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A refreshing dip in
the backyard pool is great, but when water suddenly begins
to pool in your basement during a heavy rain, it's anything
but fun.
Fixing a leaky basement is possible, with the right expertise
and materials. Here's how to keep your basement bone dry,
year-round. |
Larry Janesky, founder of the Connecticut-based
professional basement waterproofing service , Basement
Systems, helped to install a waterproofing system
and explain how it works. |
This basement has two major vulnerable areas where water can enter. The first is the joint between the wall and floor. This joint is especially porous at the corners. The second area is where water squeezes in through a set of precast hatchway doorssteps. |
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| During rapid snow melt or heavy rains, water saturates the soil and begins pressing against the basement walls and the underside of the floor. Water can begin to flow into the basement through cracks and joints, and even penetrate the concrete itself, due to strong hydrostatic pressure. |
Larry points out that a white chalky powder, called efflorescence, shows where water has migrated through the basement walls. The powder is actually mineral residue left behind by water after it evaporates or drains down the wall. |
With the source of the problem identified, it's time to do something about it. Larry's team from Basement Systems begins by digging a trench around the basement walls with a jackhammer. |
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| The crew also cuts a hole in the floor to hold a new sump pump. This pit will collect the water channeled to it by the new perimeter drain. |
These polyethylene "bright wall panels" hide any efflorescence discoloration and water stains, and create a barrier that channels water to the drainage trench. Screws are driven through the panels into plastic anchors, which fit into 1/4-inch holes in the walls of the basement, drilled with a carbide masonry bit. |
Once the bright wall panels are in place, it's time to install a series of plastic drains, which collect any incoming water and channel it to the sump. The sections are laid end-to-end and connected to molded corner pieces. |
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| The drain in front of the outdoor steps, a particular problem area, incorporates an open grate so that water can flow in from the top. |
Next, the sump liner is dropped into position. It is connected to the drainage system in the trenches. |
The space between the drain and the edge of the trench, as well as the sump liner and the bottom of the sump pit, are filled with crushed rock. |
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| The sump system pumps water from the drainage system back outside. If the primary pump is unplugged or a circuit breaker trips, the water rises to a second pump. If the house loses power, a third, battery-powered pump takes over. All told, the system can remove up to 7,000 gallons of water per hour! |
All of this collected water needs to have someplace to go that's outside of the basement. Two two-inch holes are bored into the siding and rim joist, just above the basement wall. |
A pair of drain lines then direct water out of the basement: one for the primary pump, and a second for the backup unit. There are two special valves in this picture; these are overflow valves that allow water to spill out in case of frozen pipes during the winter, rather than be forced back into the basement. |
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