How to Make Your Wet Basement Dry

The wet basement curse

Over 60 percent of homes have a leaking basement. You are not alone! Wet basements are the most frequent complaint of homeowners. Most new homes develop basement leaks within 10 to 15 years.

If you have a damp basement, musty odors, efflorescence ("white powder"), or minor water leaks, fix it now before it gets worse and much more expensive. Waterproof and preserve the concrete with RadonSeal Deep-Penetrating Concrete Sealer.

Once the basement starts leaking, you may face $14,000 for exterior basement waterproofing or $6,000 for interior French drains and a sump pump. These are the contractors' standard systems but may not be the most effective solution for your wet basement. If you identify the cause and the appropriate solution, it may be more effective and save you $1,000s.

Leaky basement checklist

First, find where the water is coming from. Then, the repair may be surprisingly simple and inexpensive. We have the professional quality solutions for contractors but they are also easy to use for homeowners. Here is a checklist of the common problems and solutions:

Keep rainwater away from your foundation!

Whether your basement leaks or not, take these basic rainwater diversion measures to protect your foundation and prevent a leaky basement:

Rain gutters:

Maintain the gutters each spring to repair damage from snow loads and each fall to clean out leaves and debris. Add extensions to downspouts to take roof water run-off 10 ft. (min. 4 ft.) away from the foundation. Install splash blocks.

Grading:

The soil should slope away from the house on all sides of the foundation one inch per foot for 10 ft. (min. 4 ft.). You may need a truckload of soil to re-grade settled ground.

Window wells:

If they drain poorly, install window well covers. Or dig out and install drain pipes down to footing drains.

Asphalt driveway:

Patch cracks in the driveway using cold-mix asphalt patching compound.

Patio, sidewalks, concrete driveway:

Waterproof the concrete with RadonSeal Concrete Sealer or LastiSeal Masonry Color Sealer. Repair cracks with CrackWeld Floor Repair Kit. Replace old concrete walkways, driveways or patios that slope toward the foundation.

Going a step further to divert rainwater

 

Grass:

Remove flower beds, vegetable gardens, bushes and trees from around the foundations and seed the area with grass.

Swales and berms:

Dig inconspicuous shallow swales or build low berms and seed with grass to lead rainwater around and away from your house.

Curtain drains:

Excavate a trench alongside the house and fill it with gravel to stop surface water from getting to the foundation. Install a French drain with a perforated PVC pipe wrapped with filter fabric to take water away from the house.

Dry wells for rainwater:

Install a 3 ft. deep hole filled with gravel and wrapped with landscape fabric against silt at least 10 ft. from the house, or a tank that allows water run-off to soak into the ground. An underground 4-in. PVC pipe brings the run-off from downspouts. Each well can usually handle runoff from a 500 sq.ft. section of the roof.

Surprising solutions that might save you a bundle!

Leaking water pipes:

Call your water company to check it! Is your basement leaking or sump pump running in rain or sunshine? Suspecting a spring under your basement? The water main to your curb box or the pipe to your house may be leaking, particularly if made of plastic. Usually, you could hear slight hissing in the pipe entering your basement.

Clean the footer drains:

Footer drains, which are crucial to relieving the water pressure on your foundation, may get clogged by silt or tree roots. Hire a drain cleaning contractor to clean them with an auger snake or by high-pressure water jetting. Old clay tiles may have collapsed and just a small section needs replacement.

Clean the floor drains:

Make sure the floor drain is not clogged. Some experts recommend getting the whole drain cleaned by a drain cleaning company on an annual basis. Make sure that the drain has a U-trap, so that it does not let in soil gas saturated with water vapor and radon gas.

That leaky floor-to-wall joint!

click for a larger image!

The most common complaint from homeowners – "Water is coming up from the corner floor-to-wall joint!" "There is lots of water pushing up from underneath the slab!" But this is usually not true!

