SERVICES Ken Davis RHI #258 BC/12 Registered Home Inspector and Certified Wood Burning Appliance Inspector www.allprohomeinspection.ca WET BASEMENTS Uncontrolled water has the ability to cause significant damage to your home beyond the inconvenience caused from a wet basement. Your attention to keeping water away from your home, by maintaining a proper Surface Water Management Plan will prove to be worth your time and effort. A proper Surface Water Management Plan assures that surface water (rain water, snow melt or sump discharge) is properly directed away from the home and off your property and does not become subsurface water that can adversely impact your home. The building grade plan for your home defines the approved Surface Water Management Plan for your lot and home. It is important to maintain the plan to keep water away from your home. Settlement When the clay backfill material installed around the perimeter of your home settles, it results in the soil sloping toward the foundation, which in turn causes water to drain toward your home, possibly leaking into the basement. Typically during construction the excavation for your basement extends 3 to 4 feet past the foundation walls to allow the Builder to install foundation form work and if required install the weeping tile and crushed rock before it is backfilled. The backfill is not as compact as the dense surrounding undisturbed soil which may trap the water in the excavated area next to your foundation. Surface Water Management Annually, Alberta receives approximately 14 inches (355 mm) of rain between the months of May to October. Dawson Creek receives 325 mm 13.5 inches. On a typical 40 x 110 lot this would produce approximately 31,900 gallons (144,800 litres) of water! A 1/4 inch (6 mm) of rainfall onto a typical 40 x 110 lot would produce 571 gallons (2596 litres) of water. Annually the 14 inches of rainfall on the roof of a 2000 sq. ft. home would produce over 14,560 gallons (67,200 litres) of water which must be directed away from the foundation of the home. A 1/4 inch (6 mm) of rainfall onto the same home would produce 260 gallons (1,200 litres) of water which must be carried away by the downspouts. In addition you must consider the annual spring snow melt, plus your lawn and flower bed irrigation. In short, there is a lot of water! How Much Water? It is the homeowners responsibility to minimize the amount of water being potentially trapped near the Call 1-877-996-7465 foundation by: 1) Ensuring downspout extensions are down and clear of debris. This moves the roof water over the excavated area. 2) Filling settlement areas with clay (not topsoil) and ensuring a positive slope away from the foundation 10% is recommend. It is important to have a surface water management plan. Your plan should include: Maintaining positive lot drainage. Maintaining drainage swales as originally established. Ensuring downspout extensions are in the lowered position. Ensuring splash pads are placed at downspout and sump pump discharge locations. Ensuring the sump pump discharge is positioned to drain away from the home. Making certain that the area under decks and stairs is filled with clay and sloped away Continued on page 5
www.allprohomeinspection.ca FREE INFORMATION FOR OUR REAL ESTATE Call 1-877-996-7465 CLIENTS. How do I Make my Basement Waterproof? Current building code requires moisture protection to be applied on the outside of the concrete wall. The code requirements vary slightly from region to region, but the basics (and don t forget the code is the minimum standard) include: 1. weeping tile at the base of the concrete foundation wall. 2. properly functioning eavestroughs and downspouts that direct water away from the house 3. a drainage membrane against the wall, sprayed-on waterproofing material 1. Weeping Tile A properly installed weeping tile will divert water away from the bottom of your foundation and will help prevent moisture seepage on your basement floor. Most building codes require some type of drain tile or pipe around a foundation. For years homes have been built with weeping tile laid at the bottom of your foundation, next to the footings. The idea is that all ground water that seeps down to the footing from the surface or that percolates up from sources below will find its way into the weeping tile and be carried away. The point is to take excess ground water away from your home. The system works on gravity the weeping tile slopes away from your home and the water flows into the municipal storm sewer buried in the street. (Understand the storm sewer is not the same as the sanitary sewer, though in some older municipalities they are still connected.)water will always follow the path of least resistance it s easier to move through the weeping tile than through your basement s concrete wall. But if there s a blockage, or broken tile, the water has nowhere to go, and it will find its way into your basement. (Remember, concrete is porous it s like a sponge. It holds water, and will allow water to pass through.)for years weeping tile was made up of short lengths of clay tube, laid end to end. Water would get into the tile through the gaps between the pieces of pipe and flow away. But lots can go wrong: Clay weeping tile will crush and break over time and due to pressure. Tree roots will infiltrate the tile and either break it, or plug it. Soil movement due to frost--freeze and thaw--can shift the sections of tile so they no longer connect. Basically, old clay weeping tile systems stop working properly after a few decades.these days weeping tile is basically a 4 plastic hose perforated with holes that allow water to enter. It s usually covered with a sock or net to prevent silt and soil from filling the tube over time, which would eventually block it and make it useless. Odds are, if you ve got water coming into your basement your weeping tile might be a problem. The first thing to do is to have a professional scope your weeping tile and drainage. They will run a video camera down the length of tile and see if it s broken or damaged, or if it s been filled with tree roots or debris. If it s bad, the best solution is to remove and replace your weeping tile a huge job. You ll have to excavate around the outside of your house down to the footings, then replace the weeping tile. While the exterior of your foundation is exposed, it s a good idea to check it over carefully, repair and patch any cracks you may have, then properly waterproof the foundation. But, sometimes it s not possible to do a full excavation around the exterior of your home--because of neighbouring houses, driveways or buildings. And, it s very expensive, no question. 