Poor yard drainage is not just bothersome; it could kill your vegetation and grass, destroying your landscape designs. In addition to being an eyesore and a nuisance generally, and perhaps, making your yard unusable, standing water may possibly be a health peril, attracting disease-carrying mosquitoes and pests, and even unwanted creatures including snakes. Standing water can also lead to the growth of mold and mildew.
Poor yard drainage particularly at the perimeter of your foundation could also contribute to or contribute to many cases of foundation damages. Damage to the concrete, settlement and mold are some of the potential issues that develop from yards and buildings with poor drainage.
An uncomplicated way of directing water away from your foundation to lessen or avoid foundation damage is via grading. Here, a slope channels water away from the building, helping maintain the perimeter of the foundation dry. Irrigation sprinklers ought to be aimed clear of foundation walls.
Drainage equipment most notably functional gutters and downspouts are some of the well-known ways to direct water away from the building foundation. Installing area drains, catch basins or trench drains may also be simple and inexpensive ways to address your surface drainage issues.
French drains are employed to get, collect and redirect underground water from the places which would be affected by the presence of water. French drains may also be used behind retaining walls to alleviate ground water pressure.
A sump pump may well be the homeowners' first line of defense against water accumulation.The pumps are available in two primary styles: upright, commonly called pedestal, and submersible.
Either form of pump requires to have a check valve on the water outlet pipe so the water doesn't flow back into the sump whenever the pump turns off. Water flowing back into the sump from the discharge pipe can result in the pump to turn on and off more often than required, which could result in the pump to wear out sooner. It is essential that the sump pump be properly sized in order to avoid "short-cycling" or early pump breakdown.
Do you need advice on which drainage technique to employ for your yard? Visit: yard drainage
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Basement Water Proofing: Why Basements Should be Kept Dry
If your home has a subsoil basement, then you'll need to be serious about basement water proofing. Basement waterproofing pertains to preventing water from going through into your basement area.
Basement water proofing has to be prepared during home construction. Even so, there are plenty of instances where water proofing methods utilized during the home construction turned out to be inadequate, specially for intense weather conditions, or has simply deteriorated as time passes.
Many reasons exist for why a leaky basement should really be dealt with right away. The following are some of those reasons:
Basement water proofing has to be prepared during home construction. Even so, there are plenty of instances where water proofing methods utilized during the home construction turned out to be inadequate, specially for intense weather conditions, or has simply deteriorated as time passes.
Many reasons exist for why a leaky basement should really be dealt with right away. The following are some of those reasons:
- A wet basement is a perfect location for fungus to develop. Since trapped moldy air in basements travel to higher living areas in structures, this could possibly lead to health issues to to you and family. Also, mildew in drywall is known to be hazardous. Rising musty air from the basement also adds humidity in your home.
- Rising musty air from your basement adds humidity throughout the house. Since it takes more energy to heat damp air, a wet basement and a humid house cost more to heat.
- A wet basement can ruin furnishings, making your basement not fit as a living area or for storage, that makes it useless.
- A leaking basement lessens your property’s worth. With so many homes available for purchase, selling real estate with a leaky basement would be a disadvantage.
- Leaking in your basement damages your foundation. The longer water leaks remain uncontrolled, the greater deterioration it causes to your foundation. Greater damage also means greater repair expenses.
- In extraordinary instances where leakages causes a flooded basement, water could possibly get into electrical outlets that may trigger fires or electrical shocks.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Yard Drainage: What to Consider
Retaining proper yard drainage within the edge of your foundation can lessen or even steer clear of many cases of foundation problems.
If you happen to be one of several unfortunate 60 percent of homeowners that have some type of water problems in their backyard, you have two choices: sell your property and buy one of the houses from the other 40 percent, or roll up your sleeves and address it.
The majority of wet yards can be drained successfully. It's rare to get unsolvable water troubles like a low water table that drives water up from below. For anybody who is in this particular sorry predicament, seek the advice of an expert. This is very difficult to correct if you don't use a sump pump including an area to dispose of all that water.
