3 Ways to Do Wet Basement Waterproofing in Barrington, IL 60010
Modern-day Barrington IL resembles a country town more than a big-city suburb with its spacious homes on large lots and horse farms within minutes of its quaint downtown. Life is good in Barrington, located in a ZIP Code named among the 10 wealthiest in the U.S., and days there are mostly peaceful.
Things were not so serene in Barrington one day in 1934, however, when the village’s small population was rattled by an event that has gone down in the history of American crime-fighting as the “Battle of Barrington.” After having been flushed out of a hideout in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the FBI’s “Public Enemy #1,” Lester “Baby Face Nelson” Gillis, engaged in a gun battle with FBI agents and local police along Route 14 heading for Chicago.
After bringing his disabled car to a stop at what was then known as North Side Park, Gillis engaged the law in a fierce gun battle that left two FBI agents and Gillis mortally wounded. After escaping in an FBI vehicle, Gillis died later that night in a home in Wilmette. A memorial to the slain FBI agents now stands at Langendorf Park near the center of Barrington.
Things are quieter in Barrington these days but, with its population of 10,000 and its 3900 homes, there’s always a little bit of excitement for Barrington homeowners – broken pipes, cold furnaces and other joys of home ownership. Many, in fact, have discovered wet basements under their homes and are in need of wet basement waterproofing.
Wet Basement Waterproofing in Barrington, IL
Just as in neighboring Palatine and Lake Zurich, homes in Barrington are diagnosed individually when in need of wet basement waterproofing but there are several methods that handle most basement water problems.
1. Interior Drain Tile – Hydrostatic pressure under a foundation can push ground water through the cove joint or cracks in the basement floor. Installing interior drain tile, perforated pipe buried in washed gravel under the basement floor, will alleviate this pressure and the pipe will carry ground water to a sump pump for discharge. When properly installed, interior drain tile never requires maintenance.
2. Crack Repair – The most common source of basement seepage in a Barrington home is a non-structural crack in a foundation wall. These cracks can be permanently repaired by injecting them with expanding polyurethane that fills and seals the cracks all the way to the outside soil. Once cured, the polyurethane remains flexible, which prevents the crack from re-opening due to minor foundation movement.
In a finished basement, or when the crack cannot be reached from inside for other reasons, it can be repaired on the exterior with sodium bentonite clay. A small hole is dug down to the foundation footings at the site of the crack and filled with the clay, which forms a pliable and permanent barrier against water on the outside of the foundation wall.
3. Exterior Waterproofing – Outside water can enter a poured concrete foundation through patches of porous concrete or over top of the foundation wall; a masonry foundation through bad mortar joints or porous masonry units like brick and concrete block. This seepage can be stopped by installing an exterior waterproofing membrane, asphalt-modified polyurethane that is applied with a trowel in a heavy coat to the exterior wall to form a permanent water barrier.
When exterior ground water is extreme, the membrane can be aided by installing exterior drain tile and drainage board, which protects the membrane and channels water downward.
Regardless of the source of water and the recommended repair method, a Barrington homeowner in need of wet basement waterproofing requires the advice and assistance of an experienced contractor that knows homes like his or hers. At U.S. Waterproofing, we have been keeping basements dry all over the Chicago area since 1957 and Barrington residents have complimented our expertise. Why not ask for our free advice?