What Is Hydrostatic Pressure?: How to Protect Your Basement from Leaks

Your home is under a lot of pressure, literally and figuratively. It’s responsible for being a safe haven for you and your family, but many forces act against your home and its foundation, including hydrostatic pressure.

Hydrostatic pressure is a sneaky, unnoticed source of damage attacking your home from below. You may not realize there’s a problem until much later when moisture and other damage become significant issues.

This article explains what hydrostatic pressure is, its effects, and how local basement waterproofing professionals can help you protect your home from it.

Hydrostatic pressure is the force exerted by stationary water, including the groundwater surrounding your home’s foundation. This pressure, acting in both outward and downward directions, continually bears down on your basement walls, potentially leading to significant water damage and structural compromise.

This force often arises following heavy rainfall or snowmelt events and is prevalent in areas with high water tables where elevated groundwater levels exert added pressure on basement walls.

Additionally, the soil type surrounding your home plays a pivotal role in the extent of hydrostatic pressure. Expansive clay soils tend to retain more moisture compared to other soil types, increasing the pressure they exert on your basement walls.

• Cracks in basement walls and floor
• Bowing basement walls
• Water in your basement
• Elevated indoor humidity
• Mold growth
• Musty basement smells

Even with proper grading and drainage, some subsurface water might still cause problems. A good example is underground water that fails to drain away. Such water can cause hydrostatic pressure to build up in your basement floor, leading to cracks. 

To correct this problem, Tar Heel crews install an interior drainage system just underneath your basement floor. The perforated half-pipe is covered with gravel before the floor is restored. Once in place, this device will collect any water that enters your basement and direct it to a sump pump system before it causes problems.  

Basement walls subjected to hydrostatic pressure often require reinforcement measures. Our team installs various wall repair solutions to address this issue, designed to provide support and fortification for your walls against external pressure forces. Wall anchors and I-beam systems have the potential to actively pull bowed walls back into their proper alignment, while carbon fiber straps effectively prevent further movement and cracking while occupying minimal space within your basement area.