Interior basement waterproofing may be necessary as part of a complex solution for the external waterproofing. Or, you may need to do interior waterproofing in Mississauga for one of many other technical reasons. Interior waterproofing typically includes the following:
Injection into the structure of the foundation wall to convert it to waterproof material
Determining Moisture Levels
Just about all benchtop moisture meters use what is often referred to as the capacitive method or RF dielectric method. With this method, a radio signal at a specified frequency is sent through the sample. As water interacts with radio waves (that’s how your microwave oven works) it is possible to determine the moisture content. It does this by measuring how much the signal has been changed from what was output.
The effect that the sample has on the radio signal is termed the dielectric constant. It increases proportionally to the moisture content. There are actually a number of other factors that have an effect on the dielectric constant. Perhaps the most notable is sample density and temperature.
We measure the moisture conditions of foundational walls and basement floors to identify proper solutions. After all, each customer has a unique situation that must be considered when fixing the root of the problem. We also measure moisture levels behind the drywall to make sure that we provide accurate information to our customers.
Development of the Proper Solution
Interior waterproofing in Mississauga is a complex solution that combines several different steps. These steps work together to make sure you can use the basement of your house with peace in mind. At the same time, our solutions work to protect against destruction of the foundation – the most important structural part of your property. Depending on the conditions detected during inspection, we will suggest the most effective solution. What’s most effective may be a combination of things, including interior waterproofing.
Installation of Drainage System
The last thing we want is for underground water to flood your basement. To insure that that doesn’t happen, we have to make sure that the underground water level is below the level of the footing of your house. Plus, we need to make sure that your floor is not receiving water pressure from below. Weeping tiles are a perforated drainage pipe installed at the level of the footing. These will drain excess water into a sump pump and are one of the most critical solutions to solving this issue.
Crack Repair
One of the most important parts of waterproofing and making foundational structure elements safe long-term is crack repair. These repairs are critically important for several reasons:
Cracks are a perfect way for water to penetrate your foundation and get into your basement.
Even after installation of the exterior waterproofing, humidity can appear inside the cracks due to condensation during the winter. The temperature when condensation appears is around 8C. During the winter, when we have negative temperatures outside and positive temperatures inside, the condensation point appears somewhere in the middle of your foundation wall. That means that water starts to condensate right into your cracks and fill them in.
This situation is bad for your foundation. The water that fills the cracks in your foundation will begin to freeze where it’s closest to the exterior. That newly-formed ice will then allow more of the water to freeze. Because freezing causes water to expand, this will cause even further damage to your foundation.
If the humidity appears inside your foundation elements, it is going to “climb up” the walls as most older houses have no horizontal hydro insulation. Horizontal hydro insulation is used to line the top of a foundational wall in more modern houses. This insulation keeps moisture from moving upward from the basement. Houses that have no horizontal hydro insulation will likely begin to get water damage in ground-level structural elements.
Injections
As per our explanation above, the repair of the cracks is a very important part of the waterproofing process. When you get crack repairs, you no longer have to worry about new water-based foundational issues popping up in the future. You also won’t have to do anymore moisture prevention. The technology we use allows us to stop the leaks even with non-stop flooding water. That’s done by injecting components into your wall that react with the moisture. The reaction creates a special expanding “foam” inside the cracks. This foam fills cracks completely and ensures that even the smallest air gaps and cracks have been eliminated.
Give us a call and we’ll be happy to help with interior waterproofing in Mississauga. Don’t lose another night of sleep over foundational damage.
