Wall Deflecting and Water Leaking, Epsom, NH

Challenge

A homeowner in Epsom, New Hampshire, had lived in their home since 1973. The home was built in 1968 and since they purchased it in 73 they had noticed water entering from the back side of their basement. The homeowners had installed drains but they only helped for a little while until the problem got worse in 2022. Along with the water entering the basement, they also noticed some movement in their back foundation wall. The wall looked like it was being pushed in and appeared to be flexing. 

The homeowner decided it was time to have someone take a look at their basement for a permanent fix. They decided they wanted a company that could look at their foundation wall and their water concerns. They found Erickson Foundation Solutions and gave us a call for a free inspection. 

Inspection

Our design specialist Tom Armano arrived at the home and met with the homeowner to inspect the foundation and answer any questions the homeowner might have. Before beginning his inspection, Tom first met with the homeowner to ask preliminary questions about the issues or concerns they had been experiencing. After Tom collected the information about the home and what they had experienced, he began to inspect the basement for their concerns. During his inspection, Tom determined that the wall movement and water issues were related to each other. Water from the exterior of the home was pushing on the foundation wall causing it to bow, otherwise known as hydrostatic pressure. The weight of the water was so great and it had no place to go, so it found the weakest place to enter from, which was the bottom of the foundation wall. 

Recommendation

To combat the hydrostatic pressure Tom recommended installing Geolock Wall Anchors along the entire back foundation wall. He then recommended WaterGuard, UltraSump, CleanSpace, and IceGuard to prevent water from collecting in the basement. 

Solution

Foundation Wall Repair

The first step of installing Geolocks was to designate which wall and how many anchors were to be installed. In this case, eight Geolocks were to be installed on the back foundation wall of the home. Our team began by measuring 10' feet away from the foundation wall into the yard. This distance will allow us to create a trench that will hold one end of our Geolock Anchor System. While one member of our team was digging the trench for the Geolocks the other members were marking where each of the Geolocks will be set on the foundation wall. Once all eight of the Geolock locations were marked the team then drilled a small hole where each marker was. By this time the trench was dug out and there were eight small holes in the foundation wall. The team then used a 10' steel rod and an impact gun to push it through the small hole in the foundation to the trench. When each rod reached the trench, the team then installed an anchor plate on either side of the rod. Once all of the rods had the anchor plates attached, the team then began tightening the plates, which will permanently keep the wall in place and prevent it from bowing in any further. The trench is then backfilled and the system is concealed.

CleanSpace

Following the Geolocks being installed, the team then began installing the CleanSpace over the Geolocks. CleanSpace is a super durable, 20mil plastic sheet material designed to permanently prevent moisture, outside air, and pests from getting into your basement or crawlspace. The team started by hanging CleanSpace from the top of the foundation wall using CleanSpace Tape. Starting at the top of the wall and moving down, the team set the CleanSpace over the Geolocks but made sure to keep the bolt for tightening and loosening the Geolocks exposed. The CleanSpace covered the entire wall to make sure water and moisture can't enter the basement.

Next, the team will install the WaterGuard and UltraSump. 

WaterGuard, UltraSump, and IceGuard

Now that the CleanSpace was installed, the team was able to move on to installing some water drainage. The team began by chipping out concrete from the base of the foundation wall. After the concrete was chipped out the team then placed the WaterGuard into the small trench and covered it lightly with crushed stone. The reason we like to pair CleanSpace with WaterGuard is that any water that enters from the wall will be collected by the CleanSpace and fed into the WaterGuard. Next, the team chipped out a basin for the UltraSump to be installed. The team removed enough dirt so the UltraSump can lie flush with the floor and collect water from the WaterGuard system. Once the WaterGuard and UltraSump were set up the team mixed up some concrete and poured concrete over the WaterGuard and around the UltraSump. While the concrete was curing over the WaterGuard and around the sump pump, the team plumbed the UltraSump and installed the IceGuard on the outside of the home. The IceGuard will prevent water from backing up into the basement due to the drainage line freezing or clogging.

Conclusion

The homeowner was very happy with the results of their project. Our team Installed 8 Geolocks to the back foundation wall, 48' of CleanSpace on the back foundation wall for moisture control, 48' of WaterGuard along the base of the wall, an UltraSump, and an IceGuard. Our team was able to stabilize the back foundation wall and stop water from entering the basement. It will now stay warm and dry all the time.

Project Summary

Crew Leader: Steve Maggio

Design Specialist: Tom Armano

Products Installed: CleanSpace, Geolocks, WaterGuard, UltraSump, and IceGuard

Concerns: Wall Deflecting and Water entering Basement