1. Where floor meets wall (cold joint)
2. A visible wall crack
3. A visible floor crack
4. A bulk-head or stairway entry area
5. A window
6. Over the top of the foundation (where the foundation meets the wood framing of the home)

• Call a professional.  Basement waterproofing is not a do-it-yourself project.

Why does this happen?

Water will always find the
path of least resistance.

When your house was built, the contractor dug a hole into the ground.  The soil they dug into is typically hard and compact (this is known as virgin soil).  Virgin soil does not absorb water as quick as loose soil would so when it rains the virgin soil holds the water.  Basically like a swimming pool.

The contractor then sets the footing, walls then floor (slab).  The soil they had removed from the hole is then pushed back against the walls (back fill).  The back fill which was once virgin soil is now aerated.  This looser soil allows water to absorb and pass through it.  The water collects around the footing, walls and slab of your home (like a swimming pool).  This creates in many cases a "false" water table around your home.


In some instances (more often on newer homes), an exterior perimeter drain is installed on the exterior of the house on the outside of the footing.  It is a perforated pipe typically surrounded by 3/4 inch crushed stone.  The down side of this system is three fold.  First - as they push the back fill against the walls of the house, they are typically using heavy machinery over a thin pipe which can easily be crushed.  Second - as water soaks through the back fill, dirt is forced down and particles are trapped inside the pipe.  Over time the pipe will become clogged.  Third - these external drains are typically run to a "dry well".  If the water has filled the dry well it has no place to go so it backs up in the pipe.


As the exterior drainage fails, water will no longer drain freely and backs up in the back fill area.  As more water enters the back fill it creates hydrostatic pressure.


The hydrostatic pressure pushes water through any of the six entry points mentioned above.