How to Do Wet Basement Waterproofing in Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Mount Prospect, IL is a thriving community in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Its 54,000 residents, many of whom work locally in the insurance and manufacturing industries, send their children to some of the best schools in the area and enjoy life in a town with a successful and growing commercial center. Mount Prospect is also home to Randhurst, one of the earliest fully enclosed shopping malls, developed in the 1960’s.
There are approximately 21,000 family homes in Mount Prospect and, like other neighboring suburbs of Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows, more than half of those homes were part of a building boom that occurred after World War II. In fact, two-thirds of the homes in Mount Prospect were built before 1970, which helps create diversity in the town but also can also cause maintenance problems for the owners of these older homes. Many homeowners in Mount Prospect, for example, find themselves in need of wet basement waterproofing, particularly during periods of heavy rain.
Three Common Types of Wet Basement Waterproofing in Mount Prospect
Of course, the right approach for a given home must be determined after a full inspection and consultation but there are three common ways in which basement waterproofing contractors approach the problem in Mount Prospect.
Interior Drain Tile – One of the most versatile remedies for basement seepage, interior drain tile consists of perforated pipe buried in a bed of washed stone under the basement floor. The drain tile alleviates hydrostatic pressure by siphoning off ground water and carrying it to a sump pump where it is removed from the home. This will prevent seepage through cracks in basement floors and through the cove joint (where foundation walls meet the basement floor.) Interior drain tile requires no maintenance after installation.
Crack Repair – The most common type of foundation under Mount Prospect homes is poured concrete and the source of seepage most often found in these foundations is a non-structural crack that is seeping water. These cracks can be caused by foundation settling or pressure from saturated soil and are best permanently repaired by injecting them with expanding polyurethane from inside the basement. The polyurethane fills the crack all the way to the outside soil and remains flexible when cured to prevent re-cracking caused by minor foundation movement in the future.
If the crack is inaccessible from inside, it can be repaired on the exterior by digging a small hole down to the foundation footings at the site of the crack. The hole is then filled with sodium bentonite clay, which forms a pliable yet impenetrable barrier against further water intrusion.
Exterior Waterproofing – Foundations can be waterproofed on the outside by applying an exterior waterproofing membrane, a thick coating of asphalt-modified polyurethane that is troweled onto the foundation wall. The membrane is a permanent barrier against water that might seep in through porous masonry, over the top of the foundation or other places and should not be confuse with “damp-proofing,” a thin coat sprayed on foundation walls during construction.
In situations where there is a high water table or other major ground water problem, the membrane can be augmented with exterior drain tile and drainage board installed over the membrane to channel water to the drain tile.
In any event, a Mount Prospect homeowner that needs wet basement waterproofing on his or her home requires the professional expertise and services of a basement waterproofing contractor that knows the area and its homes. At U.S. Waterproofing, we have been keeping basements dry in Chicagoland since our founding in 1957 and have already helped hundreds of Mount Prospect homeowners handle their basement seepage problems. Why not ask for our free advice?
