Jersey City, NJ | Select Basement Waterproofing

How to Mess Up a French Drain Installation | Jersey City, NJ

French Drain Installation

French drains are a wonderful solution to a wet basement problem. Based on an old invention designed to move water via gravity, they have been in use for nearly 200 years. So while they are a great solution to wet basement problems, they can (and often are) installed wrong, and fail to work as designed.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Because when a French drain is installed correctly, it can save your basement from drainage problems, and pretty much fix any wet basement problem that you have.

With that, here are some typical ways to screw up a French drain installation.

French drain big 5798f4f23df78c3276b3e569 150x150 How to Mess Up a French Drain Installation | Jersey City, NJ

Wrong Way Facing Holes

When installing your perforated piping, you face the holes upward instead of down, which is completely opposite to the point of a French drain. This error stops entry water from routing out of your home, and allows it to stagnate and sit idle. Always check that the holes or slots are pointed towards the ground so optimal drainage can take place.

Too Little Gravel Beneath

Gravel beneath your perforated pipe is as important to the process as the pipe itself. Because without adequate gravel, water does not drain. Too much dirt and not enough gravel stops up the holes and prevents water from removing itself from the situation. Always ensure that you are using the right amount of gravel for your French drain so that they work as intended.

Bad Pipe Slope

This part isn’t tricky, but for how a French drain functions, it’s perhaps the most important. If you fail at having enough slope (or fall) on the drain pipe routing water away from your home, you’re going to have a bad time. The pipe absolutely needs to drain downhill, far away from your home’s foundation. The last thing you want is to go through all that work just to find out that the water exiting your basement is just seeping back in a few hours later.

Installing a French drain is a great solution to a basement water problem. But when done incorrectly, can end up costing you more than just simply paying a professional from the start.

For more information on how we can help you, please contact us any time.

French drains

Did You Account for Radon Gas in the Design of Your French Drain

French Drain

When considering the design of a French drain, many home owners will be mostly concerned about its capacity to deal with the water problem in their basement. However, it is important to note that these systems are meant to deal with much more than just water problems.

Radon Gas

While water seepage is a serious problem in basements, it isn’t the worst thing you will face when it comes to the basement. Radon gas is even more dangerous than water damage or mold that result from water seepage problems.

Radon gas occurs in the soil. It can seep up through the soil and into the air of the basement. It can then be dispersed in the air within the home as a result of stack effect. It is a tasteless, colorless and odorless gas. It is therefore impossible to tell if your home is affected without professional inspection and testing.

Radon gas is considered dangerous because it is known to cause cancer. Studies show that it is the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers. Data from the National Academy of Sciences shows that there are over 21,000 deaths attributed to Radon exposure annually.

Keeping Radon Gas in the Ground

Radon gas is often difficult to deal with. It can seep through the natural gaps in the floor. It can also seep through vapor barriers. Homes are often at risk without even knowing it.

It is especially important to consider radon gas when designing your French Drain. Installing the drain may leave your home exposed to the deadly gas. Your first step to protecting yourself is having your basement tested for radon gas. This involves the use of a highly sensitive air quality analyzer.

The second step is to invest in a system that is designed to keep radon gas in the ground. Such as system would be a closed system that does not allow radon gas and other gaseous pollutants enter the basement.

One such system is the Grate Drain system. It is specifically designed to ensure a healthier indoor environment for households. The system addresses various issues in the basement including water seepage, humidity as well as chemical pollutants that are present in the soil.

The system is designed to provide protection as well as durability. It will ensure that your basement remains waterproof while keeping your home environment safe and healthy.

Contact us today for more information!

French Drain

Interior and Exterior French Drain Solutions

French Drain

If you’re having a problem with basement moisture, you may need to install a French drain. This can be a great asset to your home. It offers various advantages including:

  1. It is an effective long term solution for moisture problems

If you want to keep water from flooding your basement, then a French drain is a great solution. This feature will direct water away from the foundation and keep it from causing a flood or other moisture problems. You won’t have to deal with a wet or messy basement ever again.

  1. It is easy to install

This solution for basement moisture is easy to install and requires no maintenance. With the help of an experienced contractor, you can have it installed within a few hours and begin to enjoy the benefits of a dry basement.

  1. It is a green solution

These drains rely on gravity for their function. If you’re looking for an economical and green way to direct water away from your basement, then this is the best solution. You can go a step further by requesting your contractor to use eco-friendly materials for the construction of your drain.

The only difficultly you’ll experience with this solution is deciding on whether you want to have an exterior or interior drain tile.

Interior Drains

An interior drain tile will not prevent water from finding its way into the basement. However, it will collect and guide water into a well where a sump pump can pump it out of the basement. Installing the drain tile involves cutting a channel in the floor along the perimeter of your basement. The soil below the floor is excavated and the drain tile installed. A well and sump pump are also installed in the basement.

Exterior Drains

Exterior drains help prevent water from penetrating the basement walls. The installation involves the excavation of the ground around the basement and installing the drain along the footings and foundation walls. There is no sump pump required in a system where water is guided away from the basement walls and into the storm drain. An exterior sump pump may be installed if the water is not guided to the storm drain.

Talk to your basement contractor and determine which method of waterproofing is best for your basement. Consider the pros and cons of each solution before making your final decision.

French drain installation

Common Mistakes – Why You Should Leave French Drain Installation to the Professionals

French Drain Installation

As a homeowner, you may be tempted to carry out a French drain installation by yourself. However, there’s much more to the installation than meets the eye. If you want the best results from the process, be sure to have your drain installed by a professional.

