All-Dry of the Carolinas Case Studies: Basement and Crawl Space waterproofed in Greenville, SC

Challenge

This homeowner in Greenville, SC was having problems in their basement and crawlspace that they couldn’t figure out. Water would come through the crawl space and into the basement area under the home. They called us at All-Dry of the Carolinas to help figure out a solution to this problem and we sent out our design specialist, Alex Rogers, to give them a free assessment. When Alex Rogers got to the home he examined both the basement and the crawl space to see how they were affecting one another. The crawl space was taking in large amounts of water that was going under the wall and soaking the basement floor. The basement and crawl space had high levels of condensation which was a result of the groundwater seepage and open vents. Mold had started to collect on the wooden beams of the crawl space which was beginning to spread to the basement. This was becoming an issue because the basement was being used for storage of items that the owners didn’t want to be ruined by the mold and moisture. The high moisture levels had also caused damage in the foundation and walls which had resulted in three cracks in the walls.

 Our All-Dry team has different types of solutions that we can use to fix problems like these. This type of job was going to take a lot of work because both the basement and the crawl space needed to be completely waterproofed. If you weren’t to waterproof the entire area, moisture and water seepage would be bound to happen again. So our All-Dry team, along with the homeowners, created a list of goals for what was to be expected when fixing the home. The ground water seepage and earth moisture needed to be controlled. Controlling these factors would prevent mold, rot, and odors that had begun to form in the crawl space. The homeowners wanted to save energy, gain dry storage, protect the foundation, and to keep the space dry at all times.

Solution

This project was scheduled to take ten days since so much work was needed to waterproof this basement and crawl space. Our crew led by crew foreman, TJ Tumlin, started their work on this project on May 28^th 2020. To begin the crawl space needed to have all debris moved from the area, which included old wiring, fallen insulation, rocks, and pipes. Once the crawl space was cleaned out, a trench was dug around the perimeter of the crawl space so that drainage tile, which is drainage tubing, could be installed. The tubing is placed into the trench and then covered with gravel so that the system is steady. These trenches are placed in the low parts of the crawl space so water will flow downhill and into the drainage system. Once the water is in the drainage system, it then flows to the lowest part of the crawl space where a SuperSump pump is waiting to flush the water from the space. Drainage matting is then place on the crawl space floor which is dimpled matting that sits on the dirt and directs water into the drainage tile. Once the matting is down, CleanSpace is placed in the crawl space on the floors, walls, and piers. The CleanSpace works to keep the ground moisture from entering the air and to guide all wall and ground water to the SuperSump Pump. CleanSpace creates an airtight seal around the sump pump lid so that all water will be pushed into the liner of the pump instead of pooling on top of the liner. All crawl space vents and doors were sealed with our interior airtight vent seals, which keeps outside air and moisture from entering the crawl space. That concluded the crawl space waterproofing section of the job.

            Once the crawl space was finished the basement was the next section to be tackled. The perimeter of the basement was jackhammered down to the footing of the basement. WaterGuard, which is an interior waterproofing drainage system, is then installed in the trench that had been created by the jack hammer. WaterGuard is placed into the trench, with its 3/8’ wall flange against the wall, and angled in a downward slope so that water can flow towards the SuperSump pump that was placed in the basement. Once in the correct position, the WaterGuard is covered with gravel to keep make the drainage system stable. CleanSpace Wall is then tacked on the wall and tucked in behind the WaterGuard wall flange so that any wall water seepage will be pushed straight into the drainage system and into the sump pump. Once the CleanSpace wall is in place behind the WaterGuard, the WaterGuard is then covered with cement which evens out the floor and makes the system invisible. An Aprilaire dehumidifier was added to the basement as well to remove all moisture that is produced from under the home.

            The cracks in the wall, due to moisture affecting the foundation, were covered with Carbon Fiber Strips on the cracks to stabilize the walls. Carbon Fiber Strips stabilize the foundation walls and stops inward movement at the top of the wall. The strips are secured to the walls with heavy duty anchor bolts and brackets at the top and bottom of each wall. These strips work as a big permanent Band-Aid in keeping the wall from separating further.

            After the ten long days of our crew working on this home in Greenville, the basement and crawl space were completely waterproofed. This home now meets its initial goals of moisture control, mold prevention, energy saving, and keeping the space All-Dry!