Waterproofing FAQs
Hydrostatic pressure is caused when water pressure builds up outside a foundation. The weight of the water pushes downward until it finds the path of least resistance, and since a basement is nothing but a hole in the ground it is easy to see why it would come in the small seam at the floor / wall seam. It is usually recommended to discharge the water at least 10 feet or more away from the foundation. We accomplish this by installing an anti-freeze device and a solid pipe out to a yard drain. This pipe is buried underneath the sod and is hardly noticeable.
It depends on different factors such as the size of your basement, the type of foundation and the type of water problem you are experiencing. Generally the average 32ft x 24 ft basement will cost anywhere from $5,000.00 to $10,000 depending on what type of equipment, battery backup system, etc. Financing options are available, and several things can be done to keep the cost down. For example some people will install just the sump pump system to start.
GrateDrain™ is a dual chamber system that is designed to accept ground water faster than any other drainage pipe on the market, yet it is placed just under the floor in front of the footer. This design allows ground water to only be pumped if water is going to come on the basement floor and doing so quickly when called upon to work.
GrateSump™ is our specially designed sump pump collection system. It was designed by someone who installed thousands of sump pump systems over the years. It is not as deep as other sump liners on the market and it will not encourage undermining of the foundation. We use our FastSump to pump the ground water out and away from the foundation.
The “stack effect” is when warm air moves upward in a building. This happens in summer and winter, but is most pronounced in the winter because indoor-outdoor temperature differences are the greatest. Warm air rises because it’s lighter than cold air. So when indoor air is warmer than the outdoor air, it escapes out of the upper levels of the building, through open windows, ventilation openings, or penetrations and cracks in the building envelope. The rising warm air reduces the pressure in the base of the building, forcing cold air to infiltrate through open doors, windows, or other openings. The stack effect basically causes air infiltration on the lower portion of a building and exfiltration on the upper part. Mechanical equipment such as fans and blowers causes the movement of air within buildings and through enclosures, which can generate pressure differences. If more air is exhausted from a building than is supplied, a net negative pressure is generated, which can induce unwanted airflow through the building envelope. Bathroom exhaust fans, clothes dryers, built-in vacuum cleaners, dust collection systems, and range hoods all exhaust air from a building. This creates a negative pressure inside the building. If the enclosure is airtight or the exhaust flow rate high, large negative pressures can be generated.
