What Are My Options for Foundation Waterproofing?

Luckily, there are several different ways for you to waterproof your foundation. You can work with area professionals to first inspect your home for damage and then determine which of those available solutions may best help you get back on your feet. 

Protective Measures 

If you aren’t contending with any structural damage and are more seeing an influx of water into your home, you may be able to invest in interior waterproofing measures over exterior ones. These measures can include but are not limited to: 

• Sump pumps. Sump pumps drive standing water and flood runoff out of your home using electrical force. These pumps are excellent for concentrated moisture control in your home, and they serve to keep unwanted moisture from reaching your foundation. That said, sump pumps have a more difficult time contending with widespread flooding throughout your home. Similarly, if the power goes out in the middle of a storm, your sump pump will no longer be able to protect you from the worst of your flood damage. That’s why it’s in your best interest to have a backup battery installed along with your sump pump system to protect your home. 
• Interior Drains. Interior drains are cousins to sump pumps. Both systems work to remove unwanted seepage or moisture from your home. Interior drains, however, do not require an electrical charge to work. These systems are placed in the sub-floor of your basement, and they work to collect water that leaks in through your walls or wall-floor joint. Any water collected by these drains is then redirected to the sump pump so it can be pumped out of and away from your home and its foundation. 
• Dehumidifiers. If you’re more concerned about the general degree of moisture in your home, you can install a dehumidifier. Non-commercial dehumidifiers help to absorb the moisture in the air and force it back into its liquid state. This way, you can remove that unwanted water from your home at your own rate. But if you opt for a self-draining unit, it will automatically drain into your perimeter drainage system or sump pump so you don’t have to worry about emptying any buckets or reservoirs. Of course, dehumidifiers are not the best waterproofing measures to invest in if you are actively seeing seepage or standing water in your crawl space or basement. However, you can pair a dehumidifier with other foundation waterproofing measures to extend the lifespans of those devices. 

Support-Based Measures 

If your foundation is sinking, or if you believe it may begin to sink in the months to come, you can talk with professionals in your area about piering solutions. Foundation piers help take the weight of your home off your foundation, allowing it to remain in place should the soil shift or your foundation show signs of damage. Note that while you can use piers as home waterproofing measures, they often work best when utilized after damage has appeared in your foundation. Even so, if you want to try and get ahead of the damage that might do your home harm, you can talk to area contractors about a pre-emptive installation. 

If you want to stabilize the ground outside of your home at the same time as you stabilize your foundation, you can talk to the professionals in your area about PolyRenewal™ concrete lifting. The process allows you to inject a special polyurethane material underneath your concrete slabs. Once underneath, this material hardens to lift a sinking foundation up and to create a barrier between your foundation and any standing water in the ground. At the same time, that material makes it more difficult for your soil to shift as it will, meaning you’ll be less likely to face issues. 

Reaching Out to Area Professionals 

There’s no need for you to try and take on the process of waterproofing your foundation on your own. Not only is this ill-advised, but this kind of hard work is much simpler when you have multiple hands to help you. As such, you can reach out to the professionals in your area instead. Together with local contractors, you can assess the overall health of your foundation and determine what foundation waterproofing measures may best suit your needs. Professionals at Foundation Recovery Systems can provide you with a free services quote to help you better understand how much any repairs or installations may cost. In the meantime, you’ll have the opportunity to work within your budget while also protecting your home’s value and structural integrity.