There are many do-it-yourself solutions for yard drainage concerns but before you begin digging there are two things you need to consider:
Origin of Water Problem
Quite often, it's pretty obvious in which the water is originating from. Generally there exists a slope approaching the house, a depression within the yard that causes pooling, or too much roof water draining near the foundation. You can manage minor foundation drainage issues by making sure the soil slopes away from the home. Additionally, effectively set up gutters, having a well-directed downspout that empties clear of the foundation, is often very efficient. If you have tried out those alternatives yet still need to have assistance, get professional help.
Utility Lines
Just like any yard project that will require digging, you need to locate where buried electrical, telephone and TV cables and gas piping are located. Simply call the local utilities. The location of underground cables and pipes is going to influence the routing of your water flow strategy. You might like to think of a substitute route or have the utility shut off until the project is done.
Do you require help with your yard drainage troubles? Contact a professional contractor right now!
If you happen to be one of several unfortunate 60 percent of homeowners that have some type of water problems in their backyard, you have two choices: sell your property and buy one of the houses from the other 40 percent, or roll up your sleeves and address it.
The majority of wet yards can be drained successfully. It's rare to get unsolvable water troubles like a low water table that drives water up from below. For anybody who is in this particular sorry predicament, seek the advice of an expert. This is very difficult to correct if you don't use a sump pump including an area to dispose of all that water.
There are many do-it-yourself solutions for yard drainage concerns but before you begin digging there are two things you need to consider:
Origin of Water Problem
Quite often, it's pretty obvious in which the water is originating from. Generally there exists a slope approaching the house, a depression within the yard that causes pooling, or too much roof water draining near the foundation. You can manage minor foundation drainage issues by making sure the soil slopes away from the home. Additionally, effectively set up gutters, having a well-directed downspout that empties clear of the foundation, is often very efficient. If you have tried out those alternatives yet still need to have assistance, get professional help.
Utility Lines
Just like any yard project that will require digging, you need to locate where buried electrical, telephone and TV cables and gas piping are located. Simply call the local utilities. The location of underground cables and pipes is going to influence the routing of your water flow strategy. You might like to think of a substitute route or have the utility shut off until the project is done.
Do you require help with your yard drainage troubles? Contact a professional contractor right now!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Basement Water Proofing - Common Methods for Basement Water Proofing
Basement water proofing is the term for ways used to eliminate water from moving into the basement of a residence or any other building. Waterproofing becomes necessary when a structure is constructed at ground level or below ground. Waterproofing as well as waterflow and drainage considerations are particularly needed in cases where ground water will probably build up in the soil and raise the water table. As a result, hydrostatic pressure forces water in through cracks in foundation walls, through openings caused by expansion and contraction of the footing-foundation wall joint and up through floor fractures. Hydrostatic pressure can result in serious structural damage to foundation walls and is likely to contribute to mildew, corrosion and other water related problems.
Here are a few measures developed for basement water proofing:
Interior Sealants
In poured concrete foundations, cracks and pipe penetrations could be the most common entry points for seepage. Most of these openings can be immediately sealed from the inside. Epoxies or urethanes are pressure injected in the openings, penetrating the foundation right through to the exterior, in doing so cutting of the route of the seepage. Most of these repairs can last for long periods. Numerous contractors give 10 year to lifetime warranties on these repairs.
In masonry foundations, interior sealers won't deliver fixed defense against water infiltration in which hydrostatic pressure exists. Interior sealers are good for controlling high atmospheric humidity inside basement, from soaking up into the permeable brickwork as well as eliminate spalling. Spalling is a condition in which continuous high humidity or moisture wear out masonry surface types causing damage and even shedding off of the concrete materials.
If the foundation is made of cement blocks, an interior drain tile technique, mentioned below, can capture the water coming into the block system and drain the water into a sump. Frequently, weep holes are drilled on the lowest length of block, allowing for the water drainage to occur. This technique can provide a dry and moisture free basement for a long time.
