Water Seeping into Basement, Andover, MA

Friday, November 10th, 2023 by Travis Kellogg

Challenge

This homeowner in Andover, Massachusetts, had purchased their home 5 years ago. The home was originally built in the 1940s but has had some additions added to it. The basement has an existing sump pump but water still collects in the basement. They have seen water enter from the bulkhead and the floors. The homeowner even had to replace the door frame that separated the bulkhead from the basement because of mildew and water damage. The homeowners are tired of dealing with these water issues and want to find a permanent solution.

The homeowners decided to call EFS for a free inspection of their basement. Our Design Specialist Nikki Burke met with the homeowners and looked down at the basement. She spent a long time in the basement to find the location of the water penetration and a permanent solution for the homeowners.

Solution

After Nikki completed her inspection, she recommended installing a new sump pump, WaterGuard, TrenchDrain, Drop Down Duct, IceGuard, CleanSpace, and CleanSpace Wall into the basement to keep the basement dry and prevent further water seepage.

Our installation team began by removing the old sump pump system. The sump was located in a small hall close to where the door separating the bulkhead was. We used jackhammers to break up the concrete to free the sump pump. Once the sump pump was removed we chipped out a small area where we could install our perimeter drainage and new sump pump. The new pump and drainage were installed and the team began to plumb the sump pump to the exterior of the home. Our team followed the old sump pump plumbing to the exterior of the home where we installed 2 IceGuards and 10' of buried exterior drainage line.

After the sump was installed and plumbed to the exterior of the home we returned to the basement to begin to install more drainage. Our team removed the stairs from the bulkhead so we could install Drop Down Duct so any water coming through the bulkhead would be guided toward the sump pump to prevent the build-up of mold and mildew. To install the ducts we chipped out a small amount of concrete so we could create a path where water would travel downhill. Now we've reached the door separating the bulkhead from the inside of the basement. To allow water to pass through the door without allowing water to cause mold or mildew on the frame we installed TrenchDrain and interior drainage lines. The drainage will collect water before it gets to the door and then carry the water in drainage pipes set under the door and carry it a few feet to the sump pump.

Once all of the drainage was installed and had been tested, the team then mixed up concrete and poured it around the sump and over the drainage to lock everything into place. While the concrete was curing the team then began encapsulating the bulkhead area with CleanSpace. We used CleanSpace to control the moisture entering the bulkhead. After the CleanSpace was installed the project was complete.

The homeowners were very pleased with the results of the project. They don't have to worry about water entering their basement or mildew under that door again.