The following are common mistakes that the DIY homeowner makes during a French drain installation. These mistakes often lead to damage that costs even more to repair:

  • Trenches that are too narrow or too wide

The size of the trench in which the drain ought to be installed should be well planned for. If the trench is too narrow, the drain is likely to get clogged much faster. If the trench is too wide, then the drain won’t be effective in guiding water away from the foundation.

Your situation is unique and a professional basement contractor will view it as such. They will determine the right trench width for the best results.

  • Installing the pipe with the holes facing up

This is a common mistake with DIY homeowners installing a French drain. They will assume that the holes ought to face up in order for the water to trickle into the holes.

Professionals will ensure that the holes are facing down to allow water to flow quickly into the pipe. They will also choose the right pipe for the different parts of the basement. For example, a professional will know that a pipe with slots will work better in a deep trench while one with holes will work better in a shallow trench.

  • Not placing enough gravel in under the pipe

The gravel under the pipe is vital for ensuring that the drain works well. An adequate amount of gravel is required to ensure that the water is guided into the holes of the pipe. The water will enter the pipe more quickly with a good base of gravel. A professional contractor will know the right amount of gravel to include in the trench.

  • Poor sloping for the pipe

The slope of the pipe determines just how well it drains the water. The right slope for the drain should be about 1%. This allows for the normal flow of water by gravity. A professional will determine the right slope for the drain.

Don’t attempt to install your drain yourself. Ensure that you have a professional contractor to help. This ensures you get it right the first time round.

french drain installation in Edison NJ 08817

How to Screw Up a French Drain Installation in Edison NJ 08817

French Drain Installation In Edison NJ 08817

French drains are a wonderful solution to a wet basement problem. Based on an old invention designed to move water via gravity, they have been in use for nearly 200 years. So while they are a great solution to wet basement problems, they can (and often are) installed wrong, and fail to work as designed.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Because when a French drain is installed correctly, it can save your basement from drainage problems, and pretty much fix any wet basement problem that you have.

With that, here are some typical ways to screw up a French drain installation.

Wrong Way Facing Holes

When installing your perforated piping, you face the holes upward instead of down, which is completely opposite to the point of a French drain. This error stops entry water from routing out of your home, and allows it to stagnate and sit idle. Always check that the holes or slots are pointed towards the ground so optimal drainage can take place.

Too Little Gravel Beneath

Gravel beneath your perforated pipe is as important to the process as the pipe itself. Because without adequate gravel, water does not drain. Too much dirt and not enough gravel stops up the holes and prevents water from removing itself from the situation. Always ensure that you are using the right amount of gravel for your French drain so that they work as intended.

Bad Pipe Slope

This part isn’t tricky, but for how a French drain functions, it’s perhaps the most important. If you fail at having enough slope (or fall) on the drain pipe routing water away from your home, you’re going to have a bad time. The pipe absolutely needs to drain downhill, far away from your home’s foundation. The last thing you want is to go through all that work just to find out that the water exiting your basement is just seeping back in a few hours later.

Installing a French drain is a great solution to a basement water problem. But when done incorrectly, can end up costing you more than just simply paying a professional from the start.

For more information on how we can help you, please contact us any time.

hydrostatic pressure

The Foundation-Crushing Power of Hydrostatic Pressure

The Power of Hydrostatic Pressure

In science, engineers study hydrostatic pressure as the natural occurring pressure that standing water creates in relation to an object or barrier. Basically, it is the taller the body of wet material, the greater the force, especially at the bottom. Hydrostatic pressure is what destroys dams, buckles retaining walls, and collapses foundation walls. It is the force behind landslides, moving earth and rocks, and anything else in its path.

Our homes and our basements are really no match for hydrostatic pressure.

Structural damage and leaks

While hydrostatic pressure can cause serious structural damage, it can also be the culprit behind basement leaks. The water buildup in the soil outside of a foundation actually reacts with the concrete. Capillary action naturally pulls the water in through any voids, gaps or cracks in the concrete wall. It can even pull water through the concrete slab or through solid concrete walls. This is known as seepage or weeping. If water weeps through a solid concrete wall, then the best way is to relieve the pressure.

Using drains to stop hydrostatic pressure

The way to stop hydrostatic pressure build-up is through water diversion and drainage tactics. A French Drain installed on the exterior side of the foundation wall will relieve this hydrostatic pressure and allow a place for the water to go. By trenching behind the problem area, you can allow water to find its way to a place that will do no harm. Channel the water to flow downhill away from the foundation.

When you relieve the hydrostatic pressure build up, the job of keeping the basement dry is actually a much simpler job. If those drainage systems are in place, then your basement waterproofing system won’t have to work so hard.

Field drains are also a good option to help keep surface water away from the foundation. They are usually small, round drainage points to control the water and relieve hydrostatic pressure.

Another technique is channel drains. Channel drains are a grill-covered drainage system material commonly placed at the bottom of a driveway recessed into the ground. These capture flowing water and redirect it.

Interior basement waterproofing systems including drain tiles and sump pumps also deal with hydrostatic pressure by capturing the excess water below the concrete slab and carrying it away before it enters the basement.

If you are having water seeping through your basement floor you probably have hydrostatic pressure.

Depending on the situation, a waterproofing contractor may suggest an exterior or interior system or a combination of the two.

Don’t ever ignore hydrostatic pressure. Leaving it alone will only make the problems worse and could lead to even more serious problems. Contact us for a FREE Estimate for basement waterproofing.