How The Homeowner Can Help

The first question we get asked is "how can I help?" While the Great Lakes Waterproofing System works in nearly all applications, there are steps that can be taken to help insure that the basement dries up completely. The most common problem is improper drainage away from the structure, make sure gutters are attached properly and the extensions are long enough to clear all obstructions including patios, sidewalks, trees, etc.
For a typical mid-size house 1/2" of rain on the roof will be over 150 gallons of water, some houses only have two downspouts so over 75 gallons of water could be concentrated in one area. This is why it's crucial that the water is channeled away from the structure and not left to saturate into the ground near the foundation. Our experience has shown that even placing plastic on the ground around the house does little to channel the water away if other steps are not taken first.

Another place overlooked is the window wells. The gravel should be at least 4" thick and about 8" below the window. Over time debris builds up in the wells and if not cleaned out will provide water an easy entrance between the window frame and the wall.

Last but not least, observe the concrete and pavers around the house. Over time these will settle (usually sloping towards the house) providing a funnel of water right into the basement. Look for the tell-tale signs of dirt and sand built up on the concrete or pavers. Although expensive, replacing the concrete with a surface that slopes away from the structure might be one of the solutions. Proper surfaces should be slightly above the ground with a slight slope away from any structures.

Types Of Walls

Most of our work involves waterproofing structural walls. Using our injection equipment we saturate the ground with our Hydroclay which fills the voids and fissures that have formed over time allowing water to build up and enter your structure.

The most common walls we encounter are block, which can be hollow cinderblocks or an older solid block both which need a concrete mortar for a binder, or poured walls which are constructed by using a form on each side and concrete is poured in the middle. The form acts as a mold preventing the concrete from spreading out. Newer style forms are made up of a styrofoam panel connected with tie-rods and are meant to stay in the ground. Older style forms are reusable but still use tie-rods to hold together so "blow-out" doesn't occur.

The mortar and the tie-rods are usually the first things to go. Mortar has a limited life span and can start deteriorating within years of applying and is greatly accelerated by moisture. The metal tie-rods that hold both sides of your poured-wall forms together have to be left in the concrete. When in contact with moisture they rust out and leave a pathway for water intrusion.

The Great Lakes Waterproofing Method works in almost all of these situations. Once injected it fills in cracks and openings in the wall preventing further moisture penetration.

Waterproofing With Bentonite

For over 30 years Great Lakes Waterproofing has been providing one of the most exciting waterproofing methods for home and business owners. Using our exclusive technology we inject a waterproofing blend of bentonite clay into the area around the basement floor and walls. In most cases this can be done from outside with nearly no damage to the existing ground cover. Once the Bentonite Hydroclay has saturated the ground, filled in voids and small cracks in the concrete walls, it begins to absorb water and solidify to a consistency similar to peanut butter providing a permanent barrier against water.  If your construction is new or you've exposed the wall we can apply benonite panels and membranes directly to the wall giving you the best waterproofing possible 

While methods such as filling cracks with mortar, applying an epoxy-base paint or a drain-tile type system help with diverting water, they all have one similar yet critical component...They still let the water through the wall before it gets stopped. The damage this causes to the wall continues as long as the water is present. Settling of the wall and mortar damage on block wall will continue requiring on-going maintenance.
Our method of waterproofing has been successful in many different applications, our blog will have case studies on several of these applications and the questions we encounter from time to time.

www.TCWaterproof.com