Water Seepage

An illustration of a basement (below). The right side is a poured concrete foundation, which means that the concrete was poured at one time into forms to hold the shape. It is a solid wall, with a minimum thickness of 8 inches, depending on the building code of your municipality. To the left is a block and mortar foundation, this wall was erected by masons installing one block at a time.This wall is typically hollow, unless you live in hurricane areas, in which case it may be reinforced with re-bar and concrete. If you see these potential threats in your home, you may be in need of basement waterproofing, and foundation repair.

Water Infiltration

Water always seeks its own level and will always drain down until it finds a void to fill; sometimes that void is someone's home. Consider how homes are designed. If you have a basement either full or walk out, a construction company excavated the land your home sits on and pours the foundation. Once the foundation of your home was created, they then backfilled around the foundation with gravel, top soil, sometimes clay, so that the ground was made level around your home. As water drains around  your home, (rain, melting snow, even watering your grass) the water drains through the soil and clay up until it meets the exterior of your foundation. If your foundation has any structural defects, the water will naturally find its way through the foundation and into your home. Remember, to water, your basement or crawlspace is a void to be filled.

Through the Walls

Water coming through the wall is the most common of all water infiltration. The water comes through the wall via a crack in the foundation (even no visible crack), through porous area (the wall wasn’t vibrated enough), around tie rods (metal rod coming through the wall) used to hold the forms in place or through gaps in the wall where pipes come through (voids in seal around pipes). When your home’s foundation was created. The ground was excavated, then forms to mold the concrete were set in place, the concrete was poured, then the concrete cures.

Through the Floors

Many homes built over the last 100 years were built with external drain tiles also known as subsoil drainage. This is piping that is placed around the bottom of the foundation. This then drains into a sump pump pit or into the storm drain. Its purpose is to allow the water, as it drains on the exterior of your foundation. Sometimes these drain tile systems are crushed during the backfill process  or they fill with sediment from the soil. Now the water can no longer drain away from your home. Then the water begins to find voids to fill, like your basement. The water seeps through the joints where the wall, floor and footing meet.

Over the top

Your home is built on top of a sill plate. The Sill Plate joint is not water tight. If water is coming from the top of the wall, its possible that the ground around your home is near the Sill Plate Joint. The soil around you home should be graded tilting away from your home. If the soil is tipped toward you home, the water may be pooling around your home. Secondly, there may be a gap behind the finished exterior of your home. Water can be trickling down the backside of your siding. The water rolls behind the wall and finds its way into your Sill Plate Joint. The water makes its way into your basement.