ASHWORTH DRAINAGE BLOG
Weeping tiles are pipes that run around the perimeter of the foundation or inside the basement to help water flow away from these parts. Many older homes also include interior weeping tiles; they are often included in unfinished basements in trenches and work if the exterior tile has failed.
One of the most common ways they fail is through clogs. Yes, they can get clogged, and it can have a huge impact on your entire basement. How does this happen?
Foundation walls that are under pressure and buckling inwards can severely impact the rest of your home. Floors can slope, windows and doors will lean, and cracks can form around seals and on the upper floors. Even a slight lean can cause major problems!
When you notice a foundation wall showing the signs of cracking, leaning inward, and bending under pressure, a wall anchor may be necessary to solve the problem before it gets worse. It stabilizes the wall to straighten the foundation without a lot of disruption or costly, more invasive repairs.
The grading around a foundation is the level of the ground. This is one of the main factors for where rain and snowmelt will flow. You’ll want the grade to slope away from the foundation, and you’ll want to make sure it’s good when springtime comes.
Luckily, checking property grading is something you can do yourself! Use this checklist when the weather heats up to make sure your foundation is covered.
When it comes to keeping your foundation dry, gutters and downspouts are unsung heroes. Gutters channel the water off your roof while downspouts funnel it away from your home, but other than an occasional cleaning, it’s easy to forget about them!
When your basement floods, you don’t have to fix it alone. Many municipal governments have programs designed to help homeowners with flooded basements, and this includes the City of London! But the biggest job they have is keeping larger drainage systems working, and this starts with the sewers.
The rise in energy bills during the winter can have many homeowners rethinking their heating. One area to cut is an unfinished basement – after all, you’re not using it! Should you be heating your basement, even if it’s not a living space?
For comfort reasons, it’s often a good idea to heat your basement. But first, make sure you have proper insulation and drainage measures in place!
Insurance can give you peace of mind in case something bad happens to your home. This peace only comes if the insurance actually pays out what you’re owed. Are you sure that your policy will come through when your basement floods?
Most home insurance policies don’t include flood insurance at all unless you specifically have the coverage added in your agreement. Even then, there are usually limits to what they pay. Here’s why you should look closely at your policy – and maybe add some extra coverage to your foundation yourself!
Does your basement feel musty, damp, and are puddles forming on the floor? The cause is often water seeping directly through the concrete foundation. While it looks impermeable, concrete is very porous and can let water in even if there are no other weaknesses. One way to prevent this is to paint the walls with waterproofing paint!
A word of caution: waterproofing paint doesn’t repair cracks or solve drainage issues around your foundation. Think of it as the icing on the foundation repair cake!
Uneven or sloped flooring is rarely a sign that there’s just a problem with the floor. It’s a better indication that settling or shifting of the foundation is going on beneath the flooring. If you notice a slope developing, your first call should be to a foundation expert! (more…)