Eighty-five percent of all basements leak in their lifetime. Once you understand how a home is built and how water behaves, you’ll understand why a basement leaks. Interestingly, your home is built to leak from day one. One of the first things a builder does is they dig the hole for the foundation to be built in. Water from many places, surface runoff and water from the below grade sources will accumulate at the bottom of this hole.

You’ll notice that the foundation is being built the footer, wall and floor are poured at different times forming a path of least resistance for water to flow between these three separate pieces. As the home ages, the wall, floor and footer expand and contract at different rates creating a larger path of least resistance for water to enter your basement.

Hydrostatic pressure is the next reason for why basements leak. Water follows two laws of physics. Water seeks its own level an water seeks the path of least resistance. These two laws of physics explain hydrostatic pressure and how water forces its way to the path of least resistance built into your home day one, causing your basement to leak.

So now let’s talk about how your foundation wall acts like a sponge. Water from the outside actually wicks through the concrete wall just like water through a sponge and this water fills up the hollow cores found in the concrete block. This water accumulates and stagnates causing your basement to smell. This accumulated water also robs the foundation wall of its structural integrity. And just like the weakest link in a chain, if the bottom course of block in your foundation wall is undermined, the rest of your foundation is now structurally weaker.

Most people think surface water draining toward their home is the major reason for why basements leak. That’s not the case. It’s actually below grade sources of water that are the major problem. Whether its water following the root lines of a tree next to your home, a clogged gutter, animal tunnels dug close to the footer, or just saturated soil, this accumulated water creates the hydrostatic pressure that forces water through the path of least resistance built into your home that causes basements to leak Any waterproofing system must address all the sources of water and if it doesn’t, you’ve bought a temporary solution.

Combined how a home is built with how water behaves and you have five ways water enters your home. You now have a standard in which to measure the difference between a temporary solution and a permanent solution. A waterproofing method that stops all five ways water enters your structure and does it forever and allows the walls to drain is a permanent solution. Any waterproofing method that is permanent must stop water from over the footer, under the footer, through wall cracks and mortar joints, from the bleeding and sweating of concrete and through floor cracks to be permanent.