When Is The Best Time To Waterproof Your Basement
Are you planning to get your basement waterproof anytime soon? There are a few weather conditions you should keep in mind before making the date.
How weather can effect basement waterproofing
When it comes to planning and executing waterproofing repairs, the weather is something you should consider. Thankfully, there is always one way available to fix a basement leak. The weather conditions that will have the greatest effect on the basement waterproofing repairs are rain and cold winter weather.
How rain may impact your waterproofing activities
Unlike when cold winter weather hits, rain can impact your ability to do both indoor and outdoor basement waterproofing work.
Rain’s impact on crack injections – Since rain can cause a crack to actively leak, certain methods will not be able to work effectively including epoxy crack injection which does not adhere to wet surfaces. However, high pressure polyurethane crack injection are entirely unaffected by the rain despite any leakage.
Rain’s impact on traditional excavation and waterproofing – Trying to excavate a foundation when it is raining or while the soil is quite wet is always a mistake for a lot of reasons including a risk of cave-ins and foundation coating not adhering properly.
How winter weather can impact your waterproofing activities
Unlike with rainy conditions, winter weather only effects basement waterproofing methods done outside the home.
Cold weather’s impact on crack injections – Winter weather has actually been found to be the best time to polyurethane injection work, especially in places like underground parking garages that become very cold. This is due to the fact that concrete shrinks in the size the most during winter and thus allows for gaps to open up to their maximum widths. When the gaps are filled while they are at their largest widths, you won’t have to worry about the polyurethanes ability to stretch. However, the cold polyurethane resin will take a bit longer to fully cure due to its thickness during the winter months.
Cold weather’s impact on epoxy crack injection – Cold weather does affect the viscosity of epoxy resin much like it does for polyurethane.
Cold weather’s impact on traditional excavation and waterproofing work – Any foundation excavation and exterior waterproofing done during the winter months should be avoided as much as possible for several reasons including increased risk of cave-ins and risk of frost damage.
If you are looking to waterproof your Maryland home, look no farther than AAAction Waterproofing! We have been waterproofing East Coast homes since 1987 and are dedicated to keeping your home moisture free.