In a Pennsylvania home, a homeowner with a basement was plagued by problems with invasive water. The sump pump was failing whenever the water table got high, and the basement was getting wet as a result. What’s more, the original drainage channel was not long enough — when water was moved out of the home, it was being deposited just a few feet from the foundation. The grading of the gravel bed beneath the discharge pipe was poor as well, guiding the water straight back to the foundation wall instead of away.  

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, but with local offices located across the Eastern Seaboard, including in Pennsylvania, ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing was hired to help repair this home’s wet basement problems. There were several main concerns at play…The sump pump was not activating correctly due to a malfunction with the float.  The discharge pipes were not extended enough, and the grading was poor.  New drainage channels were needed to ensure proper water flow to the sump pit.  A crack in the basement floor had been detected — waterproofing action was needed to prevent further damage and a potential source for leaks into the basement. 

To begin, the crew performed a thorough inspection of the basement, examining the old sump pump, and looking for any damage in the foundation. The area outside the foundation was also inspected to get a complete picture of the home’s situation. 

It was determined that a new waterproofing system would be needed to improve the capture of water and the process of evacuating that groundwater out of the house. For the crack in the basement floor, the crew would use the company’s own Carbon ’58 Floor Stitches to both repair and reinforce the crack.  

First, the crew dug a trench along the perimeter of the basement, beside the footer of the foundation. The drain tile was installed using ’58 Foundations & Waterproofing’s specially engineered Channel ’58 drainage channels. The drainage channels were installed along the perimeter, eventually converging on the point where the sump pit was located. 

The Channel ’58 drainage channel installed beside the footer.

A new sump liner was installed for the sump pit and the old sump pump had its float switch fixed. But to ensure that the waterproofing system continued working in the face of a power outage or primary sump pump failure, the crew installed one of the company’s own Workhorse OT battery backup sump pumps to provide extra support. Finally, a sump lid was placed over the sump pit to prevent anything from falling in. It also serves to keep moisture from entering the basement through the sump pit.

The original sump pump’s float switch has been fixed, and a ’58 Workhorse OT battery backup sump pump has been installed beside it. A separate discharge pipe runs from the battery backup sump pump to where the primary discharge pipe exits the basement.

Along with installing a new discharge pipe for the battery backup sump pump, all discharge pipes were extended to reach further away from the home’s foundation. This would ensure that any evacuated water didn’t return to the foundation. 

Once the drainage channels were installed, fresh concrete was poured and smoothed to create a neat and flat surface. The crew then used the company’s own Energy-Star-rated HumidiGuard dehumidifier to aid in the drying process. 

The new concrete poured over the Channel ’58 drainage channels. After pouring, it is smoothed and dried.

With the waterproofing system installed, and the basement floor crack repaired, the wet basement repair was complete. The basement was ready for the residents to use!