How To Repair A Basement Leak
How To Repair A Basement Leak
These days water leakages in the basement have become common. Homeowners are quite perturbed by these leakages. They occur when the basement wall cracks up. Water leakage can ruin your furniture and other expensive possessions kept in the basement, such as electronic equipment. Therefore, it is very essential to discover the cracks in the basement walls and cover them as soon as possible.
Heavy rains can cause groundwater to accumulate. Due to prolonged exposure to high levels of groundwater, poorly installed or bad quality of footer tiles, and weak basement pipes, concrete shrinks in the basement. As a result, cracks can appear in the basement, resulting in water leakage. Cracks can also appear as a result of hasty and poor construction of the house.
In order to save time, carpenters can leave a lot of loopholes in the construction of the house, resulting in incomplete windows in the basement, which can easily admit water during heavy rains. Sometimes, house settling can also weaken the foundations of the house, leading to cracks. The appearance of mold on the walls of your basement is the first sign of water leakage in your home. A home owner should then immediately take steps to prevent any further water leakage in the basement.
Materials Required
Hydrophobic liquid polyurethane: This is the best and one of the most frequently used methods of repairing a basement crack. Polyurethane expands up to 30 times to form foam under the impact of water. This foam dries and strengthens into a cell structure that prevents water from entering the basement. Polyurethane is a very light substance with less viscosity, and it can easily permeate the deepest of cracks. Therefore, it is used for all kinds of basement repair jobs. Polyurethane is an excellent water-proofing substance, and lasts effectively for as long as 10 to 15 years. In some exceptional instances, polyurethane has lasted up to 50 years also.
Crack seal glue and peel-off port.
Cartridges.
Instructions
Clean up your basement. Eliminate all the environmental toxins like algae. It is very essential to have an uncontaminated basement for the proper application of the polyurethane.
Clean and cover all the cracks with crack-seal glue and peel-off ports.
Use cartridges to inject the polyurethane into the crack.
Allow some time for the polyurethane to mix with water and solidify.
Remove the peel-off ports and crack-seal glue after the polyurethane has completely formed a mass and filled up all the deepest voids.
You can also take the help of a technician or a professional.
Tips and Warnings
Remember not to drill the cracks as this will lead to more leakage. It is prudent to repair the basement cracks before they can lead to serious damage to your property. Such damage is easily avoidable by taking timely action to repair basement cracks. You can also order a cheap and easy-to-use water-proofing kit online.