Old Bridge Home Needs Foundation Repair and Iron Ochre System

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014 by Cassandra Santiago

Challenge

Homeowners in Old Bridge, NJ was experiencing horizontal and stair step cracks in their foundation wall which was causing bowing of the wall. This was due to water pressure on the outside of the home building up against the wall. The homeowners were also experiencing groundwater seepage and Iron Ochre deposits. In some rare cases, homeowners with high iron levels in their water will experience a thick, reddish-orange substance oozing through when the basement floods. Iron ochre is an iron based bacteria in the soil that can be transported by water. It causes a sticky, messy, orange staining in the basement on walls, floors, stored items, or furniture.

Solution

To repair the crack and bowing in the foundation, Quality 1st Basement Systems installed GeoLook Wall Anchors to permanently stabilize and straighten the walls. When GeoLock wall Anchors are installed, there is minimal outside digging and disruption to the home. The installation team dug a small hole in the exterior area of the home and inserted an anchor into the earth. From there, we drill a threaded rod from the inside of the basement to the earth anchor and attached the rod to the the interior wall plate. Tightening the rod stabilizes the wall and allows us to straighten the wall. If this foundation was not fixed, the walls would eventually cave in. The Wall Anchor system was the best option because it is less invasive than other methods of foundation repair or replacement , the project was completed in only one day, and the anchors are made with galvanized steel which will prevent rust, rot, and corrosion, which means they will never fail.

To remedy the wet basement and Iron Ochre problem, our installation team installed a full perimeter WaterGuard IOS system. WaterGuard IOS is used in homes with Iron Ochre. This WaterGuard system differs because it has two extra rows of holes along the backside which allows the IOS to flow more freely through the pipe which will alleviate clogging issues of the system. There is a removable cover that a Quality 1st service technician will remove during maintenance to clean out any iron ochre build up to ensure that the Iron Ochre will not clog the system and the basement will no longer flood.

This Old Bridge family is now able to fully enjoy their clean, dry, and stable basement!