Q: Is a wet basement a sign of a poorly built home?
A: Not necessarily. A recent study in the Washington, D.C. area found that over 86 percent of cement block constructed homes over 25 years old, had water problems. The National Association of Realtors states that, during the life of a home, almost all will experience some form of water problem.
Q: Do you charge homeowners for estimates?
A: No, nor do we feel that you should do business with anyone who does. Homeowners are never charged for the . We insist on absolute honesty and integrity. If you do not need our services, we will be the first to tell you. If you do need our services, we will tell you precisely what we propose to do, how we do it, when we will do it, and the exact cost (taken from our printed pricing schedule). There are no hidden costs. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Q: Does a little or occasional leakage cause permanent problems?
A: Not necessarily. Occasional leakage may be caused by a combination of weather conditions and poor drainage around your house. If you have water in your basement after ordinary precautions, then it is probably time for you to call us. Hydrostatic pressure against your basement walls can cause cracking, bowing, even collapse in severe cases. Of course, any type of basement water problem impacts unfavorably upon the value of your home, to say nothing of its livability. Our more than 50 years of experience indicates that most water problems get progressively worse. The B-Dry® Waterproofing System is designed to eliminate water pressure inside the blocks of your basement walls and from underneath your floor, effectively removing the source of basement leakage problems.
Q: When our home was built, the yard was graded so water would flow away from the foundation. The walls were waterproofed with the most effective method available. Drain tile was installed on the outside along side the footer. Our basement is leaking. Why?
A: The effectiveness of these methods is questionable. If you are located in a high water table area or in a drainage site from higher ground, these methods will usually fail. Curiously, according to a study conducted by the National Association of Homebuilders, outside drain tile can even make conditions worse.
Q: My builder was aware of the high water table and drainage problems. He filled in the area under the basement floor with sand and gravel, laid continuous corrugated pipe laterally and installed a sump pump. Our basement is leaking. Why?
A: At least your builder was trying to attack the cause of basement leakage, but with a makeshift system. It is crucial that the latest, state-of-the-art waterproofing materials are used and installed by experts. B-Dry® has the expertise and the system to permanently dry up your basement.
Q: Do you use extensive outside excavation?
A: No! It is not only unnecessary and expensive, but does not permanently dry up your basement. Our unique waterproofing system is installed on the inside. Consequently, we avoid disturbing the soil, landscaping and structures (patio, driveway, etc.) outside your home, and can perform the work year round.
Q: Then you will not install footer drains on the outside of our house?
A: No. They are simply not effective. In fact, if your house was built after 1950, you probably already have an outside system that is not working. It is probably clogged, and replacement drains would clog, too. Besides, they will not help with a high water table.
Q: Should I have the outside of my basement walls sealed?
A: No. This work was done when your house was built. It did not work then and it w ill not work now. The sealing of basement walls on the outside was never meant to be a permanent solution. We install a "self-flushing" system that works regardless of water tables, slope of terrain, or normal soil conditions. The B-Dry® Waterproofing System works whether your problem is leakage from the cove, floor, walls, window wells, or all of these. Why put up with the aggravation caused by basement water leakage?
Q: Why can't I just repair the cracks and put liquid sealer on the walls?
A: Because it does not work. If this type of easy "solution" worked, very few basements would be wet and we would not be in business. These types of treatments attack the symptoms rather than the causes. Almost every year there are new products on the market to repair cracks and seal basement walls. They cost less but are not effective. Homeowners spend millions of dollars every year for ineffective, "quick-fix" products to "solve" basement water problems.
Q: What about injecting betonite into the soil around our house?
A: It simply is not effective. Fortunately, this unsuccessful method is rarely used today.
Q: A waterproofer tells us that they will bury drainage pipe around the outside of our house 2-4 feet deep in order to stop some of the water before it reaches the basement. Isn't this a good idea?
A: It sounds good, but it is not effective. It does not make sense to dig a shallow trench in your yard and bury a pipe that often has no positive discharge points— and if it does, will quickly clog anyway. You might as well pay to have a log buried in your yard. Also, some companies claim they can prevent this clogging by wrapping filter material around the pipe. This only increases the likelihood of failure, as filters are designed to collect debris. This could work if you planned to dig it up every year or so, to clean the filter, like you do with your furnace filter, etc. Obviously, this is not practical. One of the reasons our prices are competitive is that we do not try to sell you something that is not necessary, or does not work. We perform only the work required to give you the protection you need and no more.
Q: One waterproofing company wants to drill holes in the wall of our basement next to the floor and install a baseboard-type channel to catch the water coming onto the floor. What do you think of this?
A: It is usually referred to as the "baseboard" or "cove" method. One version or another has been around for a long time. There are even do-it-yourself kits available. We do not consider this to be a permanent solution. This method requires continual maintenance, as the seal between the cove and the floor will often break, allowing water to run out onto the basement floor. This method, in fact, is not waterproofing at all. It collects water only after it enters the basement. That is why it is often described as "water control" rather than waterproofing. Recently, an Ohio court declared that it is a "false claim" to call this method waterproofing and awarded compensation to the homeowner.
Q: But they told us it was guaranteed for life! What do you think about this?
A: Almost all waterproofing contractors give a guarantee of some kind…5 years, 20 years, lifetime. Does it really matter? Sadly, the history of waterproofing is filled with those who gave a greater guarantee than their system could support. When burdened down with service calls and claims, they simply go out of business. In direct contrast, our warranty is the result of the work that we do. That is because our system works - permanently! That is why we can confidently offer you the strength of a Full Life-of-the-Structure Warranty that has not been breached in homes of more than 1/4 million customers since 1958.
Q: Our basement hardly leaks but the walls are usually damp and water bleeds through them. Can B-Dry® cure this problem?
A: Yes! Rigid Sealer, developed specifically to seal basement walls, is used with our revolutionary drain system, and will eliminate your wall problem permanently. In addition, it has been evaluated to be not only effective but also safe for use in your home.
Q: What do I have to do to get B-Dry® down to the lowest price?
A: Nothing! We do not play price games. We use the same printed price list for all customers— a price list that has been calculated to be fair and consistent for everyone. We encourage you to help our consultant arrive at the price when he or she visits your home. Our promise of pricing integrity is more than just empty words. B-Dry® provides you with a permanently dry basement for the life of the structure…all at a fair and consistent price.
Q: Will your system enhance the value of our home?
A: Positively! If you sell your house, you can offer a clean, dry basement, warranted for the life of the structure, regardless of ownership. Money spent for a permanently dry basement will pay off in an immediate increase in the market value of your home. The large investment in a home dictates that you protect it by waterproofing a wet basement. It also makes sense to utilize the square footage of your basement as additional living space. It is the least expensive area for you to improve.
Q: How does B-Dry® do business?
A: Our job plan agreement is simple. It describes precisely what we propose to do, including the exact price. The simplicity and trust with which we do business dates back to the company's earliest beginnings, when all business was done on a handshake.
Q: It's ridiculous! You can't really offer a transferable full life-of-structure warranty, can you?
A: We have proven that we can. The proof is in our performance: Our warranty is the result of the permanent effectiveness of our waterproofing system. It sounds like we are bragging. But the B-Dry® System is in a class by itself. A combination of more than 1/4 million basements and crawl spaces have been waterproofed since 1958.
Q: We are building a new house. Do you install the B-Dry® System in new construction?
A: Absolutely! You should insist on it. If your builder advises against it, ask him to warrant your basement against water leakage for the full life-of-the-structure. Of course, he cannot do it. Many of the homes we waterproof are one to five years old and their original "system" has already failed.