Signs of Water Problems

Whether you have a leaky basement, wet crawl space or a damp basement understanding and identifying the signs of water problems is key to having your problems solved by a waterproofing contractor. From wall cracks, slab floor cracks and block wall ruptures water infiltration causes high humidity and poor indoor air quality not only in your basement or crawl space but throughout your home.

Efflorescence is a wall discoloration caused by water vapor passing through your walls leaving alkaline particles that stain your wall. These stains are signs that you have either hydrostatic pressure on the outside of your foundation walls or the wall and footing is sitting in a pool of water and wicking the water up the wall. Either way the only solution is waterproofing and water diversion to remove the water that is surrounding your foundation.

Subsurface water can also make its way under your foundation causing concrete slabs to heave and crack allowing water to enter the living space. Sealed interior drain systems in conjunction with sealed sump pump systems can relieve this water pressure and divert the water away from your foundation. If left unchecked major structural problems can occur, requiring foundation repairs performed by specialists.

Check your basement or crawl space for the following:

Basement
• Walls leaning in or out
• Bowed walls
• Cracks in the poured or block walls
• Water leakage through cracks at base of walls
• Cracked floors
• waterproofing
• Water stains on floors and walls

Drainage around your home

A variety of drainage products and techniques are available to waterproofing contractors and grounds managers. The basics of surface drainage should be learned from the golf course industry. Golf course grounds managers understand the principles of water control and water management better than most anyone. Understanding these principles will help you complete your drainage project efficiently and professionally and will aid you when installing any kind of drainage system.

Poor drainage causes obvious problems: standing water, foul odor, insects, diseased or dying plants, mud, ruined turf and basement water. Planning and installing suitable drainage will solve these problems and prevent the site from turning into a maintenance nightmare during storms and rainy seasons.

The first step you should take when planning a drainage system is to control hard surface runoff and then identify low spots in the landscape. If obvious low spots exist on the property, the water must have a way to exit those areas. If you don't install drainage, a puddle probably will develop whenever it rains.

During a one-inch rain, 1,250 gallons of water fall on the roof of a 2,000-square-foot house. Without proper grading, gutters, and downspouts, some of this water flows into your basement. To waterproof your foundation you must first manage the source of the water. Rain and rain runoff is often the source of wet basements and foundation repairs. Collecting and controlling surface rain water also can save you money on watering landscape plantings and save you time when mowing or trimming your yard.

To prevent water from leaking through your basement, look to gutters as your first line of defense. While gutters with downspout systems protect your house from rainwater and snowmelt, they can also compound surface drainage problems by concentrating runoff near its foundation. This water must be moved at least 10’ away from the foundation to prevent wet basement or foundation repairs. Downspouts can be directed into a catch basin and or drain pipe system.

Water should be carried through a solid drainpipe to a drywell, daylight or to a pop up emitter. Years ago, drywells were old 55-gallon oil drums with holes punched in them. From the start, these were doomed to fail as they rusted and collapsed. Today's recycled plastic drywells are easy to handle and work efficiently on many drainage problems.

 

The same type of system should be used for sump pump outlets. A sump pump installation is never complete until the water is directed away from the foundation so that it will not have to be pumped out of your basement again. The sump pump discharge line should be drained to a 3” or 4” solid line that is buried, and then either run to daylight or to a pop-up emitter. It is very important for this discharge line to empty to a larger pipe as soon as possible, so as to not create back pressure on the sump pump.

Making sure the ground closest to your foundation is graded away from the home is also very important. When regarding this area be sure to use a clayey soil instead of mulch or other loose material. Water wicks directly down through mulch opposed to running off away from your basement.  Clear away sod and plantings, then you can gently build up the soil to slope away from the foundation. The 10 feet of ground closest to the house should slope at least six inches downward to keep water from seeping into the basement or flooding landscaping.

For problems with consistently wet areas, drywells and catch basins can also be used. Buried drywells give this collecting water a place to go and can even be used with a drain pipe system to move the water to dryer areas.

Swales
Swales are designed to slow and capture runoff by spreading it horizontally across the landscape, facilitating runoff and absorption into the soil. This type of swale is created by digging a ditch on contour and piling the dirt on the downhill side of the ditch to create a berm. In dry climates, vegetation along the swale can benefit from the concentration of runoff. While swales can be very useful, they can also be unattractive or cause mowing issues.

