Install Proper Gutters and Downspouts
What most homeowners don’t understand is that the largest waterproofing system in an American home is the roof, gutters and downspouts. So the first thing you must do is check out your home’s roof drainage system for cracks, holes or gaps in the seams or lining. You should also check for any blockages from leaves, twigs or other debris that may be “gumming up the works”.
Correct Any Ground Slope Problems
Your ground surrounding your foundation walls should always slope away for at least four to five feet using a minimum of 10 degrees or more. This ensures that any surface water running along the top will not pool around and seep into your basement.
Installing an Exterior Drainage System
This type of waterproofing system requires that the soil next to the external foundation walls be removed and a board or membrane and drainage pipe be installed against the walls. Then the area can be backfilled with topsoil, sand or pea gravel. Considered by many American waterproofing specialists to be one of the most effective methods for external problems, it also the most expensive.
Internal Drainage Channel Above the Concrete Floor
In this approach a drainage channel is installed in the inside of the basement at the base of the foundation wall on top of the floor. This method doesn’t truly solve your water infiltration problem but merely allows the water to be redirected from bottom of the walls into a floor drain or sump.
Internal Drainage Channel Level with the Concrete Floor
With this system you must remove the concrete flooring along the base of the foundation and install a channel drain system. The channel runs to drain pipe to goes to a sump or floor drain. If the foundation is built from cinder or masonry blocks, holes must be drilled into the cores in order for the blocks to drain completely. Like the American waterproofing method in approach # 4, this method doesn’t completely dry out the basement.
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