Basement Waterproofing Photo Album: Basement Drainage in Benton Harbor, MI

The Benton Harbor, MI Basement had paneling on the walls... at least for now. Water had come into the basement in significant amounts, puddling and traveling across the basement floor. The bottom of the paneling was saturated and rotting. Mold appeared to be forming in some areas that were consistently wet. The paneling needed to be pulled out and our WaterGuard french drain system was installed. Concrete was removed around the perimeter walls and a drain was set on the home's footing. The concrete was replaced and a sump pump was installed to catch any incoming water from the drain and remove it from the home. The Triple Safe Sump Pump system features 3 pumps to ensure that the basement will stay dry consistently, even in the event of a power outage. Finally, a dehumidifier reduces mold spores in the air and keeps the air dry. This should dramatically change the quality of the basement.

Water Puddles Along The Floor

The water has a tendency to puddle in this basement but as the puddles grow larger, water starts to weave around the basement, settling in the low areas.

Rotting Materials Along Basement Floor

The paneling and furring strips along the base of the wall have been wet so consistently that they are simply falling apart.

Base Of Wall Saturated

This photo more clearly demonstrates just how saturated the furring strips are at the base of the wall.

The Home's Footing Is Revealed

To install WaterGuard, we must first excavate the concrete around the perimeter of the basement to expose the home's footing. This is minimal excavation and care is taken to keep dust minimal and keep it contained.

Stone Levels Off The Install

Once the Triple Safe Sump System is in place as well as the WaterGuard drain, stone fills in the excavated area before concrete is replaced over top.

Concrete Is Replaced Along The Perimeter

Concrete is replaced over top of the WaterGuard system. The drain does create a small gap along the base of the wall to capture any moisture that may flow down the wall from cracks or gaps that could develop. The drain also captures moisture where the walls and floor meet.

IceGuard Outlets Protect From Freezing

In Michigan, discharge lines have the potential to freeze. To avoid water backing up into the basement in this case, IceGuards are installed on the exterior to provide an escape for any water being pumped out.

Discharge Line Terminated Far From House

The sump pump discharge line is neatly buried and navigated away from the home so that water isn't consistently cycling back into the basement. The process is done in such a way as to cause little to no damage to the yard.

Doubly Protecting From Basement Moisture

The Triple Safe Sump Pump has a strong motor that handles the majority of the work. A second pump is installed slightly higher to kick on when the first pump fails or is unable to keep up. Finally, a battery backup operates a third pump so that the space stays dry when the power is out. A SaniDry dehumidifier is highly efficient in removing water vapors from the air and depositing them in the sump pump basin for removal from the home.