It is sometimes rather difficult to find an experienced dry basement company. However, you do not need to worry so much.
The Tornado Plumbing & Drains Company is always at your disposal providing a good deal of expertise and professional approach. Our well-qualified representatives will evaluate your problem for free. WE consider your wet basement as a part of our own home. So, e are ready to pick out the most suitable and cost-effective solution. We will also explain to you why your basement is leaking. Moreover, all our services and products are provided with a warranty which is a transferable and lifetime support.
What Causes Humidity In Basement
There are many causes for the wet basement. Water penetrates there through cracks in the foundation and in the walls, and that is the most common issue. As well, excessive moisture can be a result of flooding, poor grading, problems with gutters and downspout, and many other factors. First, you need to detect the source of the issue and then, repair it to receive a completely dry basement for your home in Ontario. It is recommended to look thoroughly all over the walls and floor. If you see the place which is damp, you know the source. The next step is to detect whether the situation has happened once and recently or it is a continuous problem.
Dry Basement Solutions
The main cause of the wet basement is hydrostatic pressure acting from beneath the floor. It is influenced by a high water table of your area. Very often, water is pushed up through the cracks in the floor or on the joints of the foundation wall and the floor. The latter problem has a name of a cold joint. Water finds its way to the basement through this cold joint. Dry basement solutions are methods of doing away with these issues. There are two of them – the internal French drain and the external excavation. Both of them are very effective, indeed.
External Excavation
The bigger part of waterproofing work is usually done for the external side of the walls. That is why external excavation is quite beneficial for the houses with finished basements. The method includes exposing the footing of the wall that leaks. After cleaning it, a rubber membrane is installed. Then, there is a protective barrier and the waterproof membrane applied for the coating. This membrane redirects the water and it flows into the weeping tile system. This system, in its turn, is connected either to the existing drainage or to the new sump pump. After the completion of all the excavation work, we backfill the ditch and grade it simultaneously checking whether all the moisture is driven away from the house.
Internal French Drain
The interior French drain is installed in a trench excavated underneath the foundation and sloped to let the water flown down into the sump pump reservoir. The perforated pipe is laid at the bottom of the trench and covered with gravel, and the excessive water can flow smoothly to be emptied at a certain distance from the foundation. The French drain is an effective way to redirect the water from the house with the purpose of flooding reduction. That allows minimizing the damage, for example, a deteriorated foundation. In fact, French drain as well as yard drains, are meant to divert the extended water from the areas where there is a poor drainage and moisture can accumulate easily.
Dry Basement System
The B-Dry® (called bee dry or bdry) system is used in the basement waterproofing and foundation repair strategy to solve the issues of water leakage. It has turned out to be effective for more than 500,000 households across the country. In 1986, the B-Dry® System received a US Government Patent. It includes Rigid Sealer® for continuous waterproofing of basement walls that are wet. The sub-floor drainage used by us was first applied in 1958. It has been helping diminish the hydrostatic pressure beneath basements for more than 60 years. All in all, the B-Dry® System for basement waterproofing can protect your home from the issues caused by heavy and wet soils, a high water table, water seeping through cracks and floor seams, and by water penetrating through porous foundation walls.
How To Dry A Basement step by step
Step 1. Make sure your rain gutters are completely free of debris
The condition of rain gutters affects the porous concrete of the foundation walls. If the gutters fail to drive the rainwater away from the house, it accumulates near the foundation, makes up puddles, and penetrates into the pores in a while. If these gutters direct the falling water onto the spot, the depressions are formed in the ground next to the foundation that speed up its ruining and wearing out.
If you address this issue to an experienced basement waterproofing contractor, the French drain is usually installed. It is a kind of drainage system that drives water away. The French drain installation will not solve all the issues and it cannot guarantee a completely dry basements. However, it can eliminate the initial cause of leakage.
Step 2. Keep the ground around your foundation sloped away from it
As it turns out, the procedure is not quite simple. If your house is located on the hill, the excessive water can flow downward to your home. The first thing here to do is to detect depressions near your foundation wall and flatten them to prevent their filling during rainfalls.
Step 3. Keep an eye on window and door seals
If your windows and doors are weatherized, check them just once every half a year using a caulk gun to reinforce their leak-proofing qualities. Mind that you will need to choose a sealant very thoughtfully to find the most secure one.
Step 4. Keep a dehumidifier handy
If you use the basement as a place to dry your clothes, you can face the problem of extensive humidity. It can cause condensation easily because the place is rather enclosed. A dehumidifier is not a magic bullet, of course, but you need to keep it at hand to reduce the moisture from condensation. However, it will not work properly for seepage. That is why you need to detect first whether seepage or condensation is the main culprit. For extremely wet walls in the basement, you will need to find the wettest spot.
This is a very simple test. After you have found this particularly wet spot, tape a stripe of aluminum foil to it. Press the foil to the wall to make it airtight. Check the stripe in 48 hours. If the inside part of the foil is wet, the problem is caused by water seepage. If the outside part shows moisture, you have an issue with condensation.
Step 5. Fix leaks the minute you discover them
If the leak is permanent, your basement will never be dry. While the source of moisture in the basement may differ from one time to another, the leak can never be mixed with anything else. Moreover, it is quite easy to detect. An experienced basement waterproofing company needs to examine the basement to find the leak and determine its type. After that, they will offer the best method to fix this issue. A well-qualified and reliable contractor will work honestly and suggest you taking time for making the most appropriate decision.
How to Keep My Basement Dry
- Make sure that all the excessive water flows freely far away from your house foundation.
- Gutters and/or downspouts should be installed and constantly maintained.
- The water-resistant paint is to be applied for the lower part of your home.
- Keep a dehumidifier at hand to block condensation outcomes.
- Your basement should be surrounded with gravel and rocks.
- Install the effective insulation to all your water pipes.
- The basement windows should be equipped with metal window wells.
- Never dry clothes in your basement.
- All your home appliances should have the ducted ventilation to the outdoors.
- Installation of exhaust fans is a must in your basement bathrooms.
If you live in Ontario and your basement gets wet constantly, we can help you to keep it dry for a long time. Start with scheduling the suitable time with our experts. We can also compile the cost estimate for all the wet basement services for free.
FAQ
- How to keep a dry basement?
- How to keep basement dry without dehumidifier?
- How to keep a basement dry and mold free?
- How to keep basement floor dry?