Underneath the Basement Floor

fieldstone foundation waterproofing

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We never think about it. What is underneath the basement floor? We are too busy enjoying the rest of the house to ponder on that thought. Our basements may be unfinished and occupied by the usual suspects; a furnace, oil tank, water heater, water treatment tank, washer, dryer, forced-air heating system, and storage. There is no reason to be down there besides using the washer and dryer.

On the other hand, you may have a finished basement with tile, wood, or carpeted floors. You may be using it as a playroom, TV entertainment room, or workout area. You will never think about; “what is underneath the basement floor?” It should not be a concern, finished or unfinished. One day, it may become a serious concern if a heavy downpour or super soaker floods your basement.

Beneath Your Basement Floor

Whatever is underneath your basement floor is very important because it will determine your house’s structural integrity. In most new homes, a basement floor or concrete slab sits on top of a concrete footing. The space underneath the floor and between the footing is taken up by 12 to 16 inches of backfill or loose soil repurposed from the excavation site of the home. 4 to 6 inches of coarse aggregate (usually sand, gravel, and crushed stone) is the next layer before another 4 to 6 inches of concrete is poured on top to make the slab floor.

In older homes, the building code requirements are not too strict, so the slab’s amount of backfill, aggregate, and thickness are not predictable. That is not to say that modern home builders will not cut corners to make an extra buck. Hopefully, the building inspectors are fast enough to catch a problem before allowing a crew to proceed with the foundation construction.

Water Problems

A basement will have many years of problem-free comfort as long as there are mechanisms to divert natural water sources away from the house. Here are some places water or moisture comes from:

  1. Moisture comes from the humid air that condensates on cold pipes or surfaces.
  2. Bathrooms without an exhaust fan, clothes dryers with poor ventilation, and concrete still curing after construction.
  3. Water penetration from rain or groundwater.

We can correct numbers one and two immediately, but three will take a bigger intervention. Here are several things that minimize lateral pressure (the pressure produced by groundwater in your backfill area) to build upon your basement walls:

  • Roof gutters with extended downspouts take rainwater away from the backfill area of the house.
  • The ground around the house should slope away from the house.
  • Properly waterproofed basement drainage to a sump pump.
  • A sump pump setup with a discharge pipe takes water safely away from the house to avoid recycling the water back towards the basement.

Basement Waterproofing Solution

If you finish your basement without waterproofing it first, you could find yourself dealing with unforeseeable problems, such as:

  • The odor is produced by mold and mildew.
  • Buckling tile, damp wood, or carpet.
  • A sticky feeling is generated by humidity in the air.
  • Condensation forming on surfaces.
  • Exposed concrete will show efflorescence or red staining from the breakdown of lime in concrete.
  • Standing water on the floor.
  • Decaying wood molding around doors and windows.
  • The problems stack on top of one another, creating a structural issue and a health hazard with growing mold and mildew added to the mix. So, as long as you keep water away from the house, you will also keep water from coming under your floor.

That area under your basement floor will have water making its way up after every rainstorm. Remember that only one inch of rain equals over 1,200 gallons of water falling on the roof of a 2,000-square-foot home. That rain will also travel through underground capillaries, adding more to the backfill area around your home; it will eventually pass the hydrostatic line and create lateral pressure on the basement walls.

At this point, water begins to rise under your basement floor. Every time a big rainstorm goes on for a few days or torrential super soaker hits in late August, the area under the slab will become damp and displace the aggregate and soil underneath the slab flooring. Repeating this action, year after year will eventually create a big enough pocket of space to comprise the integrity of the floor, and it will crack.

American Dry Basement Systems will ensure it never gets to that point if you call them before the problem happens. Moreover, if it does happen, we will make it better than ever and keep it dry for a lifetime. We understand basements, crawl spaces, and foundations like no one else. Contact us for a free, no-obligation inspection and quote; you will be glad you did.