PROBLEM SIGNS
Whether it finds its way in from plumbing leaks, windows or wall cracks, water in your basement means trouble.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Efflorescence
White chalky powder on basement walls means there is a source of water somewhere nearby. Learn more about this substance, what it means for your basement and home, and how you can fix the underlying problem.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Moist Basements and Mold
Worried that mold might grow in your basement? Look for these signs and, with the help of professionals, prevent and remediate a moldy basement.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Water Seepage
Even the newest of homes can fall victim to water seepage. Learn more about what causes and signs to look for, as well as the different waterproofing solutions that can help you protect your belongings and foundation.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Damp Walls and Floors
Dampness and water intrusion can lead to many issues in your basement and home. Learn more about problem signs to look for and how to best fix these issues.
CAUSES
There are several reasons why you’ve got a wet basement on your hands, but one main culprit has to do with the ground your home was built on.
Crawl spaces and basements are well known for being damp, dank spaces. Even when your home has no groundwater flooding issues and has perfect plumbing, the spaces can be plagued by moisture issues. One major culprit for humidity in your home is a phenomenon called the “stack effect“.
The stack effect refers to the process in which hot air leaves the home through your attic and upper levels. As it does, a vacuum is created below, and new air is pulled upwards through the basement, crawl space, and lower levels.
A large hole had to be dug in the ground to make room for your house. After the foundation floor and walls were built, some of the excavated soil was replaced or “backfilled” to fill the gap between the walls and the existing earth. This soil is loose, fluffy, not as dense or tightly packed as undisturbed soil, and it tends to absorb more water. When water collects in the soil immediately surrounding the house, it creates a “clay bowl” and puts pressure on the walls, which leads to cracks and leaking water.
When the soil around your foundation becomes wet, it expands and puts pressure on the walls. This constant force exerted on the walls is known as hydrostatic pressure. When this force becomes more than the walls can handle, they will begin to crack and bow inwards. This affects the structural integrity of the walls. Water also will then work its way through any opening available, including cracks and openings around pipes or windows.
Mother Nature can be unpredictable, and North Carolina experiences its share of wild weather. Heavy rainstorms can dump a lot of water on the ground, and hurricanes bring floodwaters with nowhere to go. This water can then find its way inside through saturated soil and wall cracks.
A footing drain was installed outside the foundation walls of your home during its construction to help keep water away. But this drain can easily clog and allow water to collect by the walls. Preventing this is difficult, and so is cleaning and flushing the drains.
Clogged or above-ground exterior drainage pipes could allow water to puddle next to the home and find its way inside any cracks in the walls. It’s a good idea to place these lines in the ground and direct them far away from your house to prevent draining water from leaking inside. But you also need to make sure these lines are doing their job. If they crack, collapse, or clog, you could end up with water in your basement.
Sump pumps are needed to keep water out of the basement. Many systems installed in the floor have metal basins, lids that rest on top of the basin, and openings for discharge pipes. Some may not have lids at all. These are ineffective systems that will only cause more problems. Metal basins can easily rust and corrode, and partial or missing lids allow water to evaporate back into or flood the basement. This leads to unpleasant odors, moisture and other water issues that defeat the purpose of the sump pump in the first place. Debris and other items also can easily fall into the system and damage the pump if the sump pit is not completely covered.
Solutions
Your home is the most significant investment you’ll ever make, and you want to be sure you’re using quality solutions to protect it.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Dehumidifiers
Basement dehumidifiers help control moisture and humidity in your home, improve overall air quality, reduce odors, and help prevent mold and mildew growth.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
French Drain Systems
French drain systems work to keep your basement dry by intercepting leaking water and redirecting it to a sump pump system. Learn more about these waterproofing options for your basement.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Sump Pumps
A sump pump is the heart of your waterproofing system, and it's important to have a reliable system to keep your home dry. Learn more about the family of SafeDri™ sump pumps available for your home.
Tar Heel Basement Systems
Basement Insulation
Cold floors and the lack of energy efficiency can be traced back to ineffective basement insulation. Learn more about our ExTremeBloc™ insulation panels.
FAQs
Now that you’ve read about potential problems in your basement and how they got there, aren’t you ready to get rid of them? Why would you want to live in a wet, uncomfortable house and subject your family to harmful conditions? There are so many ways you and your family can benefit from wet basement repair. Here are just a few of the perks:
- Better Health & Quality of Life
Mold loves nothing more than wet, damp, and dark areas like basements. So, if you’ve got any kind of leaking or standing water in your basement, chances are you’ve got mold growing there, too. Half of the air you breathe comes from below-grade areas like basements and crawl spaces. So, if there’s mold in these areas, it’s also circulating in the air throughout the rest of the house and affecting you. This can lead to and worsen health problems like asthma, allergies and respiratory issues. By having a properly waterproofed basement, you are eliminating the chance for mold to thrive and investing in the health and safety of everyone in the home. Having a trusted dehumidifier installed also helps control moisture and humidity, as well as improve overall air quality.
- Enhanced Structural Stability
Leaking water also affects your home’s structural integrity. If you have block foundation walls, water can easily saturate and seep through the porous material and find its way inside through any crack or gap. If water has nowhere to go, it starts building up inside the walls. Coupled with hydrostatic pressure, this results in an unsafe mess. Another issue we’ve run into is wooden floors and supports affected by dry rot. Don’t subject your loved ones to an environment that could cave in at any time. When you have your basement properly waterproofed, you also are ensuring a longer lifetime for your home.
