Monday, July 2, 2012

Basements Construction and Solutions

By Roger Frost


A basement is an area below the first floor with a minimum height of 6 feet 8 inches. Basements may be unfinished or finished, and used to store personal belongings, and the homes mechanical systems such as the HVAC system, electrical panel, and main plumbing controls. Newer home basements are typically constructed using poured concrete and portable forms.

Basements are typically the area of a structure most at risk for water damage because they are located below grade and surrounded by soil. Soil releases water it has absorbed during rain or when snow melts, and the water can end up in the basement through leaks or cracks.

Your roof collects a lot of water which is then discharged via your homes downspouts. This is a common source of water for basement leaks. Install and maintain gutters and downspouts so that they route all rainwater and snow melt far enough away from the foundation of the building to ensure that pooling does not occur near the walls of the structure. At least 10 feet from the building is best, and at the point where water leaves the downspout, it should be able to flow freely away from the foundation instead of back toward it, and should not be collecting in pools.

Foundation weeping tiles are actually not tiles but 6 inch diameter plastic pipe with small holes in it. Weeping tile pipe is placed against and level to the bottom of the foundation footing. Once the weeping tile pipe is completely installed, coarse gravel is placed on top and level with the top of the footing.

Newer homes have a Dimple Wrap installed against the foundation wall. This allows water to quickly drain down foundation to weeping tile, minimising contact with foundation wall and preventing any hydraulic water pressure to build up. The rest of the area is filled with backfill up to ground level. When rain water seeps down into the ground, the weeping tile pipe allows this water to drain off safely, keeping basements from leaking or flooding.

Sump pumps are usually electric and battery backups are common in homes which have high water tables. The two most common types of sump pump are the standup type and submersible sump pump. A sump pump is a pump placed in the basement of a home used to pump water from the basement to the outside or drain into the home's drainage system. Sump pumps usually work in conjunction with a sump pit, which is a hole dug in the basement of a house which collects water during a rainstorm. The pump then pumps the water out of that sump pit.. A sump pump is usually necessary either in cases where the home's basement is below the water table level, and or when the home is located in a place where flooding is common.




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