Your Basement Waterproofing Questions Answered!

Where does all this water come from?

Most of the water that ends up in your home is caused by rainfall or melting snow. For every inch of rain, a 1,500 sq. ft. roof sheds 1,000 gallons of water. Rain gutters and downspouts get plugged up with debris or do not take the water far enough from your home. Footing drains may break or silt up. As the run-off seeps through the soft topsoil around the house, it pushes against the walls and stops at the undisturbed ground just beneath the foundation.

New homes have another problem. Fill dirt around the foundation settles and directs water right to the foundation. This is called "reverse grading," and occurs about five years after construction.

If you live in a subdivision you also can have different issues. As more houses are built there can be an issue with rising groundwater or even an underground spring that gets diverted. As houses settle, underground water flows change. A new construction down the street may shift groundwater flows and cause basement leaks in your house.

How does all this water get through concrete?

The answer is simple. Concrete is 12% to 20% air. As it cures this air forms pores that interconnect by forming capillaries in the concrete. These pores allow water, water vapor, or even radon to pass many feet through "solid" concrete. As the concrete ages and these pores are open they begin to get larger and let greater quantities of water, water vapor and radon to pass through. You might think a simple coat of paint will fix your problems, but paint is only a temporary solution. It does not penetrate into the concrete or stop the transfer of gases. These gases soon cause the paint to peel and now water is a problem again.

Is there anything I can do to stop water and gases from getting into my basement?

You may have tried many solutions to fixing water seepage, mold or mildew problem or just that damp feeling that you have in your basement. You may even be ready to give up and say "Basements are just supposed to be that way." Before you give up and lock that basement door let us solve your problems.

In the previous question, capillaries were discussed. Endur-O-Seal offers sealers that will permanently seal those capillaries and no longer allow water, water vapor or gasses to get into your basement. We use this porosity of the concrete to deliver our sealer deep inside the concrete and then expand into these capillaries as it hardens into insoluble silicate minerals. (Silicates are the "binders" of concrete.) The results are straightforward yet extensive:
• Endur-O-Seal seals concrete against water seepage, water vapor or other gasses.
• Bonds, strengthens and hardens concrete, reduces cracking.
• Neutralizes alkalis, preserves concrete, protects paints and covering.

Seal and protect your basement or home slab and outdoor concrete:
- Poured Concrete can be sealed with HomeSeal, HydraSeal, or HydraLoc (Click here for differences in the products.)
- Concrete Blocks or Cinder blocks can be sealed with EOS Hydro Blok
- Mortar, Stucco, Shotcrete, Grout, Porous Materials containing cement or lime can be sealed with HydraLoc or Poly Top Seal CS-2O as a water repellent.
- New or Old concrete, even when already deteriorated or seeping can use HydraLoc.

E-mail us with specific issues if you don't see a solution here.
 

What is this I hear about Vapor Barriers?

Vapor barriers are put under and around your basement to help stop the transmission of water vapor and other harmful vapors from the ground into your home. These vapor barriers can work for a time, but they have some serious flaws also.

Plastic Sheeting Under the Foundation

There are some serious issues with the use of plastic sheeting alone as a vapor barrier. When the sheeting is installed, any tear or puncture will render the plastic sheeting vapor barrier useless. If there is a puncture or tear the plastic sheeting turns from a vapor barrier to holding pond. As the ground underneath starts to settle, the plastic sheeting will develop low spots where water can pool and then slowly seep into the concrete.
(This is also not a permanent solution.) All of us have seen plastic get old and brittle. The same will happen with your plastic vapor barrier.

Black Mastic on the Walls

This is an excellent vapor barrier and we recommend this for all basements. This also can have some issues, however. The first issue can occur when your contractor is back filling after applying the mastic. If any rocks hit the mastic they can scrape it off and leave an area of exposed concrete. Resin board must be used to prevent rocks from scuffing the black mastic. If there are areas of exposed concrete, it will speed the next process.
The next problem with black mastic is that the alkali of the concrete and acidic soil breaks the mastic down. Over several years the mastic will break down and peel away from the wall exposing it to water. The alkali is activated by water, this can be from the humidity in a basement or water from the foundation that seeps up the wall through capillary action.

