Hydrostatic Pressure
Do you dread the patter of rain on the ground? If your basement turns into a swimming pool every time it rains, your mood may get dark when the sky begins to get cloudy. No one can blame you. Dealing with the wet basement can be tough.
How The Water Is Getting In
You may have combed your basement looking for the cracks that are letting the water in and failed to come across any. At this point, frustration will begin to set in. Before you throw in the towel and resign yourself to a lifetime of flooded basements, you should try to understand the role that hydrostatic pressure plays in the flooding of your basement.
When water is absorbed by the ground, it collects in the soil. A water column is formed in the soil. This can exert pressure on the foundation of a building. If the water column is high (e.g. when it rains heavily) the water column will exert a lot of pressure on the foundation walls.
The water in the soil will look for a way to escape. This is often through any spaces in your foundation. These spaces don’t have to be large. They can be hairline cracks or even the pores in the blocks that make up your foundation. This results in the flooding of your basement.
How to Deal with Hydrostatic Pressure
The best way to deal with this situation is to give the water an alternative route to follow. This can be done by installing drain tile. Drain tile consists of a perforated PVC pipe that is laid in a trench. Water moves through the soil and trickles into the pipe through the perforations. The water is then guided to a drain or well where it can be pumped out.
Drain tile relieves the pressure on your foundation. It not only prevents further flooding in the basement but also prevents the basement walls from bowing under the pressure.
Other Things You Can Do
There are various other things you can do to prevent hydrostatic pressure from building up against the walls of your foundation including:
- Proper grading of your landscape. The landscape should slope away from the foundation. This will prevent water from collecting near the foundation walls.
- Cleaning down spouts and gutters. This will prevent water from collecting and draining near the foundation of the home.
- Lengthening downspouts. This will prevent water from being deposited near the foundation.
Be sure to talk to a professional contractor when your basement floods. Don’t ignore it. It won’t go away.
Rob VanSuilichem
Serving Michigan homeowners for over 32 years, Everdry is one of the Nation’s largest and most experienced waterproofer. Locally owned, operated and staffed, Everdry professionals take a personal one-on-one approach in educating homeowners so they truly understand all their options for creating a safe, dry, healthy and usable space in their basements.
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The aforementioned memberships are important because we benefit from the constant exchange of information and knowledge. We are updated on everything from installation techniques, to customer service improvements. You benefit in the knowledge that these third party inspection agencies require us to meet stringent requirements to remain members in good standing.
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