Basement Waterproofing: What Is It and How Does It Work?

There’s plenty that goes into taking care of your home.

Cleaning and repairing are some of the basic things you could do to maintain your house, but these things might not be enough.

With so many factors that could damage your home, it’s also essential to look into how you could protect your property better.

One of the biggest culprits to different types of damage at home is water. It can cause wood to rot, start mold growth, cause water stains, and more.

So, it’s important to find ways to keep water from doing its worst on your home.

A great solution to protect your home, especially the structure’s foundation, is to waterproof the basement.

basement wall waterproofing – installing dimple geomembrane

If you want to learn more about this entire process, read on.

Contents

What Is Basement Waterproofing?

Basement waterproofing is the process of using different materials and techniques to effectively protect your basement and the foundation of your home from water damage and flooding.

This process is usually done by an experienced basement waterproofing company. This is because it’s a complex process that includes many unfamiliar steps, tools, and materials DIYers might not be familiar with.

Furthermore, the process of adding waterproofing can cause some disturbances as contractors will have to dig, drill, use a jackhammer, and more.

How Basement Waterproofing Works

When basement waterproofing is correctly done, any water inside or outside the basement can be drained into a collection point.

The piping, drainage system, and sloped trench will help ensure that all the water pools into a single point, called the sump basket.

Then, the sump pump can direct the collected water away from the basement.

As for other problems that could cause water damage, additional solutions like filling cracks and gaps should be done.

To deal with moisture, dehumidifiers and vapor barriers can be used to battle any condensation that’s common for basements.

All of these can help eliminate moisture, water pooling, flooding, and any other problems related to it, such as water damage.

The Process of Basement Waterproofing

To better understand how basement waterproofing works, it’ll help to know the installation process.

While this entire installation can be complex, it can be easier to understand by dividing it into two main procedures:

1. Interior Waterproofing

One of the main steps is interior waterproofing, which includes six main parts: crack repairs, epoxy injections, installation of egress windows, adding window wells, reinforcement of walls, and setting up the sump pump and battery backups.

Crack Repair – mesh wire is placed inside the cracks toward the sump pump, and then the crack is covered up
Epoxy Injections – injecting the cracks with epoxy can help prevent water from seeping through
Egress Windows – egress windows are great ways to improve air circulation in a basement, which helps reduce moisture build-up
Window Wells – these are installed around the bottom of a window to help prevent water build-up–helping direct water towards the basement drainage
Wall Reinforcement – compromised walls due to water damage can be reinforced using wall straps that can strengthen them and keep them from collapsing
Sump Pump And Batteries – this is one of the most important pieces of equipment that you’ll need to collect and pump water away even when the electricity is out

2. Exterior Waterproofing

Exterior waterproofing is usually more extensive since there will be plenty of digging around your property to reach the basement and foundation.

Although this is quite a serious construction project, it’s incredibly effective in keeping your basement dry.

Essentially, the process is similar to when a new house is being built. So, they’ll be rebuilding and reinforcing your current basement setup.

In addition to this, they could add the following devices that could help water from pooling around the exterior of your basement:

Catch Basins – these are installed underground–right beneath the downspouts–to catch and collect water and debris that come from gutters
Pop-up Drains – these drains help eject collected water away from lawns or driveways

Together, interior and exterior waterproofing can keep your basement completely dry.

Since this is a long-term solution, it’ll maintain the integrity of your home’s foundation and even your basement floor.

3. Why Basement Waterproofing Is Important

As mentioned, waterproofing can keep your basement dry, help prevent water damage, and ensure that your home’s foundation is protected. But to better understand how important it is, take a look at the severe problems that can be prevented by waterproofing your basement:

Prevent damage in foundations – water can ruin the foundation of your home through hydrostatic pressure, expansive soils surrounding it, and erosion of the soil around the foundation
Avoid flooding in your basement – basements can get flooded if there’s no exit point for the water. This can seriously damage many of your belongings, electrical system, and more
Keep mold growth at bay – moisture speeds up mold growth, and it can lead to an infestation quickly, so it’s crucial to keep basements dry
Helps you save on repair costs – when water and molds ruin your basement and everything inside it, you’ll have to spend a lot on repairs and replacements
Increases your property’s value – homes that are laden with water damage and ill-equipped for handling these problems will be harder to sell. It can also decrease the overall value

Basement waterproofing can be a costly project, but it’s a precious investment.

Water in your basement can be highly problematic because of how water can ruin your home’s foundation.

But it can also cause some irritations like wet carpets, musty smells, and an unhealthy mold problem.

Thankfully, with basement waterproofing, the causes of leaks can be dealt with, and water can be redirected away from your basement to keep it from pooling and causing more damage to your home.