It is quite common to come across a leaking basement wall in your home. Many think that leakage in the wall is due to some extraordinary catastrophe or it has not been built in a proper way. Well, it’s just a matter of time and forces of nature that are responsible for such basement leakage problems. To analyze the reason behind the foundation wall leak it is vital to know that there are sources and causes of leaks. First of all, it is the natural occurrences which take place outside the basement and secondly, these are the flaws or the disturbances in the foundation structure. Usually, the two combine to make the basement leak and when one is trying to repair the leak, both the possibilities should be taken into account.

 

Spotting the leak:

It may sound weird, but there are situations where leaking plumbing is responsible for a wet basement. Homeowners do not pay attention to the leaking tap which is responsible to wet the floor of the basement.

First off all you need to figure out the source from where the water is coming. A plumbing leak has to be fixed here because fixing the foundation wall will not solve the problem. Once you determine that the cause of leakage is the foundation wall then you can go ahead and repair the wall leak.

 

Things to consider when fixing the leaking foundation walls:

When you notice a leak in the foundation wall it means that the groundwater from the outside is being pushed via foundation wall. It is due to hydrostatic pressure through the exterior foundation cracks.

So, now you know that foundation wall is leaking, it’s time to use a different approach towards the foundation repair. You can

• Stop the water from making its way to the foundation wall
• Fill the voids in the foundation from where the penetration of water is taking place
• And keep a control over the water which has reached the basement, so it should not reach the floor of the basement.

 

The next thing is to consider is the location of the leak in the foundation wall. It is important to locate the leak location else it may hinder the other approaches taken towards the repair. For example, if there is a crack behind the heater (to heat water) which is leaking which is not accessible from inside then there will be a need to stop the wall from the outside.

The other important thing is foundation type. If the concrete wall is hollow then with the help of water to fill the void is not a feasible way to repair.

Precisely, choosing the most suitable basement leakage solution to fix the leak in the foundation is not straightforward always. It is usually simple.

 

Steps to waterproof a foundation on the exterior

For the foundation wall waterproofing following steps should be followed:

Step 1: Excavate the foundation wall and clean it

Step 2: Fill the cracks with hydraulic cement

Step 3: Use the elastic rubber membrane and foundation wrap to coat the foundation walls

Step 4: Now remove and replace the existing weeping tile

Step 5: Now fill the soil again and make it compact

 

Options to fix Foundation cracks:

For the repair of the basement foundation, some people wonder that why they need to dig the foundation when the entire leaking is a foundation crack or just a minor leak. Well, in such situations, there are two obvious choices:

• Excavate the exterior wall where you see a crack and then seal it from outside
• From the interior, you need to pressure inject the cracks so the existence of the cracks is eliminated

 

Both these basement foundation repair solutions will fix the foundation leak permanently and these methods work appropriately as long as the repairs are done in a proper manner by knowledgeable and experienced technicians.

When it comes to repairing the exterior foundation crack you will need to follow the same steps.  It will be just like general foundation waterproofing. The only difference will be, replacement of a weeping tile will be not done here. The interior foundation crack will require a pressurized injection of resin in the crack and once the resin becomes hard then there will be no cracks. The problem will be solved.

 

Conclusion:

The basement proofing methods should be based on the causes that are responsible for any repair so the repair can be done effectively.  The basement leak location, crack size, moisture presence on the wall and the area that has to be repaired needs to be considered to get the most ultimate repair solution. To choose the best repair method, it is beneficial to search for basement waterproofing companies near me and work with expert technicians.  Thus, you can get the most effective solution for the specific wall leak in the basement.