Flooded Basement Needs System to Stay Dry All the Time

Tuesday, November 21st, 2023 by Niles Erickson

Challenge

When a basement is finished, it becomes a useful extension of a home's living space, beyond just storage or a place to do the laundry. For this homeowner in Bedford, NH, the rooms they had in their finished basement area were used as an office and an entertainment room for the family. They had lived in their home since 1985, and the rooms were used often. That is until the heavy rains hit over the summer of 2023 in New Hampshire, and their basement flooded multiple times. At one point, they had 3 inches of standing water in their basement. Most of the water entering the basement was coming in through the bulkhead and the rear foundation wall of the house. All the organic material in this home's basement (drywall, carpet, flooring, wood framing, etc.) had to be removed, replaced, and reinstalled so that the family could once again enjoy their finished basement space. However, before refinishing the basement, the homeowner knew they needed to take steps to protect their home prior to spending all that money to finish it again. The last thing they wanted was another flooded basement and more water damage to their home and belongings.

They reached out to our Erickson Foundation Solutions team, and one of our waterproofing specialists, Josh Phillips, met with the homeowners to learn about their goals, inspect the home and determine the best solution and products for them, and to help assure them they had contacted the right company to water proof their basement.

Ultimately, the homeowners wanted the repairs done right. This meant they wanted assurance their basement would never flood again, and their home would stay dry ALL the time.

Josh proposed the following products and services to help the homeowners;

135' of perimeter drainage (WaterGuard) along the base of the foundation walls to capture water
15' of Trench Drain WaterGuard to capture water at the bottom of the stairs and around oil tank
Demo and removal of concrete and wall material
TripleSafe sump pump system, complete with battery back-up
IceGuard, to prevent the discharge line from freezing in the winter
Discharge lines, ensuring the water is pumped out and away from the home.
SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier to control moisture levels in the basement
Erickson's Care Club program, providing annual maintenance for the sump pump and dehumidifier systems

Solution

Our crew arrived on the scheduled day of their project, and before beginning their work did one more walkthrough with the homeowner to confirm they were helping them achieve the goals they wanted for protecting their home. When installing a complete waterproofing system along the perimeter of a foundation and basement, the first step is to jack hammer and chip out all the concrete at the base of the walls to make room for the drainage system. The homeowners still had some possessions and items in storage in the basement, and so our crews covered these items with plastic to ensure everything would stay clean. The jack hammering process is extremely dusty and loud, but a necessary step to ensure the proper drainage channels can be installed.

With the demolition aspect of the project completed, the team got to work laying out the WaterGuard channels along the perimeter. In total, they laid out 135 feet of water drainage, ensuring that any water entering the basement through the foundation walls would be captured and directed to flow towards the sump pump basin. The Trench Drain channels were also laid in place during this process, along the base of the bulkhead stairs and around large obstructions like the oil tank.

Once the perimeter drainage system was installed, and the TripleSafe basin was in place, the channels were tested with water to ensure it flowed properly towards the basin that would house the sump pump itself. It's important to test each system prior to casting all the components in place with concrete. After a successful test, the crews got to work mixing and pouring concrete over the WaterGuard channels, which was also sitting within crushed stone to allow proper flow and drainage. The basin for the water and pump was also cast in place in the concrete.

The TripleSafe sump pump system installed included a 1/3 HP (horse power) cast iron primary AC pump, as well as a 1/2 HP back-up pump, as well as an UltraSump battery back-up pumping system. The battery back-up system comes with a charging control box with an alarm, a 120 amp sealed, maintenance free battery. The WaterWatch alarm system is also battery powered and alerts the homeowner if water is ever near the surface of the basin due to system failure of any kind. This would allow the homeowner time to call for emergency waterproofing service if ever needed. The lid of the water pump basin is also air tight, which is important if the homeowner has or ever needs to install a radon mitigation system. Air tight means no unwanted air or moisture will escape the basin.

With the water drainage and sump pump systems fully installed, the final step was installation of the SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier system. This is a high performance system with an automatic drain into the sump pump basin. The homeowner will never have to worry about emptying buckets of water or checking water levels. It's as simple as setting the desired humidity levels and walking away. For filters, the SaniDry utilizes high efficiency Merv 8 filters. These filters will be changed as needed during the annual maintenance the homeowner signed up for as well.

The homeowners wanted peace of mind that their basement would never flood again, and that is exactly what they received. They were completely satisfied with the through proposal and expertly installed system, and were able to continue with their remodel plans and refinishing their basement.