Nobody wants to think about dealing with basement related issues, especially with the winter bearing down on us. The entire northeast region has been hit with serious snow, deep cold, and plenty of other headaches thanks to the Polar Vortex, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping. But whether you’re in Virginia or New Jersey, DC or Maryland, taking care of your home’s basement and foundation is important. And for many, waterproofing is much more than just an expense – it’s an investment that can save you big within a short time.
At AA Action Waterproofing, we know your money is important. And we know that it can seem like basement waterproofing is an expense you can ignore. But a few key things help highlight just why it’s actually an investment. The following points are all reasons that basement waterproofing can help save you money:
• First, it helps you avoid the cost of major cleanups. Leaking basements can lead to major water damage which in turn can cost thousands upon thousands to clean up. By preventing that damage with simple basement waterproofing steps, you’ll be able to avoid the cleanup bill entirely.
• It also helps reduce damage that can be done to your foundation which will lead to major repair bills. Leaking foundations can be caused Continue reading →
It is a good idea to understand the immense amount of pressure that your basement is under when considering basement waterproofing. The vast majority of homeowners do not understand that the porous walls of their concrete basements are constantly under an tremendous amount of pressure from a few different sources. This pressure can wreak all sorts of havoc on the foundation of the home. Destructive pressure can appear in the form of cracks, leaks, the wasting away of the foundation, a bowed house, a slanted house or, in very extreme cases, a collapsed part of the house.
The ground around your home isn’t just dirt. There is a term called groundwater. Groundwater is the water suspended in the dirt around your home. This water is actually like an ocean. In fact, the ground is a lot like the human body and is made up of mostly water. The easiest way to see this is to dig a small trench and see how wet the dirt gets about a foot underground. You may even start collecting a pool of water digging down that far.
Just like any body of water, the liquid ebbs and flows. That means the water underneath the ground is actually moving, and your house is caught right in the middle of all this movement. You can almost Continue reading →
The first thing many people do when they buy a home is to wage war on water. People who live in especially wet areas of the country, which is essentially anywhere but the arid Southwest United States, must fight a constant battle to avoid flooded basements. The changing of the seasons, expansion and contraction, big storms and burst pipes can all lead to the dreaded flood, which can cause expensive damage to the home.
One of the best ways to fight this battle is with drainage. Water literally goes down the path of least resistance, so it is a good idea to control that path. Otherwise, nature will control it for you. When nature controls it, little channels of rainwater will flow toward your home and burrow into the ground right up against the foundation. This water makes the ground swell and attack sthe integrity of the foundation.
But you can get out there with a shovel and control the flow of rainwater. The easiest way to do this is to dig simple trenches that lead down a slope away from the home. While this is effective, it is unsightly. And without support, the ditch will eventually cave in.
You can provide support by filling the ditch with rocks. Water loves to flow around rocks and down easy pathways, but Continue reading →
Understanding the ground forces around the house can actually help you avoid flooding at home. The ground around the home is constantly shifting and moving, especially with water. When the ground gets hit with a lot of water, the ground swells and pushes onto the foundation of your home. When the ground dries out it contracts. This actually puts a different kind of pressure on the foundation as the ground squeezes your home. But there are a few ways to engineer the ground around your home to alleviate the stress and reduce the chance of flooding.
The grade of the ground around your home is very important. The grade refers to a slope, like the side of a hill. If the slope, or grade, is leading down to your home, like your home is at the bottom of the hill, this may cause all sorts of problems. Water will flow downhill toward your home and drench the ground right at the base of the foundation. The ground there will swell and put an amazing amount of pressure right onto the foundational walls of your home. This can cause the walls to crack, but the real worry is the pooling.
Water pressed up against the wall of your home will seep into the ground until the ground is saturated. Then it Continue reading →
That moment of realization is the worst part. Perhaps you flip on the lights to go put in a load of laundry, or perhaps your kids have scurried to the basement door to go play, only to scream at what they find. An extensively flooded basement is a nightmare for a homeowner. Water, the very thing that is responsible for destroying so many homes, has infiltrated your foundation. The water just sits there, laughing at you.
The seriousness of flooded basements won’t set in for a while. The total cost of the damages can exceed well over $10,000. But the good news is that you can mitigate the damage by dealing with the water the right way, right off the bat. The more quickly you confront the monster in your basement, the more money you will save. There are plenty of steps to take right at the outset. Some of the steps are common sense, but other steps are not so well known. By following these guidelines, you can make the most out of a damp situation.
