Flooded Basement, Greenland, NH

Challenge

A basement can stay dry for years and years, while on the outside of the foundation walls, the conditions are slowly developing and building up like a water dam. And then that day arrives where the dam can no longer hold, and all of a sudden that once dry basement is flooded. 

Unfortunately, that is what happened for these homeowners in Greenland, NH. They had a partially finished basement, and used the unfinished section as storage for goods, tools, seasonal items, and more. One night they found that several sections of their basement were sitting in inches of water, somehow having entered through the foundation walls. They called Erickson Foundation Solutions and connected with Justin, our service technician, who is available 24 hours a day for emergency waterproofing situations. It was late at night, and Justin informed the homeowners there was little he could do at that moment since they did not have any sump pump system installed for him to take a look at or service. However, Justin connected with them first thing the next morning on Saturday, and helped them by designing a waterproofing system to ensure their basement would never be flooded again. 

When designing the best solution for a wet basement, careful measurements are needed in order to determine the low spot of the space. Water flows downhill, and so the low spot will become the location of the sump pump since all the water entering the basement will naturally flow there.  If the sump pump is not located in the lowest spot, water will collect and build up, eventually flooding the basement again. 

Some of the key items Justin confirmed;

• Determine the low spot where the water will always flow to
• Ensure the basement will stay dry ALL the time, no matter what
• Ensure the homeowners items are moved away from the walls so the system can be installed

Solution

The homeowners wanted a permanent solution to ensure their basement would stay dry all the time. Some waterproofing systems will work for small amounts of water, or 'most' of the time. But what they wanted and needed here was a system that would be reliable during the heaviest of rain storms. They never wanted to have a flooded basement again. 

While Justin inspected their basement, he explained the TripleSafe sump pump and how reliable of a system it would be for them. With a battery backup built into the system, along with an alarm and two discharge lines, the system is the best on the market for ensuring the basement will stay dry ALL the time. 

Within days, our production team was on site and installing the waterproofing system, which involved;

• Full perimeter drainage with WaterGaurd. Any water entering through the walls of the foundation are guaranteed to be captured by this system. 
• Installation of the TripleSafe sump pump at the low spot of the basement.
• The team tests and ensures that all water entering the Waterguard tracks will flow downhill and directly into the sump pump basin where it can be pumped out.
• On the outside of the foundation wall where the water is pumped out to, the system also has an IceGuard, which helps prevent the water in the discharge line from freezing in the winter, which would cause a backup in the pump and lead to water overflowing into the basement.
• Once the system is tested and approved, the crews mix and install new concrete over the perimeter drain and around the pump basin. 
• The final step is a cleanup of the basement so the homeowner can move back into their space. 

In addition to having the TripleSafe sump pump system installed, these homeowners will also have the extra benefit of the Erickson Care Club. This annual maintenance program will involve our service team checking up on their sump pump system once a year to ensure everything is operating correctly and smoothly. With a superior system installed and the service team to back it up, these homeowners have peace of mind knowing their basement will not flood again. 

Project Summary

Service Technician: Justin Colins

Products Installed: TripleSafe Sump Pump, WaterGuard, IceGuard, Water Watch Alarm System

Lead Installer: Lorenzo Tirado