What is Hydrostatic Pressure?

Hydrostatic pressure is pressure from a body of water at rest.  The weight of the water itself is what causes the pressure, so there’s no escaping it.  The more water that is present, the higher the pressure will be.

Think of it this way: if you poke a hole below the water line on the side of a water bottle, the water will trickle out.  However, if you poke a hole at the bottom of the water bottle, the water will quickly gush out because of the hydrostatic pressure.

This is an important principle to understand as a homeowner because if the void space in the soil surrounding your foundation is filled with water due to rain, it will cause hydrostatic pressure to push water into your basement.  The more rain there is, the higher the pressure will be.

Your basement is a hole in the ground built on an imperfect structure—a porous material with cracks, holes, and joints in it.  A leaky basement is a result of hydrostatic pressure.  In order to ensure that water will not enter your home, you basement needs to be permanently waterproofed with a product such was WaterGuard.