Basement Waterproofing in Overland, MO

Wednesday, June 29th, 2016 by Jordan Link

Challenge

Bill W. was experiencing some leaks in his finished basement and needed a way to keep his belongings safe and dry. Systems Design Specialist John Salazar came to Bill's home to identify the problem areas and design a solution based on Bill's needs. Bill had an existing sump pump in place, but it was not able to do the job for which it was installed. Bill also decided in addition to waterproofing his basement, he would like to finish the basement as well.

Solution

The best solution for Bill was to install a new basement waterproofing system, including the Waterguard® drainage system and TripleSafe™ sump pump system.

Foreman Ryan Lovell and his team came to Bill's home to waterproof his basement. The installation began with finding the optimum location for the new sump pump. After the location was determined, a sump pump pit was dug out for the sump pump liner, which holds the sump pump. It is important the pit is the correct size. If the pit is too small, the pump can pump out water faster than the pit fills, which makes the pump turn off and on more frequently, burning out sooner. If the pit is too large, the pit will be deeper, forcing the pump to pump out water farther below the home. This causes the pump to perform unnecessary work and use more electricity.

After the pit was dug, it was time to install the draining system around the perimeter of the basement. The team jack-hammered the floor around the perimeter, and a layer of clean, small stones were layered on top of the basement footing. The WaterGuard® was then installed over the layer of stones, against the wall. WaterGuard® is designed to collect water that makes its way through the wall-floor joint, as well as any water trickling down the wall, and transport it to the sump pump to be pumped out. A layer of stones is again placed in the remaining areas as back-fill for the WaterGuard® system.

The sump pump was then installed, in this case, Bill decided to have installed the TripleSafe™ sump pump system, which includes a primary and secondary pump for use during severe rain, and battery back-up, which functions during power outages. Since two pumps were installed, two discharge lines were also installed. Additionally, the primary and secondary pumps are held in place by pump stands. The two stands are at different levels so the secondary pump will only pump during severe rain or as the primary pump slowly wears out over time. The sump pump was fitted with an airtight lid, which keeps odors and fumes from seeping through.

With the drainage system and sump pump in place, the team restored the floor, burying the WaterGuard® for a seamless look. Cement was placed over the WaterGuard® and around the sump pump area, and was carefully leveled to match the existing floor.

All that was left was to cleanup the mess, sweeping up dust and cleaning up equipment. The discharge line was expected to ensure the sump pump was discharging the water to an appropriate location away from the home.

Quinton Westbrook and his team came out to Bill's house a week later to further finish his basement. The project included installing ThermalDry® carpeting tiles and vinyl tiles and EverLast™ basement half-wall panels. The team installed the tiles first, which are interlocked with each other. This allows for easy replacement if tiles are damaged. The ThermalDry® tiles have pegs underneath them to provide a thermal barrier, making the floor surface 8-10F degrees warmer than the concrete below. The pegs also allow for air to circulate underneath them, which facilitates the drying of moisture. After the floor was completed, the team installed the EverLast™ basement half-wall panels. the bottom half of the perimeter of drywall was cut off to install the more durable, water resistant panels.

Now, Bill W. enjoys a finished basement that is able to protect his belongings as well as his home from water leakage and water damage.

Project Summary

Systems Design Specialist: John Salazar

Waterproofing Foreman: Ryan Lovell

TBF Foreman: Quinton Westbrook, Jr.

This is the location of the old sump pump. One of the new TripleSafe™ sump pumps will take its place.

Here is the bare concrete floor, opposite the side of the room with brick flooring. Vinyl tile and half-wall will be installed in this location.

The room is finished. There is a glimpse of the brick flooring on the other side of the room where the tile meets it.

On the edge of the flooring is the installed WaterGuard® draining system, which leads to one of the sump pumps.

After the sump pump was installed in this room, the team was prepared to installed the flooring tiles and the half-wall around the room.

Flooring is complete and the half-wall is almost finished. All that is left is the area next to the sump pump.

The team finished the half-wall and the flooring in the room up to the sump pump.

The room holding the second sump pump has carpet tiles and a half-wall.

Glimpse of the other side of the room that has the carpet tiles. Main wall is not quite finished.

Area near the stairs also is tiled.

The tiles are cut to fit the walls, even in areas where the walls do not have flat surfaces. The team cut these tiles into shapes to fit the uneven walls.

About the author

Jordan Link

Jordan Link lives in the St. Louis Metro-East area and serves as a Marketing Specialist for an industry-leading home improvement contractor and as a Sales Trainer for a multi-national retail corporation. Jordan provides quality email marketing campaigns and web content that transcend the competition, inspire clients, and develop new business.

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Basement Waterproofing in Overland, MO

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