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When you find yourself knee or ankle deep in water in your basement , you know that you definitely have a seepage problem. Seepage at this level often indicates a high water table. This may be permanent or a temporary situation. Water tables often rise when snow melts and during heavy rainfall. When the dry season comes around, the water table drops back to a lower level.

Whether the situation is seasonal or permanent, it is important to ensure that your foundation is protected from future seepage. You’ll need to contact a professional waterproofing contractor for help.

Keeping Your Basement Dry

When the water table around your foundation is high, your foundation walls are subjected to high hydrostatic pressure. Water will try to find the path of least resistance and that leads right into your basement. If you want to prevent water from flooding your basement, your contractor will apply methods to relieve the pressure.

The most effective way to relieve hydrostatic pressure is by installing a drainage system around the foundation. This prevents the water table from rising around the foundation by guiding water away from the foundation.

You will have the option of installing an interior or exterior drainage system.

1. Exterior drain tile

The installation involves the excavation of the soil around the exterior of the foundation. The drainage system is placed along the foundation wall. They are placed in a way to encourage water to flow by gravity away from the foundation wall.

2. Interior drain tile

This is installed along the inside surface of the foundation walls. It requires the removal of the section of the basement floor that runs along the perimeter of the wall. The drainage system is installed along the foundation wall.

If you have a block foundation, your contractor may choose to have weep holes drilled into blocks to remove any water from within the blocks.

Why you need a professional contractor

Installing drain tile may seem simple. After all, it only involves digging up a section of the ground, filling it with gravel and installing a perforated pipe. However, these systems are vulnerable to clogging. If not installed properly, you may make a bad situation worse. Blocked drainage systems will result in increased hydrostatic pressure beneath the basement floor and on the outside of its walls.

You should ensure that your system is installed by a professional contractor. You should also ensure that they provide you with a warranty in case of future problems with the system.