Apex Waterproofing -Causes for Wet Basements - Serving N. Virgina and Washington DC

call us (800) 656-4604

Serving NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
MARYLAND, D.C. Metro area

basement waterproofing A angieslist rating

They finished the job and had the job site cleaned up in less than a day. My wife and I were amazed!

A prospective customer was recently asked, "What do you think is causing the problem?" He paused for a moment, looked up to the right, then replied, "Water!"

He then asked, "What's the solution?" at which I replied, "Move to a high-rise!"

It is unfortunate that every home in Virginia, at some point, will have a wet basement. It may take 2 years, 20 years, even 50 to 100 years, but regardless of when it happens, understanding the causes will allow you to understand the solutions.

"Basements are not designed to be waterproof..." Iowa State University, "Building Basements in Wet Locations" March 1994.

DISCLAIMER: This quote from an engineer does not apply to homes that are custom built by a great contractor who understands foundation engineering and waterproofing science, and then spends the money to install a system that will keep the basement dry for 100 years. We are such a company! And have the knowhow and experience to waterproof foundations and basements!

Northern Virginia Basement Waterproofing
Serving Northern Virginia
Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Reston, Springfield

Ways Water Enters Your Basement

Here we have an image of a basement with common moisture problems. In the diagram, the wall depicted on the left is a concrete block wall made of block, brick, or stone. The wall illustrated on the right is a poured (cast-in-place) or pre-cast concrete wall, easily identified because it is solid as opposed to hollow core 8"X 12" blocks, bonded together with mortar joints or seams. This image illustrates the various ways that water can enter your basement, which are:

Through the wall:

foundation wall crack - simple or structural
tie rod
mortar joint
concrete block (concrete blocks are not only hollow, they are porous and water accumulates inside the cores)
tie rod (the metal pieces which originally held the forms together when the wall was poured or cast in place)
window wells
porous concrete
pipe penetration - around and through pipes, which enter your basement through the wall (gas, sewage, water, cable, etc.)
doorways, stairwells

Through the floor:

cove, the joining or joint of the wall and the floor
floor crack
sump pit or well, which occurs when the sump pump fails
floor drain, which can occur when the storm drain system backs up, or the floor drain has failed due to clogging
pipe penetration - around and through pipes which enter your basement through the floor

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