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Poor Drainage

(Figure 1)
This could happen to your home if water is allowed to run toward the structure. It can cause minor to major structural damage.

You will begin to see drywall cracking, door’s sticking, cracks around the bottom corners of windows and cracks above archways or door openings. If your basement is finished it is much harder to notice this problem early. The basement floor heaves, causing the framing to lift the interior walks if there is not a framing void installed when the basement was finished. If there is a 1 ½ inch framing void it will soon close up and the same will happen if the basement floor leaves more than 1 ½ inches.

Drainage System for Interior and Exterior
(Figure 2) Exterior drainage is very important to minimize the chance of water causing the soil to swell and initiate damage to the structure. Proper grading is needed and in some cases a special drain system installed to drain water from the property. Improper landscaping can be disastrous to the structure. In some situations an interior perimeter drain system and sump pump must be installed to eliminate water under or above concrete slabs which will cause structural damage.
 
(Figure 4) Rusted Floor Drain - Above
The bottom half of this drain trap was rusted away due to water under the basement concrete slab which was not visible until the floor was removed.
(Figure 6) - Above
We have installed many drain lines from downspouts where the property is flat. This only works if there is a hill or lower area on the property for the water to drain to.

(Figure 8) - Above
If you have a retaining wall or basement wall that is leaking water or is cracking you may be heading for serious problems in the future.

Water coming through the wall over time may rust the rebar which can cause structural weakness and the wall to fail. Cracks in a foundation wall are either caused by lateral pressure, uplift by expansive soil, or by soil that settles. In some cases a foundation or retaining wall may have to have helical tie backs installed to resist the lateral pressure to prevent wall collapse

(Figure 3) Water Under Basement Floor- Above
Water rose to the top of the concrete floor when this hole was made in the concrete basement floor.

When excess water is found as shown in figure #3 it is necessary to install an interior drain system with a sump pump and pit. We install a specially designed system which not only keeps the water off the floor, but drains the water trapped behind the foundation wall. Using the system Alltypes Concrete & Construction, Inc., designs for each structure will be very important if your electrical power goes out for several minuets to several hours as it will hold several gallons of water before the water would rise onto the basement floor. This system also lowers the water table under your basement slab, helping protect your cast iron plumbing if your home is an older home. More recent homes usually use ABS plumbing pipes under the basement floor. This system also helps lower the humidity in the basement area where most people store items. It helps keep mold down as well as rusting.(See figure #4 and #5 for more detail)
 
 
(Figure 5) Basement I Beam Support Posts - Above
These Ibeam support posts were replaced due to water under the basement floor causing them to rust off. This problem was not visible until the concrete floor was removed exposing the bottom of the posts.
(Figure 7) - Above
Many times we waterproof a foundation wall from the inside with a special product that has the appearance of cement. This is very efficient if the outside water proofing on older homes has deteriorated. Many times wall ties that were used when forming the foundation will rust out and let water penetrate through the wall. These ties were used in most cases every 1 to 3 feet depending on the contractor’s type of forms.

 

 

Please contact Alltypes Concrete & Construction, Inc. if you have additional questions regarding Engineering or repairs.