Basic Repair Guidelines for Homeowners Groundwater Control Part 2

This article is the fourth installment of the Foundation Guidelines for Homeowners series. The first three articles included information on structural repair, plant analysis, foundation repair proposals, foundation damage prevention, and basement leaks. The first part of this article discussed the importance of groundwater management, not only as essential to a complete basic repair plan, but as a proactive approach to preventing foundation damage and basement filtration. Groundwater Management Part 2 discusses passive groundwater management strategies and repair solutions to revive or eliminate excess hydrostatic pressure present at its base.

The best way to correct water filtration, moisture problems, and in some cases to prevent the need to repair the base is to eliminate or control the source of the problem in addition to repairing the base. As mentioned earlier in my last article, the lack of adequate drainage causes the accumulation of water around your basement, leading to hydrostatic pressure on the walls. Hydrostatic pressure can cause damage to the foundations, allowing the foundation walls to crack, deflect inward, settle vertically and allow water infiltration into the basement or home room. Common examples of basement filtration problems are cracks in the foundations, cracks in the floor of the plate, leaks in the straps and pipe penetrations.

A large number of foundation foundation repair and basement waterproofing issues can be controlled by properly managing rainwater and surface drainage to divert water away from the foundation. Even when repairing cracks in the foundations, underground drainage systems and cutting off steel springs is necessary, removing or controlling the water at the source is necessary.

The most basic solutions for relieving groundwater pressure include redirecting surface water away from the structure. There are several methods that can be used to control groundwater depending on current conditions at the site. The groundwater management systems discussed in this article mainly focus on the maintenance of existing drainage systems.

Gutter maintenance and drainage:

Maintaining your existing gutters and downspout system is an important step in managing groundwater. The clogged gutters will float, causing rainwater and roof runoff to fall freely one or two floors to the ground surrounding the base. Water seeping into the soil near the foundation of your home is undesirable as it is likely to erode the soil and landfill and create excessive hydrostatic pressure. In addition, the water seeping into the soil can lead to precipitation caused by variations in soil moisture content.

The most common recommendation for gutter maintenance is that the gutters are free of dirt (leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc.) three to four times a year with changing seasons. Once the cleaners are ready, make sure that the downstream extensions direct the runoff from the roof at least 5 feet beyond the foundation and that the discharged water moves away, not to the house.

The roofs collect a large amount of water; In fact, the average 2,045-square-foot roof will collect 1,275 gallons of water in a 1-inch rain. It is important to extend downspouts outside your home to avoid future damage to the foundation and keep the basement or crawl space dry. Directing water to a positive degree away from the base reduces the amount of water that can seep through the soil adjacent to the base walls where it can exert hydrostatic pressure.

Sloped concrete and pavement surfaces:

One cause of foundation damage that is often overlooked is the deposition of paved surfaces, such as concrete, asphalt and brick. Concrete slabs crack or sink mainly due to poor soil preparation or washing of the material that originally supported the slab. When concrete or paved surfaces settle, the result is often insufficient water that runs to the foundation of the house. Once the water is broken, it penetrates the plate more easily and freezing and thawing of this water speeds up the possibility of damaging the base.

There are several options for repairing concrete slabs that lean against the foundation.