Basements provide homeowners a number of options that can add to the value of a home: family room, extra bedroom, office space, storage or even a separate apartment.
But because basements are, well, in the basement, they are also prone to water damage that can ruin carpet, drywall and furnishings. So it’s wise to be aware of potential water problems before they wind up costing you money.
Jeff Sloss is co-owner of Basement Flood Protectors Inc., a Lake Zurich company that specializes in solving flooding problems. Before authorizing any work, Sloss advises homeowners to determine the cause of the problem.
“There’s a difference between flooding or seepage from drain water and a sewer back-up,” he says. “People living in the city often have a combined water-and-sewer system, whereas in the suburbs, they’re separate.”
Modern tract homes with basements typically have drain tile, which is required by building codes. Tile is pitched in such a way that water is directed to a pit where pumps can take it up and away from the house.
Older homes lack such tile and may be more suspect to leaking or flooding. There are a couple of solutions.
“In new construction, a drain tile system is generally installed along both the interior and exterior walls,” said George Matson, who works for Allied Concrete Repair in Plainfield. “Although it’s cheaper to install before concrete is poured, older homes can have tile put in along the interior wall of the house.”
Matson said the process involves cutting out a portion of the floor and trenching an area 18 inches wide from the outer wall and into the basement area so that drain tile can be installed.
“The footing has to be exposed and then we dig down about four-to-six inches below that,” Matson said. “After the tile is installed, the area is back-filled, and the concrete is re-poured to seal the area.”
Matson says installation of the system runs about $30-$35 per linear foot. The average job, he says, usually runs about $3,500.
Sloss says to watch for water seepage at the “cove,” the point where the walls meet the floor.
“If there are cracks in the foundation and water is getting in, that can be repaired,” Sloss said. “When water is coming through cracks in the floor or the cove, there’s usually water pressure there that needs to be released.”
You can relieve the pressure by having a sump (a pit) installed with a perforated basin that Sloss said will cost around $800. Another alternative is to have your yard regraded or re-landscaped.
Another outside-the-house option can help alleviate standing water caused by a lack of well-defined natural dips or hollows in your yard. “People can have what’s called `curtain-drain intercepts’ dug out in their yard,” Matson said. “A horseshoe-shaped pattern is dug out depending on whether water drains in the front or back yard.”
The cost for this procedure, which directs the flow of the water away from the house, is around $20 per linear foot.
Dan Doyle, owner of Ray’s Heating and Plumbing in Schaumburg, says another option is to have the sump pump ejector hose buried outside the house and fed into four-inch perforated drain tile that has been installed with stone, which channels water away.
“The only problem is people forgetting to disconnect the hose from the house in the winter. Because some of the hose isn’t buried below the frost line, it can freeze and back up,” Doyle says.
There are also less expensive, noninvasive techniques that homeowners shouldn’t ignore.
“The basic idea is to direct as much water away from the foundation as possible,” Matson said. “A landscaping plan that promotes what’s called `positive drainage’ has a lot to do with how successful you’ll be in doing that.”
Some suggestions:
– Avoid using stone or gravel as a fill-in around your house. Matson recommends using clay or black dirt as a fill with a cedar mulch on top.
– Extend drain pipe and downspouts farther away from the foundation of your home.
– Avoid over-watering new plants and sod. “Most contractors will guarantee you a dry basement, but in any subdivision, about five to ten percent of them will leak,” Matson says. “People putting in new sod often find out in a hurry if they have leaks.”
Joe Pavone of Bradford and Kent General Contractors in Downers Grove says polyurethane injections in basement walls where tie rods were removed usually solve new construction seepage problems.
– Sump pumps:
Most basements are kept dry using sump pumps, which carry excess ground water away from the foundation. In new homes, they’re factory-installed equipment, but for that reason, they’re often ignored until it’s too late.
“There’s no way to predict how long a pump will last,” says Kim Aiken, assistant manager of EG Home Center in Carol Stream. “The two most common problems are a float that’s sticking or a switch that goes bad and the motor burns out.”
“If you get six or seven years out of a pump, you’re doing pretty well,” says Steve Jonas, who also sells plumbing equipment for EG Home Center. “A lot of it depends on the area where you live and your own water table.”
Back-up pumps are a good idea in case you lose power. Aiken says to make sure you buy at least 1/3- to 1/2-horsepower pumps, which have an adequate gallons-per-minute discharge rate.
Doyle cautions that pumps operating on water pressure alone might not meet local codes, so be sure to check with your building department.
Pumps are available in both cast iron and plastic bases. Sloss said the plastic base is cheaper (around $20 less) and won’t corrode .
Beyond a good drainage system and a good pump, it’s a good idea to keep a wet/dry vacuum on hand. Tests conducted by Consumer Reports showed that most wet/dry machines actually picked up water better than dry material.
