Any house owner will tell you what a nightmare, basement waterproofing can be. Or rather what the lack of proper waterproofing can do to you. There are consequences to wet basements so let us go over these before we go over the methodology of prevention. It is always better to know the gravity of the situation first before jumping into the deep end.

Wet cellars have high levels of mildew and mold which is very harmful to the general health of your family. They also increase the chances of higher allergic reactions besides driving up the costs of heating the entire house this is in part because they increase the humidity of the whole house. They also compromise the structural integrity of the foundation should the situation not be checked in time. If that is not enough for you it should also be made clear here that wet basements encourage termite activity. All this will lead to a steady deterioration in the value of the property.

In essence preventing water from getting into your subsoil, the process should be tackled and done properly at the point of original construction. However, waterproofing is carried out for both new and old cellars. It is generally accepted that there are three ways to effectively carry out this exercise.

As mentioned earlier the most effective way is done at the point of construction and should last the duration of the buildings lifespan. This is especially true now with the use of polymers based waterproofing materials in the process known as Tanking which is also known as exterior waterproofing. During the initial construction a bonding agent is applied to the exterior walls of the cellar which effectively locks out water from your cellar leaving it dry.

There are drainage methods that can be employed. Usually applied concurrently, either by placing drains on the outside or footers of the foundation to a sump pump, or an external drainage pipe on the exterior walls of the cellar. These are connected to a PVC pipe that drains the water away from the basement using the sump pump.

There are also cavity drainage systems that can be employed. This basically is a plastic membrane that is molded onto the walls and floor of the cellar. The walls are then sloped towards the sump pump. These two methods are known as exterior and interior drainage systems respectively. The first is also known by constructors as a French drain.

Interior sealants are another popular method. Though not a very effective method it does keep humidity out of the cellar. The most effective methods are the first two. Once applied properly, there are numerous advantages to having a dry cellar.

The most obvious is the increased usable rooms in the house, reduced costs from potential remodeling and repair of damaged furniture. Healthier and more comfortable living conditions are also expected. Though the upside to a forced remodel of the basement may lead to an inadvertent increase in the value of the house the repairs themselves could be quite expensive. Besides who needs the hustle? Efficient and effective basement waterproofing is usually done at construction that is the bottom line.

Author Bio: Have a wet basement? Consider waterproofing basement walls and crack foundation repair to restore the health of your home.

Category: Home Management
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