Basement waterproofing system

[john bubber]

Mr V,

Hear ya but at the same time....

....'IF' basement walls were built better (reinforcing rod etc)
and WATERPROOFED `n backfilled w/most-all gravel there would be LESS
problems.At best,many walls were ONLY parged-damproofed and most were backfilled with same excavated soil along with other crap like roots,cans,bricks,blocks,boulders,pieces of concrete and other debris.

Quite a few additions/porches have problems too,pull away from house,settle etc.How about many in/around Texas,slab-problems due to
expansive soils.
http://geosurvey.state.co.us/Default.aspx?tabid=392
--Severity of Problem
...Each year shrinking or swelling....billions(2004 article) in damages to
houses,buildings etc....MORE than TWICE the damage from floods,hurricanes,tornadoes and earthquakes

U S Army Corps Engineers.......lateral pressure
http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Amhers...os/photos.html

[Richard A. Hetzel]

I practice in the northeast, and here is the justification for basements: since the footings have to go below frost depth, it only means a little more digging and a few more courses of block to create a basement, and that affords expansive storage and utility space that, to duplicate above ground, would mean increasing the size of the house by either 50% or 100%, depending on whether it was one-story or two-stories. That is not an economical choice, and in many older suburban areas with smaller lots, it may be simply impossible.

I've done hundreds of basements and crawl spaces that do not admit water. Does anyone think that after nearly 50 years in practice, I'm just lucky? And most of those were done before I learned some real truths about basement waterproofing from none other than Mr. Bubber in his many incarnations.

I recently designed an additon with a wine cellar, and I specified polyethylene film waterproofing and gravel or crushed stone backfill, as recommended by Mr. Bubber. Maybe added a couple of hundred dollars to the cost of the job, but by doing so, protected a wine collection which may be worth thousands. Made sense to me...why don't others do it?

[David C. Macy]

I would love to see a Nachi TV video on Basement structure, exterior water proofing/excavation.

Maybe J. Bubber and others could do one sometime in the future.

Being able to properly report on cracks and why the crack in the pattern they do and moisture intrusion, excavation.

It would be neat if they did a onsite epside of a house with water/cracks and then show how they fis it.


Thanks for all the info and responses.

[Richard A. Hetzel]

You can find bunches of photos of why basements leak and how to fix them on:
http://boards.hgtvpro.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/2891014781
presented by Mr. Bubber's evil twin. Highly entertaining and immensely informational.

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

Originally Posted by ekartal

Last week we dug up and checked 28 year old crawl perimeter drainage tile that was found to be in excellent shape. How long does it usually take to deteriorate?

Ekartal,

I am not speaking of the tile drain that is typically used up north (don't even get me on northern builders vs. southern builders.......be like starting the civil war all over) the issue here in North Carolina where there isn't a frost line, all though we go 12 inches deep......explain to me how an interior french drain is going to help keep water out of a crawlspace where the water table rises.

Crawl spaces have so many issues that in my opinion are far more problematic than basements up north of which most are in decent conditions....at least many of the ones I have seen in southwestern Ohio.

I recently hired a legal immigrant........from Norway........he and I could talk all day about moisture management.........he just shakes his head at some of the construction methods he sees around here.

regards

jeff

[Erol Kartal]

explain to me how an interior french drain is going to help keep water out of a crawlspace where the water table rises.

jeff

Where did I say that drainage tile keeps water out of a crawl space??

This was my question: Last week we dug up and checked 28 year old crawl perimeter drainage tile that was found to be in excellent shape. How long does it usually take to deteriorate?

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

Originally Posted by ekartal

Where did I say that drainage tile keeps water out of a crawl space??

This was my question: Last week we dug up and checked 28 year old crawl perimeter drainage tile that was found to be in excellent shape. How long does it usually take to deteriorate?

Failure is often from sediment clogging up the line.......to answer your question would requiring knowing the type of soil around the drain, how the drain was installed, any silt barriers and what type etc.

Even with the drain does work, more often than not another component (walls themselves) end up failing and you are back to square one.

regards

Jeff