1. In most cases, while the water moves through the poured concrete or block wall, it sinks and comes out at the bottom of the wall. In case of blocks, the hollow cavities fill up and the highest pressure is at the bottom of the water column. This seepage makes it appear like the water is coming from the floor-to-wall joint. Provided the concrete is not too deteriorated, the solution is easy – seal the walls with RadonSeal to stop the water migration.
2. Sometimes, water building up outside the wall seeps through the joint above the footing and then, up through the floor-to-wall joint. Grind out the floor-to-wall joint 1/2" deep with a hand-held grinder and fill with our Epoxy Crack Filler, which is flexible. Or avoid the grinding and inject the joint with Foundation Crack Repair Kit – more expensive but the expanding polyurethane will also seal the wall-to-footing joint.
3. In rare cases, water actually comes up from underneath the slab but it will also seep through all cracks or expansion control joints in the floor. It may push through the pores in the concrete and form multiple mini-geysers on the floor. The solution is installing a sump pump to relieve the hydrostatic water pressure and sealing the floor with RadonSeal.

How to seal leaking concrete

Concrete usually starts leaking only intermittently after heavy rains. Or you may notice efflorescence ("white powder") which is evidence of starting capillary seepage. Act now before it gets worse and more difficult!

RadonSeal Deep-Penetrating Concrete Sealer waterproofs unpainted concrete, concrete blocks, and mortar. It penetrates deep into concrete (up to 4"), reacts with alkalis, expands inside the pores, and hardens as a mineral. This seals the concrete against the seepage of water, as well as water vapor and even radon gas. Unlike waterproofing surface sealers or paints, it cannot get lifted by efflorescence or water pressure and peel or wear off - the seal is permanent!

Before sealing with RadonSeal, let the concrete dry out. If the saturated with water, RadonSeal cannot fully react. Ventilate the area and install a fan or dehumidifier for several days before and after the application.

RadonSeal is non-toxic, nonflammable, and does not contain chemical solvents or release VOCs. Its spray-on application is quick and easy for contractors or homeowners.

Other basement waterproofing methods

Each method has its pluses and minuses:

 

Interior gutters:

A plastic channel system (hollow baseboards) glued around the perimeter of the floor to collect water seeping through the basement walls and route it to a sump pump. Instead of keeping water out, it works after the water has entered - a bad idea! Basement walls cannot be finished because the drywall would trap all the moisture evaporating from the channels, causing molds and mildew. It does not do anything against wicking of water or seepage of vapor through the floor. Usual cost $3,000 to $5,000.

 

Floor perimeter drainage gap:

A "floating slab" design which leaves a wide gap (1" or so) around the floor to drain any seepage through the walls. Bad concept! The walls should be constructed waterproof in the first place and the gap will let in tons of soil gas saturated with moisture and radon gas. Framing the walls would trap water vapor and lead to molds and mildew.

Sump pump:

Sump pumps relieve excessive water pressure by draining the gravel bed underneath the slab. Digging the pit and installing a sump pump costs $500-1,000. Install an airtight cover to prevent the release of water vapor and radon. Complete reliance on a sump pump is unwise. It may not handle large volumes of water in severe storms, it may fail or the power may go off. If the basement is finished, make sure to install a backup sump pump.

 

Interior footing drains:

May be needed when exterior footing drains are not sufficient. The perimeter of the floor has to be jack hammered and a 4" perforated PVC pipe laid in gravel next to the footings. The French drain carries water to a sump pump. Do not leave a gap next to the walls because it would let in vapor and radon. Usual cost $5,000 to $9,000, including the sump pump. It will reliably drain the gravel bed underneath the slab and also water coming in through a leaky wall-to-footings joint. But if there is no gravel or it is silted up, the center of the floor may still wick water. And it will do little for seepage through basement walls.

New exterior waterproofing:

The installation requires removing landscaping, excavating down to the footings to expose the foundation walls, cleaning and waterproofing the walls, laying new perimeter footing drains in a bed of gravel, and backfilling. Since tar coating on concrete walls cracks and deteriorates, use a rubberized (polymer) membrane waterproofing coating. Usual cost well over $10,000. And it may do little for water wicking up through the basement floor.

About RadonSeal waterproofing products

1. The most complete arsenal of tools for homeowners and contractors.
2. The most technologically advanced in their class.
3. Environment- and user-friendly.
4. Not available in stores. Delivered directly by courier to your door.

Selecting the most effective basement waterproofing products can save you $1,000's, while providing the most effective solution. For more information, check out the appropriate product pages from the RadonSeal home page or Products & Prices page.

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