Waterproofing basement. Am I on the right track?

IMHO the footer drain (french drain) is the most important part. Since you'll be getting a permit, ask the bldg dep't what their requirements are for footer drains; I'll bet they have some strict rules.

Jim

When I looked into this the engineer I hired told me step one should always be install a sump pump in the basement and if needed tile to reach the pump under the floor. And make sure landscape of the house means water flows away from not down the wall. He said the digging up the entire yard to put waterproofing on the wall was great for the contractor doing it because its very expensive, but shouldnt be necessary except in very rare cases. He asked if I wanted to turn the house into a boat trying to seal all the water out, or just remove the water and let the brick and mortar work like its supposed to. Made sense to me, but I'm a computer geek not a building engineer. I was really happy I paid for an engineer who dosent sell anything other than the inspection. I didnt get oh yeah I've fixed this many times just sign right here and my guys will be out tomorrow to fix it. With a good sump pump and tile you can get rid of the water from the bottom and shouldnt have to worry about it coming in from the sides.

All I can add is don't lay down the poly. The foundation contractor I got free information from told me to let the concrete and surrounding earth breath and evaporate moisture.

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (X) wrote on 16 Apr 2004:

Not if it's built right. You should wrap the drain in a geotextile designed to let the water, but not the fines, through. You should also design a cleanout for the system. If you can drain this system to daylight, you won't need a sump.

What you plant (as long as it isn't something with an aggressive root system) is less relevant than the fill of the trench, a slope of the soil away from the house, and a top layer of a clay-type soil that keeps most of the water running down your slope. If you use the marble pellets, you'll need a layer of something like the clay under them.

None. There are specific coatings and membranes designed to serve this purpose (search the web and talk to a quality waterproofing contractor). In the old days, tar was used - and is still used by contractors looking for a cheap solution that lasts a few years until the warranty on the house expires. Pay for a quality coating and you won't regret it.

The short answer is "nothing." If your house was built with a vapor barrier under the floor and your exterior walls are properly sealed and drained, the floor shouldn't get wet. If it's an older house with no vapor barrier under the floor, but the water table doesn't rise above the floor, the floor should still stay dry. Or at least dry enough that if it can breathe a bit, the moisture will dissipate. If the water table routinely rises above the basement floor, the comment about this not being a ship applies, and nothing will work over the long run. Floor-wall joints will be particularly vulnerable.

Finally, an epoxy paint may limit future floor covering options. Tile and vinyl won't adhere to it.

Speaking of French drains, I want to have one installed to take the output from my basement waterproofing system (B-Dry) to the back of my property (woods) and to also dry out parts of my backyard.

What if it does clog - that would be disasterous for the bottom floor in my house. Is that a real concern? Is there some kind of access that should be built in in case it does?

Thanks, Banty

First, I'd find out what kind of drainage you have NOW! You may already have what yer thinking about installing. You didn't mention ANYTHING about yer present basement setup...sump pump, etc.

You may already have outer tile...that are simply clogged. You may just need to install 2 cleanouts...one each on opposite diagonal corners of the house...and then clean out the tiles.

If you have it done, yer talkin' THOUSANDS of dollars. Could you settle with just DIVERTING the water?...by making it drain into your basement? If so, you can easily do this yourself.

Go up with stone to about 2 ft. from ground level. You want as little resistance as possible for the water...in order to drain quickly to the tile.

For an experiment, pour some water on top of some wet, compacted sand. See how fast it drains.

Good.

In my city...LOTSA LUCK!! lol

For what purpose? Not necessary. Rain water doesn't drain straight down...it follows the path of least resistance. The water problem you have could be coming from your neighbor's lot 100 yards away.

Define 'quickly'. You MUST put in outside drain tile...or all your work will be in vain. As noted, put in a cleanout on 2 diagonally opposite corners.

Plant whatever you want. Anything will do fine.

Look into Thoroseal...and products like it.

Good luck, Steve.

Have a nice week...

Trent

What do you call a smart blonde? A golden retriever.

I can't imagine going through this amount of trouble and cost without getting some professional advise.

That said, I agree, the french drains ARE the most important part of a project like this, and you should fill the excavated area all the way from the french drain material to 24" below final grade. The drains itself are installed with filter sheathing that allows water in and keeps silt/sand out.

Also, a sump pump would be a great investigation as it reduces the 'height' and pressure of residual water trapped directly below your basement floor. You can cut a sump into a floor fairly easily (about 6-inch thick cement typically, and about a 18-24 inch diameter circle). This would eliminate water pressure from under the existing floor

a permit for a footing drain????? Permits....we dont need no stinking permits

French drains outside dont clog if properly installed, mine is 85 yrs old.

Ugl is good for the inside , but only after you have done everything outside. I think there are cheaper products for the out side.

If you live where heating is a major expense, Zone 7 or less consider insulating foamboard on the exterior, R 20. Plants, bushes, can remove alot of water before it settles, I would plant to the house.

How high is your water table this will effect everything.

Trees planted the proper distance from the house can help alot, the larger they get the higher their usage . I live 20 ft from a lake and just dug out a basement in my house, the 8 -100, 200 yr oaks 15 ft from my house keep my soil dry, im sure without them things would be different. Certain trees like Willow require double to 4x the amount of water as also do different bushes and plants.

A permit is a good idea and getting out the inspector to be sure the contractor is not rippng you off is a good idea, yes take advantage of the service you will pay for.

Use a moisture meter on the floor to determine level and to be sure you can paint it, Oil base or epoxy will be more moisture resistant but require a maximum concrete moisture content to be succesfully painted .

Do you have an interior pump and pit, if the water table is high just a deep pit can releive alot of the hydrolic pressure, interior tile could be added later if necessay

In quality old homes it was common to connect the exterior tile system to an interior pump, my house is apx 70 x 35 and the old pit is 6 x 8 ft deep, the motor and pump ,original, the motor itself is apx 12x 14 " , made to last and it has 85 yrs.