Bsmt Waterproofing

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1

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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following posts are my personal opinions of the-facts on Bsmt Waterpfg which seem to have been ignored,forgotten n variously twisted to fit some-others self interest needs. bottom line…posts are my own opinions and last time i checked we/i have a right in this country to fairly criticize others publicly & share information.


"you can learn alot from a dummy"

2

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

3

Originally Posted By: dvalley
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Mark,


And your point is?![](upload://aknpuDfhccrZKRyjQTQQ4l0sais.gif)

--
David Valley
MAB Member

Massachusetts Certified Home Inspections
http://www.masscertified.com

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."

4

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

5

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

6

Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley
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Those are good points and most of them should be covered in any good inspection training class. Most are not. I was told in class (many years ago) that grade and water diversion were major components of wet basements.


I agree that they contribute, but are not the whole shebang.

Good Info.

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

9

Originally Posted By: mkober
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David,


Ask . . . .and ye shall receive . . . . . .sometimes!

--
Michael J. Kober, P.E. and H.I.

"NACHI Member and Proud Of It!"

10

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

11

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

12

Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

13

Originally Posted By: aslimack
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As far as i’m concerned, water against the foundation is something to try to minimize. Proper grading and extending downspouts is definitely a do-it-yourself way to REDUCE the amount of water against the foundation.


I will continued to recommend these measures with the same sense of importance i always have.


In my area, many of the cracks you see in block walls are horizontal at the frost line. My thinking is that the more water in the soil, the more likely that the freeze / thaw cycle is going to contribute to the potential for damage. I can't ignore what common sense and experience dictates to me. It seems like a hell of a coincidence that a good number of the homes i inspect with cracks, have poor or poorly maintained gutter systems, or a negative grade in the area in question.

I've seen 80-100 year old homes that were turned into rental properties. I can't ignore that the cracks occured after the maintenance was greatly reduced to the gutters/downspouts. Tenants are notorious for not caring about these things. Failed exterior drains allowed to back up without re-routing with extensions away from the home. Same soil around the home for 80-100 years, they didn't develop a horizontal crack at the frost line until after they were converted to rentals and were therefore, less well maintained. Gutters falling off, disconnected downspouts and extensions, etc.

How many times have we seen a cracked corner of a foundation from the exterior, where a downspout was allowed to drain right at the corner of the wall. Many times the damage will occur in a corner where a below grade drain has failed and the water backed up in that corner. The point in these cases is to not have all that water that would have been carried away below ground, not back up due to the failed drain. I have also seen downspout extensions stop (or lessen considerably) the seepage in these cases.

The water that hits the roof and is then directed into the gutter system is quite significant. Thats alot of square footage of roof, and all that water is laying right next to the home without proper means to drain away.

I can believe that the best way to repair the cracks that do occur, is from the outside. I can certainly buy that.

The idea is to minimize the potential for the crack in the first place. Most of the cracks i see don't appear to leak at all. I think the mentality that trying to reduce the amount of water against the home with gutter, downspout extensions, and proper grading has a minimal impact is flawed. Plain and simple. I've seen it help. A lot. Does it un-crack the crack? Of course not. But the less water against the foundation, the better. And do gutter/downspouts w/ proper extensions as well as proper grading make a big difference. No dought in my mind. I've seen it.


Adam, A Plus

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

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Originally Posted By: aslimack
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No


Adam, A Plus

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

18

Originally Posted By: roconnor
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In my experience as a building engineer also, the majority of foundation water penetration problems are indeed usually related to poor roof and surface drainage. There are also a few easy additional measures that I sometimes recommend, that have worked very well.


Full exterior foundation waterproofing is expensive, and a last resort in my book ... except for a few situations where it's really needed, which takes judgment and experience to identify. And when I do go that route, I sometimes recommend bentonite panels over the waterproofing.

I also do not recommend the typical exterior footing drains, if ya can believe that, as they clog and can actually wick water towards foundations. If an exterior or interior underdrain system really is needed, it must be carefully detailed and tied into a sump ejection system.

I also find that many just inject cracks with epoxy, even for moving cracks ... which then just results in another leaking crack. In some cases I do recommend sealing cracks from the outside with hydroactive grout and waterproofing ... which is a better non-structural repair, but is more expensive. I have found urethane foam injection (although inferior to the epoxies since there is no structural strength) works well in many of those situations, at a much more reasonable cost as long as structural strength is not needed.

In any event, an HI should not get caught up in recommending specific solutions to foundation water penetration problems (or any defect/problem in general). There is a reason why foundations and water penetration problems are two of the highest liability areas for an HI ... so it's better for an HI not to even go there.

Just my opinion and 2 nickels ...

--
Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
Eagle Eye Inspections ?
NACHI Education Committee

I am absolutely amazed sometimes by how much thought goes into doing things wrong

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak

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Originally Posted By: Mark Anderson
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The Real reasons basements leak