What can I do about my vapor barrier?

Endur-O-Seal offers you a permanent vapor barrier. Our penetrating sealers, (HydraSeal, HydraLoc and HomeSeal) become part of the concrete matrix and seals off the pores that allow vapor transmission. It will work with your existing vapor barriers but it can also work alone. If you are looking to make your mastic last longer, HydraLoc can be applied to neutralize the alkali and stop your mastic from breaking down at the surface of the concrete. If your basement is already completed, our products can form a vapor barrier on the inside of your wall by applying from inside the basement.

What makes Endur-O-Seal think that their product can work as a vapor barrier?

To understand this question you must understand how our product works. Here is a description of what is happening when our product is applied:
When Endur-O-Seal Deep Penetrating Sealers come in contact with the alkali and calcium ions inside the concrete, they form a gel. This gel expands inside the pores and hairline cracks, emulsifying most foreign matter and purges it to the surface to be hosed or mopped away. The gel will turn the surface stone hard in about 90 days, filling pores and hairline cracks, thus turning the concrete into a solid mass that resists the penetration of destructive pollutants and stops moisture and vapor migration via capillary action.

What can I do about Radon?*

Radon atoms are much smaller than water molecules and pass easily through the pores in concrete (about 75% of the radon inflow in a typical basement). A concrete block looks to radon gas like a quarter-size hole.
RadonSeal is the only concrete sealer developed to stop radon. It seals even microscopic capillaries deep inside concrete and makes radon levels below 4 or 2 pCi/L readily achievable and affordable. Compared to the installation, operation, and energy losses of a fan radon mitigation system, the average homeowner saves $2,300 over ten years.
RadonSeal protects the market value of your home! You will avoid unsightly piping with a noisy radon fan and the concerns of prospective buyers. And it does not spew concentrated radioactive gas (above 1,000 pCi/L), eight times heavier than air, above the house.
If your house already has a fan radon mitigation system, RadonSeal will still reduce the radon level and lower its energy losses (reverse flow of treated air through the slab). And it also eliminates worries about the failure of mechanical equipment or the grid. See more on radon http://radonseal.com

*Information from RadonSeal.com

Endur-O-Seal manufactures Radon Loc sold by an independent organization. Endur-O-Seal together with Novion Inc. developed and manufactures RadonSeal, a concrete sealer specifically formulated to provide maximum protection against the penetration of radon through concrete.

We have all heard the horror stories of mold and who wants to see a wall covered in mildew. What in the heck is that white stuff anyway? Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to clean all that off your walls and then keep it from coming back?

There are two issues here. The first issue is making the mold, mildew and white powder go away. The second is making it stay away.

The white powder that shows up on your walls is called efflorescence. These are deposits that seep out of your concrete as the lime and other chemicals react inside your concrete. Endur-O-Seal offers a cleaner that will easily remove this build-up called All-Purpose Efflorescence Cleaner. This cleaner easily cleans all organic compounds (mold and mildew) as well. Now that the problem is off your walls, let's keep it from coming back.

To keep these problems from coming back you need to seal up the pores in your concrete. This is done with the following products:

- Poured Concrete can be sealed with HomeSeal, HydraSeal, or HydraLoc (Click here for differences in the products.)
- Concrete Blocks or Cinder blocks can be sealed with EOS Hydro Blok
- Mortar, Stucco, Shotcrete, Grout, Porous Materials containing cement or lime can be sealed with HydraLoc or Poly Top Seal CS-2O as a water repellent.
- New or Old concrete, even when already deteriorated or seeping can use HydraLoc.

E-mail us with specific issues if you don't see a solution here.