THREE Waterproofing Methods that DON'T work

Quick! Name three different ways you could use your basement. Now what happens when that extra space starts leaking or flooding? You can no longer use it. This article will help you decipher what your next step will be.

Here are three methods that DON’T work! And you’ll learn why.

Method #1

Exterior Excavation. In simpler terms, digging up the dirt around your foundation. This method doesn’t usually make sense to do because all you’re doing is replacing the problem not fixing the problem. The beginning of this process also does not help your quality of life. They create a trench of dirt around your house, how convenient right? The main reason this process doesn’t work is because it doesn’t pay attention to the real problem, which is the loose soil around your foundation. This is called the active wedge. The active wedge absorbs water and creates hydrostatic pressure. This is the pressure from a body of water against your foundation.

This method is expensive, damaging and disruptive, and its effectiveness is very limited.

Method #2

Interior footing drains. Instead of having just a footing drain on the outside of your foundation, this one is in the inside. Here’s the problem with this method: it’s sitting in backfilled soil and will most likely become clogged, which will create the problem again. Interior footing drains leave a gap between the wall and the floor that allows water from the walls to drain down to the drain. The water mixes with the soil creating mud, which clogs the drain.

Method #3

DryTrak. This method can ONLY be used for monolithic foundations. This is when the floor and footing are poured in one piece.