Dry Basements Continued...

Taking a break from wrapping gifts...let's talk basement issues - footer tile.

A footer tile issue is the easiest to diagnose; the most expensive to repair. Reason? It's the farthest issue below earth. Diagnosing is easy. Water is coming onto the floor, ONLY at the wall floor seam. Footer tile failure can result from several issues. They are...

Clay pipe - some older homes have clay pipe as footer tiles. Well, clay tile breaks. Tree roots and earth's pressures are the largest culprits causing the destruction of the tile. The only repair is to excavate to the footer and replace. This is why the majority of new homes use hard plastic piping (PVC).

Installed incorrectly (1) - The new PVC footer tile has a pair of holes that run alongside the bottom, allowing water to enter and be channeled away from the home. Unfortunately, HZG has seen his share of incorrectly installed tile - holes up. Yep, simply installing the piping upside down will result in water not being able to gain entry into the pipe...then into your basement it goes.

Installed incorrectly (2) - The footer tile needs to be relatively level next to the footer. HZG has seen several tiles installed over clumps of dirt, creating severe "humps." These humps cause a belly, not allowing water to travel - except into your basement.

Installed incorrectly (3) - Only once I've seen this, but once was enough. The footer tile was installed ON TOP of the footer, next to the wall. The water was right there as the basement wall, begging to come in. And it did...

Not enough gravel - If there isn't enough gravel installed over the pipe on the footer, dirt compacts over the tile. This dirt blocks water from entering the tile (once again, allowing it to enter the basement).

Besides excavating to repair the footer tile, the abundance of water also causes damage to waterproofing and repelling systems. These systems are designed to get water away from the structure. They are NOT designed as pool liners.

Next Topic: Dry Basements Continued...Below Grade Walls