• Keep your kids and pets away from the flooded basement. There are all sorts of dangers associated with water in the basement, which are discussed later. It may be a good idea to send the kids upstairs, put the pets outside Continue reading →
Basement waterproofing is something that every home should have, especially older homes. A flooded basement can cause damage to the foundation of your home, destroy what you have stored downstairs, pose a health threat to you and your family, and degrade the efficacy of your frame to hold your house up. But if you think DIY basement waterproofing is an easy task that can be done with some epoxy and a shovel, think again.
Professionals can stop the root of the problem. They can identify why the basement is flooding and attack the source. An amateur will probably misdiagnose the problem, try to fix the wrong thing and only discover the error during the next flood. This can lead to costly losses and repairs that mount up as the amateur plays a hit-or-miss game of waterproofing. Here are some of the things you’d be up against if you decided to waterproof your own basement:
• The cracks in the basement walls are not the root of the problem. If you have water seeping in through cracks in the concrete, then it is a good idea to epoxy the crack to stop the water, but it is not the root cause of flooding. The pressure put on the basement by the ground around the home can tear a hole in the Continue reading →
Water is a powerful conductor of electricity. Water is also nature’s best source of destruction. When it happens, the hazards caused by floods in the basement include electrocution hazard and can also even cause damaging gas leaks. This can turn your safe home into an obstacle course of danger. If you notice that your basement has flooded, then it is a good idea to take some precautionary steps before the cleanup begins.
You should not step into any amount of water in the basement without doing a little scouting first. If the water is up and over the electrical outlets on the walls then the electricity needs to be shut off from outside the house. You can call the electrical company who will send someone over to disconnect the power from the grid.
If the water is not above the electrical outlets, then you can examine if the path to the fuse box is clear. If it is not, you can jury-rig a bridge there using wood panels, plastic chairs, or anything that isn’t made of metal. It is also a good idea to where rubber boots or waders.
Opening the fuse box and turning off the power with the wooden end of a broom can protect you even further. It may be a little difficult to do all those Continue reading →
We’ve all the heard the saying that water will always flow down the path of least resistance. All too often, we ignore these clichés. Maybe it is because we get bombarded by them, or maybe we just say them without knowing the real reasons behind them. The fact is that this cliché can actually save you if you are a homeowner.
Owning a home can be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. You get the white picket fence, a little bit of room to grill some steaks out in the backyard and all the privacy you’ve desired. But there is a downside. You realize that there is so much work – and worrying – to about your new investment. Because that is what a house really is: an investment.
Now let’s revisit that cliché. Water does really flow down the path of least resistance. This means that we can control the flow of water, which really helps us in the springtime. That’s when the threat of flooding rears its ugly head and this is when the effort to waterproof your house plus basic basement waterproofing can be helpful. After all, flooded basements will literally eat away at your home’s internal structure, which is a shame, as peoples’ homes are usually the largest investments they make during their lifetimes.
Water Continue reading →
While there is no real way to put a price on your time, it is still valuable nonetheless. But there is a way to put a price tag on the expenses that arise from flooded basements. And while the expenses are real and often steep, a flooded basement will also cost you a ton in time. If this is the first time you’ve dealt with flooding, there’s a good chance you’ll work really hard to salvage certain things to no avail.
The first thing that most people want to do when they see a basement full of water is to try and salvage the area. Most people bust out the shop vacuum and dehumidifier, taking turns with their spouse and spending the whole weekend trying to get that basement dry. But by now the mold has already begun to set in. You won’t be able to see it in the carpet, but if you pick up a piece of furniture in the basement you likely see ominous mold setting in.
With groundwater, you want to try to evacuate the floodwaters within 24 hours. If you fail to meet that time period, then your whole basement will need to be gutted because the proliferation of mold has already gotten so out of control that it could become a safety hazard to Continue reading →
The basement sits at the bottom of the house and literally serves as the foundation of your home. Since the basement is submerged underground, its walls are exposed to constant pressure from the elements. Moving earth, moisture, roots, and even critters can have a serious impact on the integrity of your bottom floor.
But the most dreaded threat of all is water. Water can wreak havoc on a structure, no matter how large or small, in a variety of different ways. And there is plenty of water in the ground surrounding your home.
• Moisture can seep into the concrete of your basement’s walls. Once inside the walls, the water expands and contracts with the changing of the seasons. It has the ability to put cracks into the walls of your basement.
• Moisture causes mold and bacteria. Mold and bacteria are living things and they need the proper environment to thrive. A damp and dark place is ideal. Water getting into your basement, no matter how little, can cause mold and bacteria to thrive. This can affect the health of your home and family.
• Certain molds and bacteria cause rot. Once the water gets into your basement, it can get into the framing of your house. Even especially moist air can cause the wood frame of your home Continue reading →
