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Waterproofing for Montgomery homes
Waterproofing is a loose word. One company means a tube of sealant by it, another means a trench around the whole house. Sorted by what the work does, there are four kinds.
First
Send the rain somewhere else
Gutters that are clear, downspouts that carry roof water well out into the yard, and soil that falls away from the walls. Where the lot itself funnels water toward the house, a yard drain intercepts it. This is the least disruptive work and it makes every other fix work better.
Second
Stop it at the outside of the wall
The soil is dug away, the wall is cleaned and coated, and a drain is laid at the footing. Water never touches the masonry again. It is the heaviest job on the list, so it is saved for walls that need it.
Third
Catch it inside and pump it out
A drain is set under the edge of the basement floor and led to a sump pump. Water still reaches the wall but is collected before it crosses the floor. Most basement jobs in older houses end up here.
Under the floor
Dry out the crawl space
Houses without a basement have the same problem in a smaller space: wet soil, humid air and wood that soaks it up. The answer is drainage where there is standing water, then a sealed liner and drier air.
The pages, one per job
- Interior basement waterproofingPerimeter drain, weep holes in block walls and wall barriers.Open →
- Exterior waterproofing and yard drainageDownspouts, grading, French drains and wall membranes.Open →
- Basement leak repairCrack injection, pipe openings and window wells.Open →
- Wet basementA way to tell what kind of wet you have before paying for anything.Open →
- Sump pump installationChoosing the basin, pump and backup, and where the water goes.Open →
- Crawl space encapsulationLiner, sealed vents and a dehumidifier, step by step.Open →
- Crawl space repairPuddles, fallen insulation and damp joists.Open →
The order matters
Work from the outside in and from the top down. Roof water first, then the slope of the ground, then the wall, then the floor. A sump pump fitted before the downspouts are sorted out spends its life pumping roof water that never needed to reach the basement.
A company that proposes the third kind of work without looking at the first has skipped a step. Ask them what they saw outside.
What does not count
Waterproof paint and brush-on sealers hide a damp wall for a season or two. Water pressure behind the coating lifts it off, and the powdery salt underneath stops new paint from sticking. They have a place on a wall that only sweats in summer. They are not a repair for a wall that leaks.
If you are not sure which of these you have, the wet basement page has a simple test with a square of plastic and some tape.
Montgomery and nearby towns
Ready to have someone look at it?
Call and describe what you are seeing and when it happens. You will be put through to an independent local waterproofing company, and they arrange the visit with you.
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