How to protect the foundation of a house from the effects of groundwater?
Installing a high-quality drainage system is the best protection against the effects of groundwater. This system minimizes groundwater contact with the foundation.
The strength of concrete only increases over time. The service life of the foundation will be long if it is possible to prevent the destructive effect of groundwater. Poor quality work on the construction of the drainage system threatens with the destruction of the structure of the base of the house and deformation of the building structure. This work should be done by professionals.
There are different ways to construct a drainage system. Let's describe some of them.
The first method is wall drainage. Such a system is economical and efficient, the main savings on earthworks. All work is carried out at the excavation stage. Wall drainage is a reliable prevention of groundwater impact on the foundation and basements. With this drainage method, drainage is carried out using perforated pipes into a special water intake. For areas where groundwater is high, a combination of drainage and glued waterproofing is recommended to increase efficiency.
An alternative to the wall method is trench drainage. This is a more effective way to waterproof your foundation. Drainage pipeslaid in special trenches around the perimeter of the building under construction. Laying pipes in trenches is carried out at a depth of at least half a meter from the bottom edge of the foundation. So underground waters put less pressure on the base of the house. The clay soil on the site can be called good luck. In this case, the layer of soil between the wall and the trench will better prevent the spread of water. This will reduce the pressure of groundwater on the foundation of the house. The recommended width of the indentation from the wall when digging a trench is about 3 meters.
For a free outflow of water, drainage pipes are laid with a slope. The depth of the pipes should be such that the soil on it does not freeze in winter.
A pre-planned drainage system is the key to the correct execution of the work. Work on the arrangement of the drainage system should be carried out before the start of the improvement of the site.