2. Eavestroughs and Downspouts The first priority here is to make sure surface water is kept away from your home s foundation. You should also make sure your soil is graded so it slopes away from the house. That way rain, snowmelt and all surface water is going to drain away from your foundation walls, instead of next to them in that area of loose, open soil. Also, you should consider adjusting your landscaping and your landscaping practices. Don t have garden beds up against basement walls, and change how you irrigate. Make sure your downspouts are directed away from your homes, and are lengthened so they expel water farther away from your foundation. 3. Drainage membrane and spray-on waterproofing Years ago, technology had not advanced very far as far as waterproofing went. Houses were built, and their basements often had no waterproofing at all, or at best they had a layer of parging or a painted tar-like sealant. Parging is like stucco. It applies well to a moistened wall to keep the mortar from drying too quickly. The traditional method of waterproofing a concrete block foundation is to parge on two coats of mortar (1/4" thick) and then to apply a tar compound on top of that. Another line of defense is some sort of exterior coating on the foundation walls. These are put into two different groups; damp proof and waterproof. Damp proof coatings are typically thin asphalt-based solutions that are sprayed or painted onto a foundations' exterior (asphalt coatings makes concrete less porous). Over time it can lose its effectiveness as it emulsifies. These coatings are often only guaranteed for a year or so.
Waterproof coatings are a mixture of rubber and asphalt of varying proportions. It s probably triple the price of damp proof coating, but both types are sprayed on. Waterproof coatings are heated and then put on thicker than damp proof. The higher the rubber content, the better the performance, and the more expensive. They are flexible, and so will give with shifting, expansion and contraction so they ll last for years. To protect any coatings' integrity when the foundation is backfilled, many contractors cover the sealed concrete with what is know as protection board: sheets of fiberglass, rock wool, or extruded polystyrene foam. Warranties of 20 years for these products are not uncommon. In terms of thermal insulation, the use of rigid insulation applied to the exterior of the foundation wall has been used to reduce dampness and heat loss. Generally rigid insulation is applied to the previously waterproofed wall with a suitable adhesive. Drainage membrane, or dimpled membrane, is 100% waterproof layer that is applied as the final layer in your basement s waterproofing. Interior Weeping Tile If you can t excavate around your basement walls and waterproof with spray on waterproof foundation coatings and drainage membranes, you need another solution. The only one I will accept is when you install an interior weeping system hooked up to a sump pump. But make sure the sump expels the excess water far enough away from the house or it will find a way back in. Another option is to install an interior weeping tile system. I don t prefer this method, but it does work. In my opinion, it s better to stop water from getting into your basement in the first place, rather than remove it once it s inside. To install an interior system, the basement floor will need to be broken out in a trench about 18 from the wall, then excavated to below the depth of the footings. Weeping tile is laid at the bottom of the trench, next to the footing, and hooked up to the sump pump. (The weeping tile is then covered with gravel, and the concrete floor re-poured.) Sump Pumps A sump pump is an electric water pump that sits in a reservoir (tank) below the level of the basement floor. The tank is the hole the pump sits in. A sump pump is set into a sump pit basically a big hole in the basement floor. Water from the weeping tile gathers there and is pumped up and out, to be discharged outside your foundation. But you need to make sure that discharge pipe takes the water away from your home, either through a French drain or pipe. If it just releases it on the outside of your basement wall (and believe me, I ve seen it) where do you think that water is going to go? Right back to where it came from your footings. It will end up right back in your sump pump, circulating until the pump burns out. In fact, failure of a sump pump is one of the most common reasons for basement flooding. Relying on electrical power can be a problem with these units. When they are needed most (like during a heavy thunderstorm) is exactly the time when electricity can go out. Consider having a battery powered backup sump pump, with an alarm in case the power goes in during a heavy rainstorm. Make sure your sump pump discharges on your property not onto your neighbours and keep it away from sidewalks, driveways and streets. There are two types. A pedestal-type pump has a motor that sits on top of a long pipe. The pipe extends to a base in the bottom of the sump pit. When water comes into the pit it moves a float that starts the motor and pumps the water out. A submersible sump pump is another style of pump. These sit completely in the tank (pit). Sump pumps need some maintenance. This includes checking the float. We do this by pouring water into the pit to make sure the float rises and triggers the pump to fire up. If it s working right, the water level will drop fast and the pump will shut off. Also, the tank needs cleaning now and then because they can collect debris. The same is true for the sump pump input filters. Cleaning these means pulling the pump out of the pit. Make sure to disconnect it from its power source and piping first If I find a crack in my basement wall, can it be sealed? Yes. A professional contractor can seal the crack with hydraulic cement or epoxy.
