Locate Where The Water Is Coming From
The first line of basement waterproofing defense should always be made on the outside and knowing how the water is getting inside:
Outside Divert rainwater away from the foundation walls by proper grading, gutter maintenance, downspout extensions, window well covers, caulking corners, gaps, and cracks. Apply penetrating sealers to the exterior concrete, brick, pavers, and porous masonry. Simple steps like these can go a long way to achieving a dry basement, but by no means are they the end-all solution.
Inside Locate the source of water entry inside the basement. Knowing the reason why your basement is leaking can make a do-it-yourself basement waterproofing project surprisingly simple and inexpensive.
Is A Basement Leak Covered By Home Insurance
Your insurance can cover leaks in a basement, but it will depend on the type of leak. In the case of hydrostatic pressure, this is water coming from an external source and may not be covered. If you are wondering about this, you should contact a home insurance professional and see what type of coverage you have.
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Why It Is Important To Look For Any Slab Leaks In Your Concrete Floor
It is very important to look for any slab leaks or water seeping-up through concrete slabs due to many reasons. On top of them is the concern that the water which is seeping up, may badly damage your floor. Furthermore, there are chances that the fungus may grow into your slabs or in your floor.
If you have covered your concrete floor with carpets, then it is even more dangerous. This is because the water under carpets would flourish the fungus and bacteria over it. As a result, you may become prone to develop a number of skin issues or allergies such as athletes foot.
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Cracks In The Foundation
Wet soil around the house means that water will find its way to the lowest point. If the water in the soil rises, the pressure against the walls and floor will make it easier for water to get through if there is a crack in the concrete.
Think of it like taking a bucket full of water and immersing a small paper cup into the water . If the cup is air-tight, nothing will get in. But if there is a crack in the paper cup, then water will start to come in from that area.
Counters And Cabinets Separating From The Wall
Have you ever noticed that your kitchen cabinets or countertops seem to be tilting and pulling away from the wall? At first it may look like theyve moved a tiny bit, and then the next thing you know the gap is 1/8 wide. Before long, your cabinets or countertops appear to be 1/2 or more away from the wall. At that point, youve got major issues.
If you become aware of something like this, its definitely a sign of foundation damage. When walls arent level, cabinets and lots of other things in your house cease to be level, too. It may seem to you that everything is sloping or not hanging correctly. Thats because something is affecting your foundation and causing it to be uneven.
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Warning Signs Of A Slab Leak
Posted by William Heinselman on Dec 26 2019
Every now and again, leaks can occur in the home. It can happen to even the most diligent homeowner. Thankfully, many of the most common leaks occur in relatively easy-to-reach areas such as below a sink or in the shower or toilet. These leaks are easy to spot and can often be fixed with a few ordinary household plumbing tools.
What Are The Signs/causes For Water Seeping Up Through Concrete Slab
There are a number of signs or causes for water seeping up through concrete slabs. For example, you wet or damped carpets would reveal that there is some issue like this. Furthermore, your wet concrete slabs will indicate that there is some underground water issue.
The leakages in your home pipes may become one of the reason behind this. The nearby gutters or accumulated rainwater or standing water near your house may be one of the reasons.
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What Are The Signs Of A Slab Leak
Catching a slab leak early on can save you time, money, and a lot of headaches. Wondering how to tell if you have a slab leak? Here are some slab leak symptoms to look out for:
If Your Home Is Built On A Concrete Foundation Slab Watch For Signs That Water May Be Lurking Beneath The Surface
After enduring an eight-month remodel that included tiling both bathroom showers, replacing all 1,800-sq. ft. of flooring and adding a fresh coat of interior paint throughout, my fiancé and I assumed we could kick back and enjoy our freshly updated home. And we did for about a month.
Then, all of a sudden, the newly installed luxury vinyl flooring planks began popping up in a few rooms. We had the installer and manufacturer over several times. But nobody was willing to claim responsibility, and the problem rapidly spread.
We began noticing other signs, too, but didnt connect the dots until a plumber, brought in for a third opinion, immediately recognized the issue: a slab leak. It would be another week before we learned just how much damage one tiny hole in our buried hot water line caused.
