Keeping Your Basement Dry This Summer

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Keeping your basement dry and free of mold is something that as a homeowner  are constantly battling. Humidifiers are a great way to get the moisture out of the air, and prevent the mustiness that comes along with too much humidity.  Keeping your basement dry after a storm is usually easy if the drainage in your home is good.  Making sure the water does not sit by the foundation of your home, and eventually finding a way to your basement, is something we can do every year with no cost. Keeping your basement shouldn’t be difficult, read the following articles below for more information about this topic.


So, You Want to… Waterproof Your Basement

Basement waterproofing can be a confusing (and expensive) process. But if you’re dealing with leaky foundation walls or water welling up from the floor, finding an effective means of managing these problems could save you a lot in the long run. Here’s a quick rundown of your options for keeping downstairs dry.

Unless your plan is to install a swimming pool in your basement, you probably cringe at the idea of water trickling in beneath your house. While the best time to waterproof is during new construction, if you live in an older structure, you don’t have that luxury. There are, however, a few measures you can take to protect your home from water, running the gamut from inexpensive safeguards to high-dollar professional remedies. Here’s all the information you need to choose the best solution for your basement.

EXTERIOR REMEDIESThe most effective way to waterproof a basement is from the outside. Doing so, however, involves excavating the soil away from the exterior of the foundation on all sides and installing drain tile (a flexible perforated pipe covered with mesh or fabric) at the base of the foundation.

You’ll most likely need a permit before starting, and some building authorities will allow only a licensed contractor to do the job. Digging a 7- or 8-foot-deep trench around your foundation is dangerous; it comes with a high risk of collapse, so it’s usually better to seek out an excavation contractor who employs safe digging techniques and trench bracing, anyway. Timing is essential: Schedule your contractor during a relatively dry season, or you could end up with a trench full of water that will have to be pumped out before work can continue.


Proper drain installation will keep your basement dryMy last house had a basement that leaked water. I’m building a new home and want my basement as dry as the Atacama Desert. I’m confident that my drain tile was not put in correctly at my last house. What are the best practices when installing drain tile around a foundation? What materials would you use? What are the biggest mistakes you can make when installing foundation drain tile? — Beverly H., Fall River, Mass.

You’ve touched on a subject that’s near and dear to my heart. My college degree is in geology with a special interest in two things: geomorphology and hydrogeology. Those are fancy words for the study of the surface of the earth and the study of groundwater. Both of those disciplines are in play when it comes to foundation drain tile.


How to Keep Rain Out of Your Basement

Last May was one for the record books, when severe storms slammed the Front Range, bringing snow, hail, tornado warnings and heavy spring rains. More than eight inches of rain fell, making for the wettest single month ever recorded in Colorado Springs.

Those who suffered landslides, sink holes and flooding in their basements won’t soon forget this experience. Yet, despite 2015’s unrelenting rainfall, many Front Range homeowners remain unprepared to deal with the consequences of outsize storms.

“We had an unprecedented amount of rain last year and chances are high we’ll be hit hard again this year,” says Dave Correa, supervisor at Peak Structural, a waterproofing and foundation repair contractor in Palmer Lake, Colorado.

Basement flooding is a problem that does not go away on its own, he points out. “Once water finds its way into a basement or crawlspace, it creates a path that excess water can follow for years to come,” says Correa. “Unless you take steps to address the problem, you’ll be stuck battling the rainfall, and fearing the nightly weather report, year after year.”


 

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