Keeping Your Basement Dry In Indianapolis

Having a wet basement in Indiana is a problems many hoosiers are all too familiar with. And spring seems to be the time when most homeowners start seeing just how bad a wet basement can get. Block foundation basements tend to have more issues with water problems than poured foundation basements. Water seeping into the blocks from the outside starts to fill up the block cavities of the foundation. Eventually this water finds its way into the basement. Many homeowners will start to notice signs of basement water problems. One of these signs is discoloration on the foundation blocks of the basement. This can also be associated with flaking or peeling paint on the foundation blocks. This is caused by moisture or water siting inside the cavities of the block foundation. Some homeowners will start to see just a very small amount of water coming into the basement along the area in which the block wall and slab meet. This small amount of water is usually only seen after a large, heavy rain. But as time goes on, this small amount of water starts to become larger amounts of water, and is seen in other areas of the basement as the water inside the block cavities finds more ways to get into the basement. Homeowners might then notice that it no longer takes large, heavy rains to cause this problem, but even small amounts of rain are causing the basement to leak. Homeowners can take steps to help reduce the water problem in the basement, such as making sure all downspouts are extended away from the home. Correcting negative grade can also help reduce the amount of water coming into the basement. The most effective way to keep your basement dry permanently is to upgrade your basement drainage system. Your basement was more than likely built with some type of drainage system, but as time goes on, this drainage system can start to break down, and becomes very ineffective. Because of this, an upgrade to your existing drainage system is needed to keep your basement dry again. The most effective upgrade is to install an interior basement drainage system that will address all areas of water penetration into your basement. This type of system is installed around the perimeter of your basement by breaking a small section of the basement slab floor and installing a drainage system. To find out more info on how to keep your Indiana basement dry click here or call 317-828-7897 to schedule a free basement inspection and evaluation by Indy's most trusted basement and crawl space wateproofer-SwainCo.

Basement Waterproofing in Indianapolis

Indianapolis homeowners with basements know all too well the water problems that can be associated with having a basement. A few weeks ago we did a free inspection for an Indianapolis homeowner who was having wet basement problems. He informed us that he had a drainage system installed many years ago and did not think it was working anymore. During the free inspection we noticed that indeed he did have a very old drainage system installed some time ago. The type of existing basement drainage system he had consisted of a solid 2" perforated PVC pipe installed below the slab around the entire foundation, connecting to a pit and sump pump basin. This system also had some type of FRP panel installed on the foundation wall up approx. 2' from the slab floor. This was done to cover the weep holes that were drilled above the slab and direct the water to the drainage system. The problem with this type of system, other than the age, was:

1. The 2" PVC drainage pipe had perforated holes that were too big. This, along with minimal gravel back fill allowed dirt, silt, and gravel to enter the drainage system and severely restrict any water flow to the pit and pump.
2. The weep holes were drilled above slab and covered with a thin FRP type panel. Over time this panel had cracked, broken and for the most part was no longer present in much of the basement. This allowed water from the weep holes to drain directly on the slab. This type of panel does not allow for very good water flow behind it. So in areas that the panel was present, water from the weep holes would flow over the top and onto the slab the floor.

We recommended upgrading his drainage system to a permanent, lifetime warranty SwainCo. Dry Basement Drainage System. This consisted of breaking out the concrete around the entire of the foundation walls were his existing system was. Once that was done, we proceeded to remove all parts of his older, no functioning drainage system. In the same trench that his original basement drainage system was, we installed a 3" perforated flex drainage tile. We then connected this tile to his existing pit basin, which we saw no need to replace. This type of drainage tile has slits instead of holes which, along with the proper gravel back-fill that we installed, reduces the chance of any unwanted material from entering the drainage system. We then installed a black L channel dimple backing board to extend above the existing weeps holes and down across the drainage system. This dimple backing board allows for a much greater ease of water flow from the weep holes to the basement drainage system. This also allows water from any future cracks or leaks above the dimple backing board to drain down the wall behind it, and into the basement drainage system. Lastly, we upgraded his old sump pump to a Zoeller M53 series sump pump.

A couple days after the completion of our SwainCo. Dry Basement Drainage System, temperatures rose enough to start melting all the snow. Because of the upgraded drainage system, this homeowner was happy to inform us that his basement stayed 100% dry.

If you have a wet basement problems or need to upgrade your older basement drainage system to a permanent, lifetime warranty SwainCo. Dry Basement Drainage System call 317-294-5278 or click here for a free basement drainage inspection. You can also visit www.swaincollc.com for more information.