{faq category="10"}

A. A sloping trench that is 12" wide by 12" or more deep having a geo-textile filter and fabric liner, 4" perforated pipe encased in 3/4 " to 1" clean limestone gravel.

A. 1/2" to 1" drop per each 1foot out for at least 6 to 10 feet.

A. Typically, a minimum 6" of foundation wall exposed and a 6" drop in elevation out 10 feet and minimum 2% slope thereafter.

A. Use only 4" plus diameter PVC pipe (not corrugated black pipe, they will clog) with 1/8" minimum drop per each 1 foot running to daylight or with bubble up emitter over gravel pit (not directly into a pit).

A. A gentle sloping ditch or waterway usually 6' to 8' in width with 2% grade or better.

A. Opposite of a swale, it is an elongated bump to steer or hold backwater.

A. Hydrostatic pressure created by too much moisture in the adjacent soil. As the moisture increases the soil expands and pushes the wall.

A. Improve the drainage adjacent to the wall by re-grading, French drains, diverting downspouts, etc.

A. Install interior vertical steel wall restraints anchored to the basement floor and floor joists above as prescribed by structural engineers.

A. By excavating the basement floor a minimum of 24" in depth and installing a perforated sump liner encased in gravel, water under the floor will generally flow to the sump well and then be discharged by an automatic submersible sump pump.

A. When all of the exterior drainage issues have been resolved you may have to install a sump pump if water continues to pressurize under the floor and seep into the basement through cracks in the floor and at the floor/wall joint. This would be due to an unknown source of water such as an underground spring or water flowing back to the basement in utility trenches.

A. Only in extreme cases, 1 to 2 cases out of 100 due to unknown and uncontrollable underground water sources.

A. Determine where the water is coming from by first inspecting the visible part of the foundation on the exterior for vertical cracks. Even the small vertical cracks can leak. (Remember, there is usually an exterior footing drain that carries water.)

A. Remember the old saying that water seeks it's own level? Water fills the window wells from around the bottom and sides when the ground does not slope away and the water stands.

A. By hydrostatic pressure that has water trapped under the floor (usually caused by poor exterior drainage) that then wants to rise and is forced up through the joint where the floor meets the wall.

A. It's where water forces it's way through a crack or joint in the basement floor or otherwise creates pressure on the exterior walls and basement floor slab creating bulging walls and heaving floors. (Excessive water expands the soil.)

A. No, seal the crack by excavating down to the footing on exterior or epoxy injection on the interior. It's always best to seal the crack at point of entry (exterior) rather than from the interior only. This may not always be possible. Always make sure that surface water drains away from this area too.

A. These are vertical steel supports usually I-beams or tube steel, 3"x6" or 4"x4" that are placed against the bulging wall and anchored into the basement floor and floor joists above. Proper anchoring is very important.

A. There usually nothing wrong with the foundation itself. Most foundations fail only when the soil becomes too wet (bulging walls) or too dry (settlement).

A. A vertical crack indicates settlement (downward movement) and diagonal and horizontal cracks are related to lateral (inward) movement.

A. When the soil becomes too dry and shrinks or contracts around the footing area allowing the house to shift or settle.

A. The first signs are actually in the yard where the soil becomes cracked and there is a gap between the soil and foundation. Later, vertical cracks will occur in the foundation, sheetrock cracks in the living area and doors stick or will not open and close properly.

A. Maintain constant moisture content in your soil around the house by having proper surface drainage in the wet season (get the water away from the house) and putting water back into the soil (1" to 2" per week) in the dry season.

A. Atlantis Drainage Solutions, Inc. "We Correct The Cause Not The Symptom!"®