You are settled in your home, but your settlement could be an issue!
What is Backfill?
Your home sits on loose soil,also known as back fill. This soil is what builders dug out of the ground and then replaced when they built the foundation of your house. Back fill is the soil nearest and all around your home. If the soil is not well compacted, it will compress under the wight of the home and cause settlement. Most people associate settlement with homes that are very old, but this is still a problem even for new construction homes!
Why is Backfill an issue for your basement?
The reason soil settlement is dangerous to your home is because its looseness allows water to seep through faster and easier than virgin soil would. This causes water to constantly pushing against your foundation walls which leads to cracks in your foundation that allow water to pass through, and ultimately leave you with a wet basement. This water pressure is called hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is defined as pressure from a body of water at rest; the pressure is caused by the weight of the water. Settled soil has voids, and when those voids fill with water (during a rain storm), hydrostatic pressure pushes the water into your basement. The more water, the more pressure, the more pressure, the more water in your basement.
What should you do now?
Over time, the soil around your home will settle. It is a problem that all homes will eventually have. To avoid basement flooding due to hydrostatic pressure, Quality 1st Basement Systems installs the WaterGuard drainage system, complete with a lifetime warranty against ground water seepage. WaterGuard is a piping system that is designed to specifically waterproof your basement and will not clog due to the large holes in the back of the piping. With a full perimeter WaterGuard system and a Triple Safe sump pump you will never see ground water on your basement floor; these systems together offer full protection from a flooded basement. These systems will allow you to reclaim your unusable space, finish your basement with no worries, or prevent your basement from ever flooding.
Contact Quality 1st Basement Systems today for a free estimate.
