Tips On How To Do Basement Waterproofing
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by: PeteBennett
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A wet basement does not necessarily indicate that you have a poorly built home. In fact, a lot of cement built houses have water problems in their basement. Learning how to do basement waterproofing should help you to take care of such a problem. Simultaneously, if you learn to do it yourself, you can save a lot of money by cutting down on labor costs.
What Causes Wet Basements?
There are some houses that have no waterproofed walls and foundations and this is the reason behind wet or damp basements. To have a dry basement, one should have efficient basement waterproofing inside and out. But older houses may not have had good waterproofing because of the technology available in the past compared to what is available at present. There are also buildings built on wet land next to bodies of water. Cases like this make it even more important for basement waterproofing to be present.
When To Do It
If you are building a new house or building then this is one of the first measures you should take when the foundation has been built. Waterproofing a basement efficiently when it is first built will ensure that it will last for a long time. This is also the best time to do basement waterproofing because it's much easier to get into small spaces before they are closed off due to constructions, such as corners and even areas where drainage pipes will be installed.
Waterproofing Old Houses
Anybody who owns a fairly old house will first one to check its basement walls. Drainage pipes and where they run is another thing to check. If walls and the floor need to be waterproofed, one will need to use a multi-layer membrane system which means that one has to cover cracks in the walls and foundations from the inside and the outside if possible. One way to do this is to use tar because it seals up cracks efficiently. If this doesn't improve the condition of a basement, then the aid of professionals is called for. However, this can be done alone or with the help of friends.
Improving The Exterior
One way how to do basement waterproofing effectively is to work on the outside walls of a basement wall first. One should also observe the flow of water and thus channel the water away from the basement area. A system using a series of ditches should do the trick to help redirect water away from the building and its foundations. The water can also be redirected to a pool that can be drained once in a while.
Rebuilding
One other way to do basement waterproofing is to rebuild the basement of your house. Of course, this does not mean that you have to destroy the foundations of the house. All you need to do is reinforce the walls completely with a layer of cement and hot tar where it is needed. This will not only help keep the basement dry but will strengthen the foundation of the house. Also, if there are any busted pipes, you will need to replace them with new fittings.
Products For Waterproofing
To be able to do basement waterproofing properly, you will need the proper products. Traditionally, you can use cement for reinforcing the basement walls. You can also use tar for the cracks to make the walls impervious to any liquids that seep into the basement. However, if you want to try out some new products in the market, there are some epoxy materials that you can use but they will cost you a little bit. Although they are not as effective as the traditional methods, they still work and the technology is quite promising. You can also inject an epoxy into the cracks of the inside of wall but this also is expensive.
Waterproofing a basement is actually very important for a house. A house that is 20 to 25 years old has to have its basement inspected for leaks. A damp basement is an indication that there is water seeping from a place that needs to be sealed up again. Remember that it's important to know how to do basement waterproofing just as it is to know when to do it.
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