Basement Waterproofing
Having water problems in your basement can be a very frustrating thing. Dealing with it every day while you apply a new coat to the walls doesn’t help. The reason why you always see moisture on the topcoat you applied maybe a week ago is because the problem starts from the outer walls and not the inner ones. There are some things you can do to avoid any water problems in your basement or to make sure you waterproof your basement completely.
Dig Around
One of the ways to make sure that your basement is waterproof is to dig around the perimeter of your house down to the foundation. This is done for two main reasons. First, to discover any possible water problems like a damaged pipe or an underground pond of water near your house. Second, to make sure a hydraulic system is installed, involving pipes and other drainage methods to assure that the water is drained by the power of gravity of even through a pump.
Cracks Checking
Like we said in the first paragraph, you might be applying the coat in the wrong place. Just because you see a crack from the inside wall, that doesn’t mean that the original problem comes from there. After digging from around your house we must inspect for any cracks on the outer walls of the basement. Once we find the cracks, then we make sure to apply the coat on top of them and close them for good. This way the first water problem is solved. The problem of the water passing through the outer cracks and developing cracks inside the basement is solved.
Sealing the Walls
Simply applying a coat to the outer walls will sometimes not solve the problem. This is because the concrete has pores that might still cause a moisture problem inside the basement. In this case, a sealer must be applied to all the outer walls. A cement sealer it’s easy to apply and will close all the pores of the concrete. So if coating the cracks on the outer walls which we mentioned above won’t solve the water problem, sealing the outer walls will make sure that the problem is solved.
Apply a Membrane and Install a Drainage System
If you are done with all the above methods, then there is something else left to do to make your basement completely waterproof. At first, you should apply an asphalt membrane to the walls. This will assure that the walls are protected and the asphalt membrane won’t let the water pass through. Next what you should do is to install a drainage system. This is system will make sure to not allow any water to get close to the outer walls of the basement. The pipes installed will make sure to drain the water to the nearest sewer.
