Successful Wet Basement Waterproofing in Frankfort IL 60423
The village of Frankfort IL started out, as did many of Chicago’s suburbs, as a home to members of the Potawatomi nation and other Native Americans. After the Blackhawk War when the Potawatomi ceded their land, the first new settlers arrived, most of them of English and Scottish descent, from the New England states.
These settlers were followed by German farmers from Pennsylvania who established the area as an agricultural community. The village was first organized in 1855 when the railroad came to town and the newly platted community became known as Frankfort Station. The “station” part of the name was dropped when Frankfort was incorporated in 1879.
In more recent history, Frankfort as been known for its rapid development and was recognized by Forbes.com as the 36th fastest-growing community in the United States in 2007. Frankfort’s population grew steadily through the 1990’s, climbing from 7200 in 1990 to 10,400 in 2000. The population really leapt, however, in the ensuing years, with Frankfort boasting of more than 18,000 residents by 2012.
Of course, all those new residents needed somewhere to live and nearly 2500 new homes have been built in Frankfort since 2000. The owners of new homes aren’t exempt, though, from maintenance and repair problems and many homeowners in Frankfort have needed wet basement waterproofing.
Successful Wet Basement Waterproofing in Frankfort
Just like homes in nearby Joliet and Flossmoor, homes in Frankfort are individually diagnosed for wet basement problems but there are several ways to do wet basement waterproofing there when the following problems occur:
Seeping Wall Cracks – The most common type of foundation in the Chicago area is one made of poured concrete and the most common source of seepage in such a foundation is a non-structural crack in a basement wall. The best way to repair wall crack seepage is to inject the crack with expanding polyurethane from inside the basement. The polyurethane seals the crack all the way to the outside soil and remains flexible so the crack doesn’t re-open from minor foundation movement.
If the crack is inaccessible from inside it can be repaired on the outside with sodium bentonite clay. A small hole is dug at the site of the crack and filled with the clay, which forms a pliable, permanent water barrier on the positive side.
Seepage Through Porous Walls – Frequently, poured concrete walls have patches of porous concrete and masonry walls can seep through porous materials like concrete block and brick, as well as deteriorated mortar joints. Seepage through and over foundation walls can be stopped by installing an exterior waterproofing membrane, a thick coating of asphalt-modified polyurethane that is applied with a trowel to form an impenetrable barrier.
If ground water surrounding the foundation is high, the membrane can be augmented with exterior drain tile and heavy duty drainage board that protects the membrane and channels water downward.
Seepage between Basement Wall and Floor – Hydrostatic pressure created by ground water under the foundation can result in water entering the basement through the cove joint between wall and floor or through cracks in the floor. Installing interior drain tile, perforated pipe buried in a bed of crushed stone under the basement floor, alleviates this pressure and carries ground water to a sump pump for disposal. Properly installed, interior drain tile is maintenance-free.
Regardless of the wet basement waterproofing solution, a Frankfort homeowner with a basement water problem will need the services of an experienced basement waterproofing contractor that knows the area and its homes. At U.S. Waterproofing we’ve been doing wet basement waterproofing all over Chicagoland since 1957 and have already helped a number of your neighbors in Frankfort keep their basements dry and their homes healthy. Why not ask for our free advice?