We were forced to file our first-ever homeowners insurance claim, move all our belongings into storage and live out of a hotel while the leak was fixed. The house had to be dried out the floors, cabinets and baseboards demolished and replaced and the walls repainted.
Learn more about what a slab leak is and how to spot the signs.
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How Stable Are Texas Soils
Texas has a wide variety of climatic and geological environments, which includes more than 1,300 varieties of soils in 21 Major Land Resource Areas. Dallas-area soils are notoriously expansive and unstable. This is especially true of the Central Texas corridor that runs from Houston and Austin northward through Dallas, as shown by this map from foundation company Tella Firma.
Dallas is in the Blackland Prairie, where soils are among the most expansive in the nation. These soils have a high percentage of a type that expands with spring rains and develops large cracks as it dries out and contracts during the hot, dry North Texas summers.
Fort Worth lies in the Grand Prairie region, which has an entirely different soil composition. While more stable than Dallas soils, Fort Worth-area also soils are prone to the drying and cracking that causes foundation-threatening soil shift.
Break Through The Slab
The shortest distance to the source of the problem may be straight down through the concrete slab, but that also may be the most disruptive and most expensive. Because of this, we cut through the slab when other options are not available or are less attractive for some reason. There is no one size fits all solution.
Likewise, foundation building and repair companies caution that not all slabs are alike: they are engineered for the location, especially considering soil type and depth. Some slabs should not be cut into at all, and the head of one Dallas foundation repair company says breaking through structurally suspended flat slabs should be avoided although properly re-poured patches are secure.
Breaking through the slab has some serious disadvantages for homeowners. Foremost is that you have to live somewhere else while the work is being done the water is shut off, the noise from jackhammers and saws is deafening, and the dust in the air requires you to cover everything.
In addition, the soil that is removed either is left in a big pile in your home while work proceeds or is taken out with wheelbarrows. The flooring in affected rooms usually must be replaced , and you will have added costs for lodging and meals. As should be apparent, breaking through a slab to repair a slab leak also can be quite expensive.
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Raised Dome In The Floor
If a leak is severe enough and lasts for a while, you may notice damage to your flooring in the form of warps in the shape of the floor. A common phenomenon in severe water damage is the formation of a “dome,” or raised area in the floor. While the presence of a dome in your floor can give you a good indication of the leak’s location, it also means that there is severe damage occurring to your home’s foundation.
Prevent Water From Seeping Through Your Foundation
Maintenance
In order to keep water away from your foundation, you need to have proper surface drainage around your home. Be sure to clear your gutters of any dirt, leaves, and debris so that when it rains, water does not overflow. When gutters overflow, water pours directly along your foundation walls and can seep into your basement. Another tip is to make sure your downspouts are extended at least 10 feet away from your home so that they are effectively directing water away from your foundation.
Install a Drainage System
Another option is to install a sump pump. If your property is prone to water drainage because it is at the bottom of a hill or close to a source of water, you may want to think about installing a sump pump. A sump pump drains excess water away from your property by allowing water to flow into a sump pit through drains or by natural water migration through the soil. The water is then pumped of the pit and away from the building so that your basement or crawlspace stays dry.
Build a Retaining Wall
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What You Need To Know About Buying A House On A Concrete Slab
Some houses dont have a basement or crawl space under them but are simply built on a concrete slabperhaps because the house sits on bedrock or a high water table. The concrete is poured onto the ground all at one time. Some foundations have post-tension cables or are reinforced with steel rods called rebar so that the slab can bear the weight of the house. The house is then constructed on top of this concrete foundation.
Slab foundations are more common in southern states with warm climates, where the ground is less likely to freeze and cause the foundation to crack. Here’s a look at the pros and cons that come with a slab foundation.
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Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Slab Leaks
In a cruel addition of insult to injury, many homeowners find to their surprise that their homeowners insurance will be of little help paying for slab leak repair. Do not assume you are covered, ask. Insurance companies deal more in the sudden and catastrophic than gradual damage over time. They usually chalk up such gradual damage to poor maintenance, for which they are not liable.
