Waterproofing 101
Foundation waterproofing is a topic about which most folks are uninformed. Many are misinformed. The reason that foundations need waterproofing is that without it water gets under houses and causes very expensive problems—with the structure itself and health problems for the occupants. In a nutshell, a good waterproofing package should consist of three components—all of which are very important. Waterproofing: coatings of some type need to be applied to the portion of foundation walls that are below ground to prevent the penetration of water from within the ground. The types of coatings vary greatly depending upon the particular needs of a structure or the occupants. Foundation drainage: simply blocking water from entry through a wall isn’t enough. We can’t just ‘wish’ the groundwater away—we have to make it go away. First we have to collect the water. This is done by installing foundation drainage. Foundation drainage is some type of French drainage system along the base of a foundation that’s designed to intercept & collect sub-surface water. Tail Lines: the water that’s blocked by the waterproofing, intercepted & collected by the foundation drain now has to be directed away from the building. In most situations this can be accomplished by installing a downhill pipe from the foundation drain out to a lower part of the property. These downhill pipes are called tail lines. (In some circumstances there is not a low enough destination on the property for a downhill pipe so a pump has to be used). The types of materials used, the system design, and workmanship all play a very important role in how successful a waterproofing & drainage system will be. Local codes simply aren’t clear enough to ensure that systems installed for new houses will be sufficient. (See Buying or Building a New Home or FAQ) In an effort to continually increase the knowledge of our clients or potential clients, Lindsley Waterproofing provides an educational series of materials available for the asking. If something in the list below stimulates your interest, please contact us and we’ll gladly mail it to you.
01 - Houses on unstable clay (why there is so much cracking-interior or exterior)		02 - Facing the problems of Expansive Clays, I (foundations that are most vulnerable to swelling clay)
03 - Facing the problems of Expansive Clays, II (methods for moderate improvement)		04 - Facing the problems of Expansive Clays, III (the two best methods for improvement)
05 - Wet Crawlspaces (causes & symptoms, with or without standing water)		06 - Concealed Water Problems (hidden problems—probably not intentionally concealed)
07 - Footing stabilization: interior vs. ext. work (for cracked crawlspace walls—cross section details)		08 - Footing stabilization: deep systems vs. typical (for cracked crawlspace walls—cross section details)
09 - French Drains (why so many don’t work)		10 - Gravity drains for exterior system, but not interior (topography of lot may allow gravity drain for exterior system only)
11 - “To pump or not to pump” (why so many contractors offer pump systems unnecessarily)		12 - Pumps vs. gravity systems, Basements (advantages & disadvantages)
13 - Pumps vs. gravity system, Crawlspaces (advantages & disadvantages)		14 - Basements, follow up for interior systems (how to finish a basement after the installation of an interior system)
15 - Basements, floor water (rising from under the floor)		16 - Multi-level foundations (the challenges for drainage systems for these houses)
17 - Relative Humidity vs. Absolute Humidity (the difference between relative & absolute humidity—why it matters)		18 - Sill Plate Placement (how a house can strengthen the walls that are holding it up)
19 - Myths, Crawlspaces (some very common misconceptions)		20 - Myths, Basements (some very common misconceptions)
21 - ‘Shallow Attempts’ to dry crawlspaces (some unprofessional approaches that don’t work)		22 - In-Ground Guttering (tired of the non-ending battle to keep gutters clean? See our alternative)
23 - Waterproofing 4 walls vs. 2 walls (it’s sometimes just as economical to do all walls)		24 - Dehumidification vs. Ventilation (sometimes ventilation is actually detrimental)
25 - Waterproofing Failure on Sloped Footings (even properly installed systems can fail)		26 - Weep Holes for basement drainage (what is their purpose?)