If you have ever had to deal with water in your basement, you probably know what a pain it can be. Not only are floods possible, but particularly rainy seasons, new roads, or just poor drainage can cause your basement to spring leaks. When your thinking about waterproofing your basement, its always better to be safe than sorry. Take the steps necessary to keep the water out before it gets inside and you will save yourself alot of grief.

Waterproofing Options

There are alot of different options nowadays when it comes to waterproofing basements. The strategies you may use of course depends on your local weather conditions, your water table, and your general environment. Of course the best way to ensure a waterproof basement is to plan ahead when you are building or buying your home. The way you layout of your home and your property can make a huge difference. If you build up on the top of a hill, or at least on flat ground, you have a much better chance to avoid basement flooding. Even in areas with heavy rains or generally wet ground, it can keep a basement completely waterproof.

Use a Sump Pump

Oftentimes however, building a brand new home or relocating it are just not an option. One of the best waterproof basement tricks that I know of is to put a gap between the basement floor and the sides of the foundation. Any water that leaks through the foundation as the house gets older and starts to settle, can be channeled below into sump pump. A sump pump can be an excellent way to keep the water away. Of course, keeping a waterproof basement means that you keep your sump pump in good working order. You can never be too careful about this. Often, it makes sense to have a backup sump pump installed just in case.

After finishing my basement, about 2 months later, we started to get water. We had carpets, electicity, televisions, everything down there. A large crack developed and during a season with heavy rains, it was completely ruined. I spend many an hour down in the basement with a shop vac and brooms trying to get the water out. A company came in and tried to fill the cracks while they were constantly trickling water and met with limited success. It was definately a good idea to bring in experts at this point however, as I could never have done this on my own.

Start From the Outside

A lot of people start off on the inside when they’re trying to set up a waterproof basement. This is just one part of your basement waterproofing strategy. Although having well sealed floors and walls is important for waterproofing your basement, it is not the only thing. The best place to begin is by inspecting the structure. Are the rain gutters adequate? Are the walls solid? Is the foundation intact? Patching up these kinds of errors in time can save you a huge amount of expense and inconvenience. After that, you want to seal up your floor with professional sealant, as well as repair the large cracks in your interior walls. It makes a difference, but it isn’t the most important factor in maintaining a waterproof basement. Always consider the outside of your house as your main line of defense, and bring in an expert to give you their opinion.