If a pipe beneath the slab were to burst suddenly, your policy may provide some coverage. But thats not how most slab leaks work. They may go years without being detected, slowly dripping away money and washing away soil. Seepage, or leakage, is usually provided by optional coverage that most people dont purchase, mainly because they are unaware it exists.
Those who have leakage coverage in most cases will have coverage for foundation and slab repairs, but not the expense of the plumbing work. Their consolation is that the foundation or slab work usually is the biggest part of the cost. If you have this coverage it is essential to know if there is a sub-limit on the total amount covered.
A sub-limit is a kind of a gotcha that limits the insurance companys liability for specific types of coverage, which usually includes seepage. Do not assume it is the full amount of your property coverage.
Sagging Or Uneven Floors
If youve noticed that your floors are out of level or appear to be sagging, bowing or dipping, this could indicate trouble. When foundation issues impact pier and beam foundations, floors have a tendency to sag and squeak. Where concrete slabs are concerned, floors are prone to be uneven or out of level. Since slab foundations are positioned directly on the ground and pier and beam foundations are not, they are affected differently. While both may have flooring issues, the signs of damage dont look the same.
In addition to being unsightly, sagging or uneven floors are dangerous, especially for small children, elderly individuals or people who are physically impaired. Over time, floors that initially appear to be out of level by ½ or so, may become uneven by 1-1/2-2. To avoid hazards like this, have your foundation fixed as soon as possible. Foundation movementis something youll want to stop.
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Fix Grading To Stop Water From Pooling Around The Foundation
Check the slope of the ground around your house. The soil should gradually slope away from the foundation, toward the yard. The goal of yard grading is to create proper drainage to prevent water buildup around the foundation. To fix or improve the grading, add soil around the foundation to create the proper slope. Depending on how big the house is, this could be a time-consuming project, so consider consulting with a landscaper if you dont have the capacity to do it yourself.
Doors That Stick Or Dont Open And Close Properly
If youve noticed that your doors are sticking, thats frequently an indication there is some sort of problem with your foundation. When interior doors are affected, they tend to stick or drag at the top. Exterior doors with foundation issues are more likely to drag at the threshold or hang down at the top and appear uneven. For example, the top left side of the door may be higher than the top right side of it is. It could be off by as little as ¼, but the difference come become ½ or larger. French doors or other kinds of double doors may not meet in the middle or hang correctly. This is an issue that is commonly affects all kinds of slab and pier and beam foundations, regardless of whether its on a house or commercial structure. No property is immune from this form of trouble.
Sometimes doors stick and dont open and close properly due to humidity . This is often the case during the 2-3 day period immediately following a heavy rain or severe flooding. Of course, if you also notice foundation cracks or other sorts of fractures in and around your home or commercial property, it can be a sign of settling in your foundation. When foundation damage has occurred, end escalating problems quickly by contacting a qualified contractor. You could be experiencing foundation failure.
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Drill A Hole To Replace A Section Of The Pipe
If a small portion of a pipe is broken, a normal solution to fix this problem is to drill through the concrete slab to replace a short section of the damaged water pipe. This is not a popular option with homeowners because it requires removing wood or tile floors to gain access to the concrete slab.
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What Are The Signs That I Need To Repair A Leak
If you have a leak in your home, it’s important to get it repaired as soon as possible. Leaks can cause serious damage to your property and can lead to expensive repairs.
Signs of a Water Leak:
- Water stains on your walls or ceiling: This is one of the most obvious signs that you have a leak. If you see water stains, it means that water is seeping through somewhere and causing damage.
- Mold or mildew: Leaks can often lead to mold or mildew growth. If you see mold or mildew, it’s important to get the leak fixed as soon as possible.
- Cracks in your walls or ceiling: Leaks can cause cracks to form in your walls or ceiling. If you see cracks, it’s a good idea to get the leak fixed before it gets worse.
- High water bills: Leaks can often lead to higher than normal water bills. If you notice that your water bill is higher than usual, it’s a good idea to check for leaks.
If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to get the leak fixed as soon as possible. Leaks can cause serious damage to your home and can be very expensive to repair. A professional plumber will be able to quickly fix the leak and prevent further damage to your home. Contact our leak detection pros in San Francisco today to schedule a leak inspection.
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