Basement Waterproofing Tennessee and North Carolina

We begin your basement waterproofing project by discussing your goals and needs in your home. Once we figure out the problems that your home is experiencing - leaking walls, flooding when it rains, or high basement humidity, we design a specific solution for your basement. No two structures suffer from water problems in the same way, so American Foundation & Basement Repair designs a customized solution for each home. However, our use of state-of-the-art materials and techniques remains constant.

Common Wet Basement Problems:

When you find water in your basement or crawlspace, it seems like each time it rains the floor will be wet. Water can come into the basement in many different ways. Whether water seeps through concrete block walls, cracks in poured foundation or an overwhelmed cove joint, there is a specific solution for your problem.

Water moves along the path of least resistance, so when water drains into the soil it continues to drain down into deeper soil levels. If there is a large amount of water moving at the same time, it will move laterally. Since during dry weather soil contracts and moves away from your foundation, there are voids that water fills.

A sudden heavy rainfall, insufficient surface runoff, or impervious soil conditions will allow water to find its way through these voids and collect along the foundation wall and footing. Of course, that same water will also add volume to the soil, causing it to expand and push back against the foundation wall. Running down the foundation wall, water will come in through both sides of the footing. It is then forced up through the joint where the wall and the slab meet.

A block wall is susceptible to water slowly flowing through the cavities, collecting at the base and eventually force its way out through the floor joint. Signs of stagnant water collecting inside a block foundation include harmful mold and fungus growth, musty odors, and damp walls. The most obvious sign is of course standing water in the basement.

The Solution:

There are many methods sold at hardware stores to attempt the fix of a water problem. This includes extending and/or trenching downspouts, moisture blocking paints, hydraulic cement, caulk, glue down interior trenching systems, etc. However, these methods usually don't stop the water at all, and can actually re-route the problem to a different location.

Water coming into the foundation has generally been fixed by running 4" perforated drain tile around the outside of the house to try and catch all the water before it comes in. Exterior drain tile has a lot of drawbacks as it can become clogged or be crushed when the backfill of dirt occurs and there is no way to perform any future maintenance. It is economically and structurally challenging to completely prevent water from gaining access from the outside of the foundation.

Professionals in the Waterproofing industry agree that an effective solution is to channel the water into a drainage system that can be monitored and maintained inside the foundation at this point the water can be pumped away. Basement waterproofing keeps your property safe from moisture damage and prevents any decline in property value due to water problems.

One of our Project Estimators will find the most cost effective waterproofing system to keep your basement dry in the most inclement weather. We are a Safe Basements Waterproofing dealer - we use an updated version of a drain system called Multi-Flow. The saturated soil will spill water through weepholes drilled into the blocks of your foundation. These weepholes will lead the water into a sub-floor drainage system. However, rather than having one pipe to dispose of the water under your floor, we have a hightech system that has several pipes which will dry the wall as well as the subfloor, delivering the water outside and away from your property. The Multi-Flow has several times the surface area of normal drain systems so that it can absorb more water. It also is installed with a sand filter so that your pipes will never clogged. Once you've had American Foundation & Basement Repair waterproof your basement, you'll be able to relax and breathe easy with the next big storm. Take the first step to keep your house dry by giving us a call. Contact us today!