Sump Pump Information

It is incredible how much water falls from a roof during a rain storm. More then 1000 gallons per inch of rain, for an average sized house. All this water goes right down next to your house, and without proper drainage and gutter systems, it will puddle against your foundation and potentially cause serious problems. This kind of damage, and the damage from a spring thaw, can largely be prevented through the use of a sump pump.

Whenever you’re in an area of heavy rainfall, you’re in danger of flooding; especially if you have a basement or cellar to worry about. When the water has nowhere to go but down, it will inevitably end up pressing against your foundation. This water can easily seep through your basement walls and into your basement. The negative affects of this can be many, varied, and expensive. It can be something from damaging a box of Christmas lights, to shorting out the breaker box.


Another thing in danger from flooding is the basement itself. The water can warp wooden boards, condense inside drywall, stain and discolor wallpaper, destroy concrete, and any number of other things. Water sitting unnoticed inside walls can grow mold or mildew, which could be a hazard to your heath. With all this potential damage, some sort of protection is all but necessary. One very effective type of protection is a sump pump.

Adding a sump pump can increase the property value of a home, as well as protect it from foundation damage. A sump pump will prevent water from staying in your basement, keeping it warm and dry during the summer, and cooler and dry during the winter. It will help keep damaging insects like termites out of your basement, and protect the paint and wallpaper. As well as reducing your worries and protecting your metal appliances from rust, a sump pump will generally make your life easier.

Along with the use of a good sump pump, you should consider a few other things. You should fill any cracks in your basement walls. Caulk should work for most of them. Insulate piping units to prevent condensation. Make sure that your gutters are fully functioning, and free of obstructions. By doing simple things like this, you can prolong the life of your basement walls, as well as what’s kept within, and make it an altogether more attractive room to be in.

Waterproofing Tips

Need to protect your basement from water damage if you don’t keep anything important down there? Water pressure and water seeping through your walls damages them. This can eventually lead to severe problems. Leach lines and proper drainage can help keep water away from the foundation, and the basement walls and thus prevent such damage from ever becoming so severe.

Here is a list of things to keep in mind while checking for possible threats to your foundation and basement.

You should watch your rain gutters and your in ground drainage. The rain gutters should be pointed away from the house, and the drainage and grading should lead them at least 6 feet from the house, but 10 feet is preferable. Make sure that the gutters are functioning properly. Before each rainy season, make sure that they are clear of any blockage. If during the rainy season, they become blocked, clear them immediately where possible. When this isn’t possible, it’s probably a good idea to dig a quick, simple drainage ditch wherever the water is spilling over. Also make sure that the water is draining away from the house on it’s own. Avoid reverse grading, even if it means buying the soil necessary. It will save you money in the long run.

Another, more simple method of avoiding this kind of problem is grass. A layer of backfill flush against your house covered with tough grass will keep water from seeping into the ground.

If your house is heavily landscaped, lots of concrete pathways or a pool deck, there are a few precautions you should take. First of all, any concrete that is grading towards the house should be replaced and graded up. Or at least have another gutter system built up sending rainwater or runoff away from the house. If the concrete connect to the house, fill the joint with caulk so no water can seep into it. Do your best to repair any cracks in the pavement outside, and use a good waterproof sealer. The same should be done for your driveway.

Making a simple dry well can be as effective as it is easy. A hole between 2 and 5 feet deep, layered with landscaping fabric, then filled with gravel with simple drainage ditches leading into it can easily handle the water runoff for quite a large area.

Dig a trench along the side of the house and fill it with gravel to keep surface water from puddling against foundation. French drain with a perforated PVC pipe in gravel. This will take rainwater away from the side of the house. Make sure that puddles do not form anywhere in the yard fill in hollows as best as possible. If they drain poorly, install window well dome covers, or dig out and use footing drains. Replace old liners if necessary. Make sure the lips are raised high enough above grade.

The purpose of a sump pump is to remove some of the water pressure. Make sure that the seal on the cover of the pump is airtight as not to release gases. A sump pump is a good measure, and very good alongside other methods, but should not be trusted alone. What happens often during storms? Loss of power, and your pump, unless well backed up, is useless.

concrete sealer

While concrete is one of the most useful materials used today in buildings it is vulnerable and should be protected. Concrete sealants can increase the strength, and the usefulness, and the longevity of your concrete work for years and years to come.

The main weakness in concrete lies in the fact that it is so porous. It may not be a sponge, but it does absorb liquids in small amounts on the surface. This liquid can damage in a number of ways. If it is a solvent (like maybe acid or turpentine) it will slowly ware away the concrete. You’ll see pits spring up on the surface, sure, but those can be patched. Underneath, though, the concrete is permanently weakened.

Water also causes an issue. If the water is allowed to freeze, the molecules will expand and begin to push against the walls of these tiny holes. The result of this is that the holes become micro cracks and begin to expand and spread across the surface of the concrete. These micro cracks can continue to expand and become visible cracks that will be unsightly and overall weaken your concrete.

