SOME NOT SO OBVIOUS WAYS WATER CAN GET INTO YOUR BASEMENT

“I’ve got water! Yikes! But I don’t see any cracks. What the heck is going on?”

We hear this plea all the time. Sometimes the cause of your leaky basement foundation is a little trickier to diagnose.

Following are three examples:

Vertical Cracks

Vertical cracks are one of the most common ways water can enter through a concrete wall.

Form ties, also known as snap ties, are metal anchors used to hold concrete forms together while concrete is poured and curing.

These ties are left in the foundation wall after the forms are removed. They tend to rust out over time. Once this happens, you’re left with a hole in your foundation wall as seen here.

Man-made Leaks

Another way water can enter your basement are man-made water drainage features.

This is a typical garage floor drainpipe that has been cored through a foundation wall.

Ground settlement, and the fact builders often do not seal or waterproof pipes coming through the foundation wall on the garage side, results in water finding its way under the garage slab.

In this case, the homeowner had to vacuum over 150 gallons of water out of his basement during the last rainfall. Unreal!

Abandoned Pipe Penetrations

Here’s another way water can enter your basement.

Abandoned gas lines and pipe penetrations are a common source of leakage issues.

Sealing them from the interior is a band aid solution at best and will inevitably fail again, requiring another and potentially more costly fix.

Do you have a water problem in your basement that stumps you? Protect what matters most – Call Shield Foundation Repair today at 780 760 4900. We’ll figure it out and fix the problem the right way.