Basement Waterproofing Chicago

Check Your Sump Pump

2012-02-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

The rainy season is almost here! Have you checked your sump pump lately?

Foundation Crack Repair

2012-02-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Many homeowners may be tempted to use caulk or hydraulic cement to patch basement wall cracks. It would be a little more expensive, but much better to have it sealed by a basement waterproofing professional. Caulk is superficial and will allow water to continue seeping behind the patch material, resulting in efflorescence, and eventually the caulk will peel off exposing an enlarged crack. Hydraulic cement does not bond well, also leading to efflorescence. Eventually, the water seepage will dislodge the cement plug. Also with these repairs water will remain on the backside of the crack and freezing in the winter will cause the foundation crack to expand even more.

A good qualified waterproofing and foundation repair specialist usually have nearly a 100 percent success rate for crack repair work. Most contractors offer lifetime warranties for the injection repairs because they are confident in the product quality and the training received from the chosen manufacturer, and most waterproofing contractors perform multiple concrete repairs per day.
Injection products create a win-win situation for the contractors, homeowners, and business owners. Contractors can reliably fix an inconvenience, while saving their residential and commercial consumers thousands of dollars for more extensive repair work and avoiding the inconvenience of excavation.

Where Basement Water Comes From

2012-02-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

Where Wet Basements Come From
In order to prevent a wet basement, it is important to understand where the source of the water. There are four common sources of water that seeps into your basement:

Surface water running down foundation walls
Groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure
Storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system backing up into the home's existing perimeter foundation drain and leaking into the basement (this can only occur if the perimeter foundation drain system is connected to the municipal sewer system)
Sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home's drain system, causing sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.

When you experience a wet basement for the first time, it is imperative to determine if the water problems are going to reoccur or if it was a one-time event. Essential to solving this question is determining the source.

First Steps to Basement Waterproofing

2012-01-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

On the exterior, make sure that the soil is properly graded around perimeter of home to ensure positive drainage of surface water. This may mean re-grading and/or installing a custom drainage solution.

Check to see that all roof run-off, gutters and downspouts, are draining away from home with positive slope. It’s best to get downspouts to discharge 10’-15’ from home. Connecting downspouts to underground 4” PVC drain pipes is a great way to direct the water away from your home

Also, look at all exterior concrete… driveways, sidewalks and verify that it has ¼” of fall per foot away from home. If your concrete is falling toward the home, the concrete will need to be raised, or removed and replaced, or the water will need to be re-routed by installing channel drains in proper locations

It is recommended that basements and crawlspaces have interior or exterior drainage system next to footing. This system is a 4” perforated pipe backfilled with clean gravel and in most cases wrapped in filter fabric. Drainage pipe should be run to daylight if possible, when not possible, pipe should be run to a sump pit that can be installed on the interior of your home and water pumped away.

Determine size of sump pump to be installed. The correct sizing of your sump pump is critical, if a pump is too small it may not keep up with the amount of water coming in, also the sump discharge plays a critical role.

If an exterior drainage system is not an option, an interior, under-slab drainage system can be installed and drained to the same sump pit/pump.

Once a drainage system is in place, and foundation stability is verified, cracks in walls and floors need sealed. This process is done by epoxy or polyurethane injection

http://www.reliablebasement.com/

Foundation Crack Repair

2012-01-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Even though concrete cracks are normal, it is not recommended that they remain ignored. Most homeowners have concrete cracks in their basement, either on the foundation wall or on the floor. If there are water puddles or water stains around these cracks you should address them as soon as possible. More often than not, a foundation crack will grow over time and result in larger amounts of water seepage. For more infomation contact Reliable Basement Services http://www.reliablebasement.com/

Why would I want an Basement Egress Window?

2011-11-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

They let a lot of light into the basement
They turn a basement room into a legal bedroom
They increase safety by having a secondary fire escape
They increase your property value with the addition of an extra bedroom
They create a more enjoyable space without the feeling of being 'in a basement'

Basement Waterproofing Chicago: Basement Crack Repair

2011-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

Basement Waterproofing Chicago: Basement Crack Repair: Most people think it's best to leave leaking foundation crack repairs for spring. The fact is... its best to repair them this fall. Having m...

Basement Crack Repair

2011-10-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Most people think it's best to leave leaking foundation crack repairs for spring. The fact is... its best to repair them this fall. Having mositure remain in a crack during Chicago winters will cause them to expand even larger and leak more. Fall is the best to have your basement crack repaired. Visit our crack repair specials at http://www.reliablebasement.com/

Basement Waterproofing Chicago: Basement Waterproofing Tips

2011-10-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Basement Waterproofing Chicago: Basement Waterproofing Tips: Late fall is a very good time to check gutters and down spouts, with leaves and branches falling from trees can cause gutters to clog and wa...

Why do sump pumps fail?

2011-10-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Why does a sump pump fail?
Power Failure: In most cases, a sump pump fails because of a loss of power. There are several reasons you could lose power. There could be a storm causing a local power outage, a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse; a damaged power feed line or even something as simple as an unplugged pump. In some cases a wearing sump pump will cause the electrical breaker to trip.

Mechanical Failure: Another common reason for sump pump failure is a mechanical problem, such as a faulty part or an aging pump. The pump may be burned out or jammed with mud or a stone. It could have a broken impeller, drive shaft or the float switch could be stuck or broken. A back up pump isn't going to protect you from mechanical failure so it is wise to purchase a separate alarm that will alert you to a system failure in addition to your backup pump. Most mechanical problems with the sump pump are float related. If the pump does not start, the float may be hanging on something in the tank. A simple repositioning of the pump should solve the problem. If this fails, the float may need replacement. If the pump fails to shut off when the water level drops to the bottom of the sump tank, this indicates you need a new float.

Pump Overload: Pump overload usually occurs when an excess of water flows into the sump pump. When this happens the pump is unable to handle all of the incoming water and it malfunctions. Also, a pump will overload if foreign matter becomes trapped, partially clogging the pump. This will cause the motor to start to run slower and eventually the sump pump will stop working.

Basement Waterproofing Tips

2011-09-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Late fall is a very good time to check gutters and down spouts, with leaves and branches falling from trees can cause gutters to clog and water to fall directly next to the foundation. This will cause hydrostatic pressure on foundation walls causing even the best foundations to leak. Get out and clean those gutters so you are ready for the spring thaw.

Vince
http://www.reliablebasement.com/