Does-Basement-Waterproofing-Always-Require-Digging

Does All Basement Waterproofing Require Digging?

Some common misconceptions many homeowners may envision when they hear “basement waterproofing” might include ideas of a lot of construction and high costs. Basement waterproofing is a comprehensive set of services that are geared to stopping water from intruding into your basement. This is not limited to exterior waterproofing (the type of waterproofing that requires some excavation around the perimeter of your home), although this is the most effective and permanent form available. 

Many homeowners take to relevant online resources to find local professional waterproofing service providers, especially with wet basements being one of the most prevalent home maintenance problems. It is understandable that families with finished basements, for example, may seek solutions that don’t require any digging to be done on their property. There are a number of ways to help improve the efficiency of your basement waterproofing that will not call for digging. However, it is always important to note that any of the solutions listed below are not entirely inclusive and simply do not seal the seal for moisture intrusion.

Ways To Improve Your Waterproofing Without Digging

Some situations call for basement waterproofing where a homeowner simply cannot choose for excavation to be done around their home. Take a situation where homes are too close to one another in densely established subdivisions, for example. Read below to learn more about some effective basement waterproofing interventions.

Crack Injection

Poured concrete foundations are the most common type of residential foundation in the United States. Despite their resiliency to lateral pressure, they can still develop small cracks that eventually allow for water to pass through. Once this process begins, the cracks grow larger, and water comes in more consistently. 

Cracks visible from the interior of the basement can be repaired for the long term with some professional techniques and materials. Larger cracks can be filled with a polyurethane compound that expands and fills the spaces to block water from continuing to intrude. All done from the inside of the basement, this method can help keep your basement dry from these points of entries. 

Battery Operated Sump Pumps

A sump pump is a crucial part of internal basement waterproofing solutions. Ideally, a sump pump setup will have been installed along with an interior waterproofing system. For homes located in areas that receive a lot of summer thunderstorms or spring snowmelts, a standalone sump pump can help remove small amounts of water from the lowest point of your basement. 

Battery backup sump pumps serve as great ways to keep your waterproofing measures working even when the power goes out. If your pump fails due to mechanical reasons or other factors, the battery backup will kick into gear and keep the water draining away from your home.

Crawl Space Encapsulation

Many homes in the United States do not have basement foundations and instead sit on top of a crawl space area below the home. Whether the crawl space is closed off with siding or other materials or not, moisture intrusion is highly common with crawl space foundations. With many different points of entry and the natural ability of soil to absorb water, crawl spaces make for the perfect conditions for water to enter in your foundation freely.

Encapsulating your crawl space seals it off from moisture and insulates it. This is done with a plastic vapor barrier sheeting, insulation board, and superior taping materials to keep moisture locked out. Again, an encapsulation is performed from inside the home, negating the need for excavation.

Interior Drainage Tile

An interior waterproofing system is one of the most efficient methods of basement waterproofing that does not require exterior digging to be installed. While it does not achieve at the level of its sister counterpart, an exterior waterproofing system, it does the job for preventing moisture from intruding into the inside of your basement living space (although the foundation remains unprotected).

This method requires some digging into the concrete foundation to be done, creating a trench around the perimeter of the basement for laying down some drainage tile. If digging of any kind is unacceptable for your situation, then interior waterproofing will also not be an option for your home. A series of pipes and drainage materials is installed into the foundation to redirect intruding moisture down and away to a sump pump that then pumps it away from the home.

Conclusion

Above all methods of basement waterproofing, the team of professionals here at BARRIER Waterproofing Systems recommends investing in an exterior waterproofing system. Although it requires excavation to be done to reach the outside of your foundation walls, the process helps give our contractors the best ability to stop water entirely from entering. 

If you are a homeowner without the ability to perform some excavation outside your home, there are other options available to you that can help! Interior waterproofing is one of the most effective, aside from our substantial success with an exterior waterproofing system that will keep the inside of your basement dry.

To schedule a FREE evaluation, give BARRIER a call today at (615) 257-1060 | (931) 536-1168. For more information about wet basements and how local professional waterproofing services can help, feel free to visit our website!