Keeping your basement dry and protecting your foundation
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The source of the vast majority of foundation problems is water. Wet soil beneath a foundation can swell or lose strength.Have you ever taken a look at your home’s foundation? Most people do not but a few minutes of inspection now might save you time and money later, Plumbing 4 Less recommends you take a few moments, and have a look around.
Take a look for these signs of foundation damage:
- Floor: A sinking or heaving foundation will put pressure on flooring. Look for cracks in concrete, breakage in tiles, buckling and bending of wood floors.
- Walls: Noticeable cracks in your drywall can be an indication of foundation dameage. They are typically found around windows and doors.
- Brick and Siding: Some of the most noticeable evidence of foundation damage can be found in fascia boards around a roof, on your siding, and on openings such as doors, windows and garages. For brick homes craaccks will be evident in a stair-step pattern moving through the mortar.
- Foundation: Cracks in the exterior foundation can be an indication of a foundations movement because of shifting soil below.
- Doors and windows: Misaligned doors and windows can be an indication that the foundation has moved
Wet foundations can be the cause of wet damp basements and crawl spaces that can breed mold and make below-ground interior spaces generally unpleasant or even unhealthy. The concrete used in housing is not typically waterproof. Concrete can keep out liquid water but water vapor can still penetrate quite easily. Keeping water drained away from concrete foundations and preventing it from moving through the concrete are essential to a secure foundation and a safe home.
The complexity of draining any water away from the foundation and ensuring a dry interior space below grade depends on geographic location, climate, topography, soil/water table conditions, and depth of the foundation. There are three components of any system designed to keep water out. These are, from the bottom up:
- Drains to move water away from the bottom of the foundation
- Wall treatment to prevent moisture from moving through the wall and to route water down to the drains
- Ground surface treatment adjacent to the building to direct surface water away
Because the completed work will mostly be underground, doing it right the first time is critical, as repairs and corrections can be expensive. A leaky foundation in a residential building can damage finishes and furnishings, even the structure itself. You can trust Plumbing 4 Less to expertly protect your home's foundation.
Call us today for an estimate 613-315-7928