The New Jersey, New York area has a notoriously high water table. Though it may not be immediately apparent to homeowners, ground water is constantly shifting below their foundation. When there is significant rain the water table rises and exerts pressure on your foundation. This pressure – known as hydrostatic pressure – will force water to seep into your basement via any seams, cracks, crevices, or pores.
Basement waterproofing is the only way to permanently relieve hydrostatic pressure and stop basement flooding due to ground water.
The primary component of a complete basement waterproofing system is a French drain. Invented in 1859 by Henry Flagg French, the French drain artificially lowers the water table underneath your house by providing an outlet for water before it hits your foundation.
Once this French drain is installed, you can rest assured that your basement will stay dry and your days of mopping up water are a thing of the past.
HOW WATER PENETRATES YOUR FOUNDATION
THE BENEFITS OF BASEMENT WATERPROOFING
IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE OF WATER IN YOUR BASEMENT
How Water Penetrates Your Foundation
Because of its below grade position, basements are vulnerable to water seepage. Water intrusion through the foundation is perhaps the single biggest complaint voiced by homeowner's about their basement.
Surface water buildup around the foundation of your home can lead to a leaky basement. If the soil around your home becomes saturated with water, the extra weight can create pressure that forces water into your home.
When the groundwater levels outside the basement rise above the level of the floor, the basement acts like a boat in a pond. If a boat is sitting in water, water will leak in through any open cracks or holes. It works the same way with a basement. Hydrostatic pressure can even push water through hairline cracks.
This pressure pushes the water into the basement through cracks and joints, with water most commonly being pushed through the floor-wall joint. Hydrostatic pressure on the walls also pushes moisture through the porous concrete of your home, where the drier air inside of your basement sucks it up and makes your basement air more humid.
The Benefits Of Basement Waterproofing
Arid's basement waterproofing service will do more than just help you sleep easier at night. Having a waterproofed basement will allow you to reclaim more livable space, increase your house's resale value, and prevent the harmful effects of mold on your family.
When Arid Basement Waterproofing installs a French drain in your basement, you will sleep easier at night not having to worry what you might find in the basement after a storm. But the benefits of basement waterproofing do not stop there.
Add Livable Space
Home owners who regularly have water leaking into their basement, or who suffer from the musty odor of an overly damp basement due to moisture being pushed through the pores of the contrete by hydrostatic pressure, are understandably hesitant to finish their basement for fear of water or mold damage.
Arid's suite of waterproofing services and products will allow you to refinish your basement with confidence. Some homeowners are able to double the livable space in their house, providing space for a play room, guest area, a "man cave," or just more safe storage space.
Resale Value
Time and time again, homeowners who try to sell a house with a wet basement will lose significantly more money on a sale than they would spend to have the professionally waterproofed.
What's more, a homeowner who is able to finish their basement because they have solved their water problems with an Arid Basement Waterproofing French drain can potentially increase the value of their house 10% - 20%.
Prevent Mold & Mildew
Eliminating water seepage in your basement is the most important step towards mold and fungus remediation. Water seepage not only ruins the contents of your basement, it can trigger mold growth which can result in airborne diseases, respiratory issues, allergies, nausea, and a number of other air quality related issues. A properly waterproofed basement eliminates the the seepage that allows these dangerous organisms to grow.
One of the worst things about a damp, leaking basement is the smell of mold and mildew. Moisture, high humidity and condensation is what gives your basement (and its contents) that musty, old smell. By installing French drains and controlling the relative humidity with a properly sized dehumidifier you can permanently eliminate basement odors and stifle mold growth.
Identifying The Source Of Water In Your Basement
There are 3 ways that water gets into your basement: ground water, surface water, and plumbing. Identifying the source of your problem is the first step in waterproofing your basement.
GROUND WATER
Basement waterproofing techniques such as French drains and sump pumps are effective when your problem is with ground water. You know you have a ground water problem if you see water coming in around the perimeter of your basement floor, from the bottom portion of your basement walls, through cracks in the middle of your floor, or around the base of a lally column. Ground water seepage generally occurs between 12-36 hours after a heavy rain begins.
As the water table rises it starts to exert tremendous pressure on your house's foundation. This tension is called hydrostatic pressure. Under such duress, water can find its way through the foundation and into your basement. Our French drains are designed to relieve hydrostatic pressure and cure the groundwater problem in your basement.
SURFACE WATER
Surface water intrusion is when water runs toward the foundation and finds an entry point to your basement through a window, a crack, or even through the pores in the upper portion of a foundation wall. Water intrusion from poor surface conditions typically begin 30 minutes after rain begins and ceases 30 minutes after the rain has stopped.
Since surface water is not a result of hydrostatic pressure from below, traditional basement waterproofing techniques will not help. The three best ways to combat surface water is to keeping gutters clean of debris. Depending on the surrounding trees, gutter cleaning may be required more than a few times a year. In addition to keeping gutters clean, make sure runoff water from your downspouts does not sit within 5 feet of your house. Extending the downspouts further from your house can almost never hurt. Finally, the grading around the house (grass, garden beds, sidewalks, patios, etc.), should be pitched down away from the house at least 5 feet. Ground should be pitched enough that a soccer ball would roll away from your foundation.
PLUMBING
It may sound obvious and even a little silly, but frequently homeowners who think they have a problem with water coming in from the outside actually have a problem with interior plumbing. Carefully check the plumbing in your house – leaky pipes, failing water heaters, etc. – to confirm that your water problem is not really just a plumbing problem.