Nidha Home Improvement

Home, Furniture and Decorating

Basement Waterproofing Basics

Posted by admin on Feb-23-2010

A basement is a part of a house or a building that is either partially or completely located under its ground floor. In a large building like malls and condominiums, basement floors are usually designed for parking space for its customers or residents. On the other hand, basement floors in houses are usually made as storage space for electrical and air-conditioning system. While basements are proven to be very useful, there are several common problems that are associated with basement floors – some of these involve basement leakage and basement flooding. Waterproofing is needed when drainage in the basement is not enough and there are several basement waterproofing products and basement waterproofing systems that were designed and developed.

One of the basement waterproofing products is the interior sealant. Interior sealants are used to prevent high humidity in the basement thus reducing the chances that concrete surfaces in the basement will deteriorate. Interior sealants can be used for both basement wall and floor to prevent basement leaks that can lead to flooding. Using interior sealants is also very easy and inexpensive although it should be known that this solution is only temporary since it does not directly address the major cause of the problem which is water infiltration.

Another option that basement owners can use is the interior water drainage system where water that will enter the basement is channeled either through a French drain or PVC pipe to a sump pump, which will pump the water outside the basement of the house or the building. A sump pump mechanically removes the water in the system and needs electricity to run. It is therefore necessary to have a sump pump installation with a backup battery in case of a power shortage.

There are also several basement waterproofing systems that have been developed aside from those given above. Remember that it is always better to have your basement checked by professional to prevent the occurrence of basement leaking and flooding.

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