Unless you intend to turn your basement into a swimming pool, water trickling down your basement can be a cringy experience. Basement waterproofing can prove to be a mind-boggling and budget straining task for you if you are an amateur. But employing the right techniques for dealing with water welling up your wall or leaky foundations can save a lot of your precious time and efforts. Here I have sorted out some quick options that will aid you in keeping your downstairs dry.
Exterior Waterproofing:
Repairing your basement from outside is proved to be the most effective and longlasting way. It’s unambivalently a bit of hassle as you have to excavate the soil from the exterior of the foundation from all sides and then install drain tiles at the foundation. The process is a bit risky as you have to dig out a 7 to 8-foot deep trench around your foundation. Mishandling this delicate task can lead to hazardous effects like building collapse. So, the best approach is to leave such intricate tasks in the hands of professionals. Remember to register your excavating contractor in dry seasons otherwise;, you will end up with a trench filled with water, which you have to pump out later before resuming work.
Ideally, an exterior waterproofing process should occur during the construction of a building. It is also critical to mention gutter systems. If properly installed, they will drain out the rain’s water from your home’s foundations; otherwise, it has opposite effects. So, make sure to clean your gutters and keep the debris from clogging to maintain proper working.
Interior Waterproofing:
Interior waterproofing is a relatively more comfortable and more budget-friendly basement waterproofing process. The process is quite simple as it begins with ensuring that any holes or cracks in your floors, basement halls, around your doors and windows are properly sealed and watertight.
Water usually makes its way to your basement through these holes or cracks, so adequately sealing them is crucial in ensuring that your basement stays dry. There are some special sealants available in the market that effectively fill these cracks, preventing any moisture particles from entering the basement. In addition to being highly effective, these sealants also come with extended warranties to testify their abilities.
Interior waterproofing methods, such as employing waterproof sealants, also prevent condensation by keeping humidity level down. These coatings being put onto the basement floors and walls also act as a waterproof barrier. Though interior sealants immaculately serve the purpose of waterproofing, they don’t address the underlying problems. For this purpose, you have to go for exterior waterproofing methods.
Precautionary Measures:
Even if you don’t intend to waterproof your basement fully, you have to take the following precautionary measures to protect your foundation from underlying water threats.
- Install downspouts and gutters, and link downspout attachments that can take train water away from your house.
- Relocate foundation plantings that demand frequent watering,
- On any basements windows that can be used for egress, you have to install insulated window well covers.