A sealant will cover the surface and seal it against water or other liquids. Many sealants will also help protect your concrete from damage that can be caused by dropping heavy objects, or even just the ware that comes from thousands of feet walking over it over the course of years. A sealant very well may double the effective lifespan of your concrete surface, and one should always be thought of and kept in mind.

Basement Waterproofing Systems

Exterior Basement Waterproofing Systems
With this type of basement waterproofing system your contractor will dig around your foundation using a backhoe. This will expose your wall completely and allow the basement waterproofing contractor to inspect everything and sometimes replace the original tiles.


In addition, the contractor will usually seal your wall when using this basement waterproofing system. The wall will be sealed with tar and plastic or another type of waterproofing material. The hole will be covered after the sealing have dried.


Exterior basement waterproofing systems are more effective than the interior systems, but it is also more expensive due to the amount of labor required. Exterior basement waterproofing systems also destroys your garden around the wall being waterproofed.


Interior Basement Waterproofing Systems
This type of basement waterproofing system is installed by opening the floor around the perimeter of your basement. A trench is then made and a pipe installed around the footer.


Usually, the contractor will also make small holes in the bottom of your walls to release any trapped water. The holes will later be covered with a plastic molding before the floor is rebuilt on top of the new basement waterproofing system.


Interior basement waterproofing systems are cheaper than exterior systems, but it might not be enough to fix all your basement waterproofing problems. Exterior and interior basement waterproofing systems can be combined if necessary, but this is the clearly the most expensive solution.

Basement Waterproofing

It can be one of the most disheartening experiences a homeowner ever faces - to walk down the stairs to the basement after a heavy rainstorm to find water, water everywhere. What can you do?

Using a quality water-proofing coating is a key strategy. However, take note: Even the best waterproofing coating may fail to stop moisture if the block walls are not in sound condition. Brush away loose mortar and broken block; remove dirt, grease, dust and other surface contaminants; wire-brush or sandblast old paint; use a quick-dry cement to patch cracks, holes and floor/wall joints.

Also, be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions. The most frequent error customers make is failing to apply a waterproofing coating at the spread-rate specified by the manufacturer. If the coating is too thin, it will not stop moisture seepage. In cases of excessive water seepage, a second coat may be needed. During the application, the coating must be worked into the masonry pores.

Though some paint manufacturers use the terms interchangeably, water-repellent and waterproofing coatings are not the same. A water-repellent coating system is an exterior coating system for above-grade concrete or masonry. It temporarily repels water, but it is not intended to prevent the passage of moisture under hydrostatic pressure. Some repellents are film-forming; others act by filling surface pores to prevent moisture movement.

Waterproofing coating systems, on the other hand, are intended to prevent the passage of water under hydrostatic pressure. These film-forming coatings are formulated for above and/or below grade and for interior and/or exterior application.

Hydrostatic pressure may be caused by several conditions. Rain runoff flowing toward a house, high water table and faulty gutter systems are the most common causes of hydrostatic pressure on a foundation. Wind-driven rain is the most common cause of hydrostatic pressure on an exterior, above-grade wall.

Sometimes interior condensation can be mistaken for seepage due to hydrostatic pressure. To distinguish between the two, tape a piece of aluminum foil to the inside of the foundation wall. Remove the foil after several days. If the wall side of the foil is wet, seepage is the problem. If the room side is wet, condensation is the problem. (Both problems can occur at the same time.)

While a dehumidifier can solve the condensation problem, a quality waterproofing coating is needed to stop the seepage. Not all coatings are intended for waterproofing. Most acrylic latex paints, for instance, are not formulated for this job.

waterproofing your basement

Basement flooding is a major problem for many homeowners. If you have a basement, then you should absolutely do something to protect against leakage. Waterproofing your entire basement may seem an unnecessary caution, when you can just repair any small leaks when they form. I mean, what’s a little water on the floor or oozing down the walls anyhow? This kind of leakage is always unpredictable. Water can come in from anywhere and cause significant to anything you happen to keep in the basement. Water can also damage surfaced or papered walls painted or carpeted floors, not to mention risk any valuables you keep in your basement. Repairing damage can cost far more then simple waterproofing. Imagine if you sprang a leak into your basement while you were out of town for two weeks and came back to a foot of water on your basement floor.

The basement room in most houses is large, spacious and incredibly useful for storage at the very least. Often, basements are cooler in the summer then some of the above floors, generally less humid, and easier to heat or cool. With all these advantages, why risk having the entire room useless for days or weeks while damage is repaired and water is pumped out? While this repair is less expensive then most would think, it is still costly and takes its toll out on the usefulness of the room. It’s always better to prevent damage like this then to repair it after the fact.

Once you have drained water away at the perimeter of your and made sure that it's pumped out reliably, the next thing to address is your basement wall. Typically you can get your basement floor dry without doing anything to your basement walls - but in some cases, especially with stone or block walls, a basement wall waterproofing system may be necessary.