Does Water Get Into Your Basement?
Basement, crawl space, and foundation water problems all stem from problems with drainage. When your home is hit with a rain storm, the water from the rain (or snow in winter) needs to drain into the soil around your house.
Unfortunately, most homes are built on clay or gravel. Both have very poor drainage. If you see that your yard gets soggy after a heavy rain or after a snow storm, you can be sure that you have poor drainage.
Soggy Soil = Flooding and Foundation Damage
On an average sized yard, an inch of rain is equal to several thousand gallons of water. That's only one inch. Imagine how many thousands of gallons of water get trapped in your yard after a heavy rain storm, or a big snow fall!
Water causes the soil to swell. This causes an expansion that puts pressure on the walls and floor of your basement, crawl space, or foundation. The pressure happens simultaneously, putting constant, unrelenting pressure on your home's foundation.
Small cracks form. Water is now able to push in through these cracks. Water will settle in the base of your basement walls, weakening it. Once this happens, water will also start to trickle inside of your cellar or crawl space. Flooding, mold growth, and dampness are not far behind.
How Waterproofing Helps Your Home
Waterproofing your basement is not a matter of brushing on some cheap "Waterproofing paint." Real waterproofing involves improving your home's drainage system. This can involve french drains, exterior drains, and other types of drainage systems that relieve the pressure in your soil.
It also involves fixing the cracks on the inside AND outside of your foundation walls. This is important. Many contractors only fix the inside. This is a huge mistake. The problems will return quickly, and will be much worse.
About the Author
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| Damian Riccitelli, Basement Waterproofing Specialists
127 2nd st
Collegeville, PA 19426
800-700-9171
Contact Author: request info
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