Basement Waterproofing Before & After Photos

Many older homes have the sump pumps tied into the main sewer pipe. This is very bad for a couple reasons. First of all, it is not legal. Secondly, the biggest reason why it's a bad idea is that a sump pump forces water out and if it's in the sewer pipe then that pipe becomes pressurized. Can you imagine what would happen if the added pressure of a sump pump caused the seals to break on a sewer line? It's a nasty mess that everyone should want to avoid.

What you see here is the proper way to discharge a sump pump. Our patented IceGuard system is a special fitting that keeps the pipes from freezing, allowing the normal sump pump discharge to flow back out of the basement. After all, a sump pump is just returning ground water back outside and into the ground.

Sump pumps in the basement are necessary to get the water out. DryZone uses a sealed system to keep the water from evaporating into the air. This helps to keep the humidity down and the smelly basement syndrome at bay. Another big part of drying out a basement is a perimeter drainage system which is the grey baseboard thing in this picture. This particular system is an above ground drainage system known as DryTrak.

Many homes across Delmarva have an old pit and a sump pump in the basement. Sometimes it's even just a plastic bucket with several holes drilled in it. DryZone knows that sump pumps are more than just an open hole and a cheap pump. We use high quality Zoeller pumps and the container is sealed at the top. No humidity will come up out of the lid. The lid also keeps the entire unit quiet, most homeowners can't even tell when it's working.

One of the things that the DryZone crew does during a WaterGuard installation is drill weep holes in the concrete blocks. All along the bottom of a block wall the ground water sits in the hollow blocks and slowly seeps out. This is a big reason why basements leak. The WaterGuard system is designed to relieve pressure and keep the water flowing in the pipes rather than all over the basement floor. In addition, there are clean out ports at various spots in the system. These ports allow you to see the inside of the pipe and clean it out if the need arises.

When a basement floods there are a couple ways to fix things. The water isn't going to just walk out the front door, so you will need to force it out. The sump pumps that DryZone installs everyday are designed to be long lasting and very efficient. But how do you get water over to the sump pump? That is where the WaterGuard system steps in and takes care of business. WaterGuard sits on to of the concrete footer, but still below the surface of the basement floor. What this means is that you won't see it, but it won't be sitting in dirt either. Since the WaterGuard drainage pipes are sitting up out of the dirt under your home, less dirt and debris get into the pipe. Less dirt means less clogging. Just in case there is a clog, the WaterGuard system is equipped with inspection ports. The after photo shows a corner inspection port, which can easily be lifted to show the inside of the pipe. If you ever see dirt or debris, you simply flush it out with a hose. The water goes off to the sump pump and then out of the house.