How home inspector report writing has changed over the year. By Scott M. Warga, ACSI American Construction Specialists & Investigations LLC 1976 The kitchen faucet leaks. 1981 The kitchen faucet leaked. 1986 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection. 1990 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired. 1994 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced. 1998 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced by a licensed plumber. 2001 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced by a licensed plumber before close of escrow. 2004 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced by a licensed plumber before close of escrow to prevent water damage. 2007 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced to prevent water damage and possible mold growth. Recommend further evaluation by a licensed plumber before close of escrow since he might identify additional problems that are not apparent to a generalist home inspector. 2010 The kitchen faucet leaked at the time of the inspection and needs to be repaired or replaced to prevent water damage and possible mold growth. Recommend further evaluation by a licensed plumber before close of escrow since he might identify additional problems that are not apparent to a generalist home inspector. If further evaluation and repair or replacement is not done before closed of escrow, or before you move in, the drip-drip-drip of the faucet could keep you awake at night. That would cause you to not get a sufficient amount of sleep at night, resulting in you being tired and drowsy at work, resulting in you not getting the raise or the promotion that you were hoping for to help pay the mortgage on your new property. Additionally, if mold grows, you could become sick, and your sickness, coupled with your lack of sleep, might cause you to seek the advice of your family doctor, who might prescribe some medicines that are not covered by your health insurance plan. The additional health expenses, coupled with the raise and promotion at work that you did not get due to your lack of sleep, might add additional financial stress to your monthly budget, causing you to become further and further behind, and more quickly, in your mortgage payments, ultimately resulting in foreclosure on your new property. Once foreclosure happens, you might find yourself sleeping under the I-805 bridge with San Diego River frontage property. When that happens, please contact me to inspect your new property.
Continued on page 5 from the home. Properly designing flower beds that are located next to the foundation wall. Using caution when watering directly against the foundation wall and when using irrigation systems. Other References: Your local municipality office Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Professional Landscapers Principles of Surface Water Management Settlement Window Wells Eavestrough & Downspouts Weeping Tile Sump System Lot Grading Swales Landscaping. It is necessary to properly fill depressions after the soil has settled. Begin by removing the topsoil and filling the depression with compacted clay ensuring it slopes away from the foundation. Then replace the topsoil. Don t fill the settlement with topsoil as topsoil acts like a sponge and holds the water. Customer Testimonials Thank you for the card you sent. It's very refreshing to see some businesses still add a personal touch and exceed customer service expectations. We were very happy about how quick and efficient the whole process of having our wood stove inspected was, especially with us living 2 hours away from you. Thanks so much, Cassie Haagsman & Royce Star Jamie Moore Message : Thank you so much for the card! We were very very happy with our inspection. They did a very thorough job and showed us so many things we would never have seen on our own. They are also two great people and a pleasure to be around and do business with :) Thanks again!! A note from Ken and Sue May is upon us and Spring is on way? We are sure it is on the way and we are so ready for warmer weather. We keep busy.. Thanks to many of you and your clients and Our Website is a wonderful tool, Thanks to Gordon Currie. If you want to check it out or not seen it lately please click on our site www.allprohomeinspection.ca EnJoy. Ken says we cant bring out the boat yet, but I am sure many of you are ready for Summer also. Have a Special month of May. Cheers to Everyone Ken and Sue