Surface drainage is the single most important application of foundation waterproofing. Unless you have an underground spring or an unusually high water table, the surface drainage portion of your waterproofing system needs to control the greatest amount of water.

French Drains
 A French drain, drain tile or perimeter drain is depression covered with gravel that redirects surface and ground water away from a wet area. A French drain usually has drain pipes along the bottom to quickly move water that seeps down through the upper layer of gravel or rock. French drains are common drainage systems, primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from penetrating or damaging building foundations. The French drain technique may be used to distribute water, such as that which flows from behind retaining walls to relieve ground water pressure.

Crack Injection

Before concrete crack injection products or solutions can be determined the following factors should be taken into account:

The width and depth of the crack
Whether the crack is dormant or active
Whether or not appearance is a factor
Whether or not you need to seal against pressure

Concrete cracking is a frequent cause of complaints from homeowners. Cracking can be the result of one or a combination of factors such as shrinkage, thermal contraction, settlement or applied pressures. Cracks can be unsightly and a source of water intrusion. This is where finding the source or cause of the cracking comes into play.

Cracks that occur before concrete is fully hardened are due to shrinkage caused by the loss of water in the concrete mix. This is known as plastic shrinkage cracking.

Settlement cracks generally develop around embeds or around openings. It is not uncommon to first see a crack at the corner of a door or window or even near a beam pocket. Settlement cracks generally result from insufficient consolidation, dry mixes or lack of adequate concrete coverage over reinforcing steel.

Structural cracks in residential foundations usually result from settlement or horizontal loading or pressures. These types of cracks are much more prevalent in block basement walls. Generally hydrostatic pressure from water in the soil is the culprit. As more and more water builds the soil starts moving downward and outward. This outward movement applies great pressure on the wall eventually causing cracks.

Diagonal wall cracks that extend nearly the height of the wall are often a good indication of settlement. If structural cracks are suspected you should contact a professional engineer immediately.

Dormant or Active

Basement wall cracks that are determined to be no longer increasing are referred to as dormant cracks. Traditionally these cracks have been patched with cement grout or mortar. While this can be effective until water build up occurs or any unexpected movement occurs.
Active cracks, those judged to be still moving, require a sealant to be flexible if it is to be effective. Actively moving cracks need to be addressed carefully and completely.
Crack Injection

Fine cracks may be sealed by injecting them with either a polyurethane grout or an epoxy resin. In recent years, epoxy resins have become the favored material, on dormant cracks, for this purpose and formulations are available which will penetrate cracks as fine as 0.1 mm in width, or less.

Epoxy grouts are widely used because:

They adhere strongly to both fresh and hardened concrete;
Formulations are available which will adhere to most surfaces and harden even under wet conditions
They have good mechanical strength and low shrinkage
They are resistant to a wide range of chemicals, including alkali’s
Epoxy grouts are normally injected under pressure. Nipples or injection points are fixed along the line of the crack and the surface is then sealed, on both sides of the cracked element. The epoxy is then injected under pressure, using specialized equipment. Once the epoxy hardens the repaired section often becomes stronger than original, hence the term concrete welding.

Wider cracks, i.e. those 1 mm or more in width, may also be sealed by injecting epoxy resin, particularly cracks on vertical surfaces. On horizontal surfaces it may be possible to simply pour the poly grout into the crack.

Other materials, such as polyurethane resins, have also been used satisfactorily to seal fine wall cracks. They can have lower viscosities than epoxies and, hence, can penetrate more easily. However, they generally do not achieve the same bond strengths.

Live cracks must be sealed with a flexible material, polyurethane, which can accommodate the movement in the crack. This is especially so when cyclic movements are anticipated. Flexible epoxy resins are available which will accommodate a small amount of movement but the more usual procedure is to choose a polyurethane, that remains flexible with wall movements.

As the technology of basement wall crack injection has grown the costs to perform this solution has decreased. Today’s crack injection professionals have very specialized equipment and specialized training which allows them to very quickly identify the best repair procedure and perform the injection at relatively low cost. There is no reason to wait any longer, the cracks will not fix themselves.