Interior water drainage
Although interior water drainage is not really waterproofing, it is a widely approved technique in mitigating basement water as well as being often termed as a basement waterproofing choice. Various interior waterflow and drainage systems are patented and also recognized by B.O.C.A (Building Officials and Code Administrators)to be good at handling basement water. They function by emptying below ground water from beside the foundation footers and beneath the basement floor. Then they channel it with a French drain, PVC pipe, or by using a patented product towards a sump pump system, which will subsequently push the water from the basement. Foundation sump pumps is usually installed by do-it-yourself kits, plumber installations, or by a experienced waterproofing contractors and generally come in plastic and cast-iron types.
Interior basement waterproofing systems should be ready to operate in the case of a electricity outage, the breakdown of a sump pump, plus in the face of overwhelming heavy rainwater. A proper sump pump, backup sump and/or battery backup sump pump needs to be set up in a substantial sump pit with an airtight lid for basic safety and also to retain humidity from seeping through to the basement environment, where it can encourage mildew and mold increase. This airtight process may also lower the risk of dangerous radon gases for moving into the living area.
Exterior Waterproofing
Exterior waterproofing prevents water from moving into foundation surfaces as a result avoiding the wicking and molding of building materials. Waterproofing a structure on the outside is the only technique the IBC (International Building Code) recognizes as appropriate to prevent structural deterioration due to water breach. Before the 1980s, a great deal of the initial exterior waterproofing was really damp-proofing utilizing a degradable asphalt-based covering.
Here are a few measures developed for basement water proofing:
Interior Sealants
In poured concrete foundations, cracks and pipe penetrations could be the most common entry points for seepage. Most of these openings can be immediately sealed from the inside. Epoxies or urethanes are pressure injected in the openings, penetrating the foundation right through to the exterior, in doing so cutting of the route of the seepage. Most of these repairs can last for long periods. Numerous contractors give 10 year to lifetime warranties on these repairs.
In masonry foundations, interior sealers won't deliver fixed defense against water infiltration in which hydrostatic pressure exists. Interior sealers are good for controlling high atmospheric humidity inside basement, from soaking up into the permeable brickwork as well as eliminate spalling. Spalling is a condition in which continuous high humidity or moisture wear out masonry surface types causing damage and even shedding off of the concrete materials.
If the foundation is made of cement blocks, an interior drain tile technique, mentioned below, can capture the water coming into the block system and drain the water into a sump. Frequently, weep holes are drilled on the lowest length of block, allowing for the water drainage to occur. This technique can provide a dry and moisture free basement for a long time.
Interior water drainage
Although interior water drainage is not really waterproofing, it is a widely approved technique in mitigating basement water as well as being often termed as a basement waterproofing choice. Various interior waterflow and drainage systems are patented and also recognized by B.O.C.A (Building Officials and Code Administrators)to be good at handling basement water. They function by emptying below ground water from beside the foundation footers and beneath the basement floor. Then they channel it with a French drain, PVC pipe, or by using a patented product towards a sump pump system, which will subsequently push the water from the basement. Foundation sump pumps is usually installed by do-it-yourself kits, plumber installations, or by a experienced waterproofing contractors and generally come in plastic and cast-iron types.
Interior basement waterproofing systems should be ready to operate in the case of a electricity outage, the breakdown of a sump pump, plus in the face of overwhelming heavy rainwater. A proper sump pump, backup sump and/or battery backup sump pump needs to be set up in a substantial sump pit with an airtight lid for basic safety and also to retain humidity from seeping through to the basement environment, where it can encourage mildew and mold increase. This airtight process may also lower the risk of dangerous radon gases for moving into the living area.
Exterior Waterproofing
Exterior waterproofing prevents water from moving into foundation surfaces as a result avoiding the wicking and molding of building materials. Waterproofing a structure on the outside is the only technique the IBC (International Building Code) recognizes as appropriate to prevent structural deterioration due to water breach. Before the 1980s, a great deal of the initial exterior waterproofing was really damp-proofing utilizing a degradable asphalt-based covering.
For more information on how to get a dry basement, visit: basement water proofing
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