- Improved Energy Efficiency
Below-grade areas like basements are naturally cooler, but any leaking water also can cause more of a temperature drop. This will lead to more running time for your furnace, and higher heating bills. And during warmer, humid days, the air conditioner will be over-worked as you try to keep your house cool. Having reliable waterproofing and dehumidification solutions to protect your home also will protect your wallet by lowering your energy bills.
- Increased Real Estate Value
Many different factors can affect a home’s real estate/resale value, but it’s important for you to be aware of the condition of your home regardless. This includes any issues with water seepage, dampness or standing water in the basement, drainage on the property, and flood hazard. Homeowners in North Carolina who are selling their house are required to complete the State of North Carolina Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement to the best of their ability. Being honest about any known issues when it comes to leaks and waterproofing sets clear expectations regarding the quality and condition of the home. Buyers expect a dry basement.
Now are you ready to take back your home and make it a better place for your family to live and grow? As you start to plan for your repairs, you might be eager to run out to your neighborhood home improvement store to gather supplies. You may be very handy and capable of fixing different things around your home, but waterproofing a basement is not something you and a friend can tackle in a weekend. These types of repairs are serious work and are best left to professional contractors.
There’s nothing to stop you from applying something like a sealant or paint to your walls, but these materials are only temporary quick fixes that will not permanently solve your leaking water issue. Sealants and paints will pop and flake, indicating a lingering moisture problem. Water also can find another way in because it follows the path of least resistance.
Instead of wasting money on fast fixes that you’ll only have to spend more time and money reapplying, fix your wet basement the right way the first time around with trusted solutions from a reliable contractor.
We know it can be intimidating working with someone you don’t know, and you’ve probably heard stories from friends and family members who had awful experiences with contractors. So, it’s understandable that you’d feel wary of working with a contractor yourself. But don’t let that totally influence your decision.
Before hiring a contractor, make sure you do your homework and are comfortable with who you bring into your home. Ask for reviews; references; proof of insurance, licenses, and other certifications; a written contract; and examples of work that has been completed.
We install only the very best solutions that are proven to permanently address your wet, leaking basement once and for all. It’s our commitment to you and your family. The products we use are manufactured in the USA and are designed to work together to give your basement complete protection.
Our professional team will work with you every step of the way to design the best basement waterproofing system to perfectly fit your home’s repair needs.
These are the solutions and how they work:
- Interior Drainage System – The best way to waterproof a basement involves interior drainage channels. To collect seeping water from your walls and floor, we’ll place BasementGutter™ in the sub-floor throughout the basement’s perimeter. We also can place grated drainpipes in the floor in front of stairs and walk-out access points and tie these sections into the rest of the BasementGutter™ system. Water that is collected by these specially designed systems is then directed to a sump pump system. We also can use grated drainage
- Sump Pump System – Once the leaking water is collected, it needs somewhere to go other than back onto your floor. Our interior drainage systems discretely direct this water to a reliable sump pump system to be pumped out of the basement and away from the house. We have a variety of SafeDri™ sump pump systems to meet your waterproofing needs – the SafeDri ™ Pro X Premier Sump Pump System, SafeDri ™ Battery Backup System, SafeDri ™ TripleSump ™ Pump System, and SafeDri ™ Pro Crawl Space Sump Pump System.
- Dehumidifier – For a truly safe, dry, and healthy space, you also need to condition the air. Our powerful dehumidifier unit is energy-efficient in cleaning and filtering the air, controlling moisture and humidity, eliminating odors, and reducing potential mold growth. Unlike convention dehumidifiers, our unit is self-draining and can be directed to perimeter drainage or sump pump systems so there are no buckets to have to worry about emptying.
- Frozen Discharge Line Prevention – Water being pumped out of a basement by way of a sump pump system exits through discharge lines. The lines outside the house could potentially freeze or become blocked, and this allows water to flow back into the basement. To prevent this from happening, we can attach the FreezeGuard™ outlet to the exterior sump pump discharge line.
- Crack Repairs – We can seal and repair any wall cracks to prevent water intrusion. Our foundation repair solutions may also be needed for significant cracking and wall movement.
We’ve saved the best concern for last. This is one of the most commonly asked questions we hear from homeowners. And rightly so. Your home is the most significant investment you’ll ever make, and you want to be sure you’re using quality solutions to protect it.
Homeowners can expect to spend an average of $4,000 on basement waterproofing, with different projects ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. And the return on investment from basement waterproofing is estimated to be around 30 percent. But when you think about it, the health and structural and safety benefits, as well as peace of mind you’re investing in, are priceless.
Every home is different, and every project calls for different solutions. That is why we cannot offer you a ballpark estimate over the phone. It’s important for one of our inspectors to physically visit your house to better understand what is going on. We are able to customize solutions specific to your repair needs. Your inspector will take into consideration your repair goals, the severity of damage or problem areas, square footage, and your budget. It’s not just a “one size fits all” fix.
Contacting us for an expert opinion is your best way to go. We will not try to throw bandages on the problems, push you to buy unnecessary products, or provide sub-standard quick fixes.
