What Is A Foundation?
Every constructed building has a foundation to anchor it to the ground and support its weight. Besides creating an underground space within a house, a basement or crawl space is also the building’s foundation. The foundation needs to be built underground, below the frost line or at least 3’6” deep in New Jersey. When you have a full basement, you will naturally have a deeper foundation averaging about 8 feet.
By placing this four walled construction or foundation underground, you are effectively creating a barrier to the tremendous forces exerted by the dirt and ground water. However, a foundation is NOT a waterproofing barrier. To protect your basement from water damage, a comprehensive Foundation Waterproofing System is required. In fact, all design plans for new construction in New Jersey include a comprehensive Foundation
Waterproofing System that needs to be built to code before your house can be occupied.

How Does My Original Foundation Waterproofing Work?
Your original foundation waterproofing was installed at the time your house was built by the masonry crew constructing your foundation. The original foundation waterproofing consists of a coat of asphalt tar to waterproof the foundation walls and a foundation drain at the base of the wall to drain rain water. The foundation drains discharge away from the house either by a sump pump or via gravity to the storm drain system. Water will leak into your basement when the original foundation waterproofing fails.

Why Do I Have Water In My Basement?
You have water in your basement because the foundation waterproofing system that was originally installed in your basement failed.

Why Is My Original Foundation Waterproofing Not Working?
The original waterproofing system usually fails because it is not professionally installed and the building inspections are not rigorous enough on this matter to prevent future problems. Some of the common problems with poorly installed foundation waterproofing include:

• Pipes crushed upon backfilling
• Pipes do not lead out anywhere
• Not enough crushed stones to filter water and mud causing pipes to clog over time
• Pipes do not exist or do not pitch
• Poorly applied waterproofing coat of tar, allowing water to seep through the concrete wall

What Are The Signs That My Basement Is Leaking?
Finding water after a rain storm is definitely NOT a good sign. Other signs that should not be ignored are:

• Mold
• Efflorescence (white powder residue on foundation walls)
• Dampness
• Musty Smell

How Can I Keep My Basement Dry?
In some cases, you can keep your basement dry by taking a few simple measurements that are inexpensive to implement. Before making a large investment in your basement, it is a good idea to check the following:

 Grading, Gutters And Downspouts Check that all patios and sidewalks as well as grassed and landscaped areas slope away from your house. Make sure water does not form puddles around the foundation. Clean your gutters regularly and make sure your downspouts discharge water at least 15 feet away from your house so that the water is not draining back to the foundation. Preferably, have all your downspouts connected to a proper discharge location such as the storm drain in the street or a drywell. Remember, if water already seeps through your foundation walls, fixing your downspouts and grading will only fix part of the problem. When it comes to grading, surface water will fall down the slope, but this slope does not dictate the direction water travels underground. You can refer to our Landscape Drainage System for more information on how to move rain water away from your property.  Basement Doors And Windows Water often enters from basement doors and windows. If water is coming into the basement through the basement door or Bilco or cellar doors, replacing the door and installing a proper door drain is usually sufficient to solve your water problem. Below grade basement windows can collect water and retain it, allowing water to seep through the window frame on sills. Window wells filled with gravel can effectively prevent water retention and seepage. If you have an existing interior Water Management System, it is recommended that you install Window Well Taps on every below grade window.  Humidity And Condensation Controls Sometimes rain water coming from outside your foundation seeps and stays trapped inside cinder block walls or porous concrete walls. If this water does not reach your floor, you do not have a flooding problem. However, this water trapped inside walls causes immediate dampness in your basement and over time can also damage the foundation integrity. By installing a good humidity control device such as a dehumidifier, you will absorb excess moisture from your basement whenever the humidity reaches undesirable levels. A dehumidifier does not substitute the Water Management System. Other sources of water and humidity in the basement are water pipes. Cold water pipes develop condensation, especially if they are located near the furnace or other heat source. Insulating the water pipes usually fixes this problem.
However, if these quick fixes do not solve your water problems, you should strongly consider installing either a Water Management System or Exterior Foundation Waterproofing System. These are the only two systems that will give you a 100% guarantee that you will have a dry basement for life.

I Have A Gap Between My Floor And The Wall. Is This A French Drain?
Yes it is. During construction, many houses are suited with a "French Drain" and many others are suited with foundation drains. Unfortunately, these drains were most likely installed by someone other than a qualified waterproofing company and sooner or later fail. French Drains give a false sense of security and are not reliable. To avoid any water, mold, or structural problems in your basement, you need to have a Basement Water Management System in place.

I Have Water Comming From My Floor, Is This The Raising Water Table?
When water is coming from the floor and not from the walls is understandable that most people would think the source of this water must be the rising water table. But in fact, unless your house was built on wetlands, watertable is NOT to blame when this happens but Hydrostatic Pressure. As water infiltrates through porous spaces in the soil, gravity will make it descend in all directions. When water touches your basement walls, it will move downward to the base of it and where your original foundation drains are located. On a torrential rain storm, more water will move in this area then your original foundation drains can move out causing it to fail. That's when a large volume of water will accumulate behind your foundation walls creating Hydrostatic Pressure. This pressure will build up to the point where water is pushed under the basement floor and starts to push upwards in the effort to finding a weak point. When Hydrostatic Pressure builds up, water will find a weak point, and even when you don't have any cracks on the walls or floor, water will find the Cove Area existing in every foundation (Cove Area is the space created by the junction between the walls and the floor). See fig. 1.6
To correct this problem and avoid aggravations such as structural damage or mold, you will need to relieve the Hydrostatic Pressure by effectively moving water away from your foundation. This can only be permanently done with the implementation of a Basement Water Management System or a Basement Waterproofing System.

Do I Have Mold Growing In My Basement?
Mold cannot grow without water. If you have a water-damaged area that is left untreated for more than 24-48 hours, it is possible you have mold, even if it is not clearly visible. Mold reproduces by means of microscopic spores that float through outdoor and indoor air. Mold begins growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. Though mold is part of our natural environment outdoors, mold must be avoided indoors because of its danger to our health. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem as soon as possible.

Can Mold Cause Health Problems?
Yes, mold can become a health problem indoors when it comes in contact with water. When this happens, mold will start to grow and contaminate the air with allergens, irritants and in some cases, toxic substances. Health problems can range from moderate to severe allergic reactions such as sneezing, runny nose, itching, and asthma. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem as soon as possible.

How Do I Get Rid Of Mold?
It is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors because a small percentage of mold spores will always be present in the air and in house dust. This is not dangerous to our health as long as the mold spores do not multiply by coming into contact with moisture. Mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present. Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem as soon as possible. If you choose to hire a contractor to do the cleanup, make sure the contractor has experience cleaning up mold and solving the water and moisture problem. Also ask the contractor to follow the recommendations in EPA's Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings, the guidelines of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), or other guidelines from professional or government organizations. For more information on these guidelines please visit the US Environmental Protection Agency by clicking the link below:

http://www.epa.gov/mold/table2.html

Amazonia Waterproofing Mold Remediation Technicians have been removing mold for over ten years in the New Jersey area. We follow all EPA guidelines and procedures when removing mold growth in your basement. Our Mold Remediation Technicians also block future mold growth by using humidity control devices and fixing the water problem.