The History of Basement Waterproofing
by Stephen Andras, CWS, CSRS

Basement Waterproofing has advanced from the first attempts to drain ground water from under a basement floor. No doubt the first sub floor drainage systems were nothing more than stones installed under a slab.

Some of the earliest storm water management systems were nothing more than moots that would direct water into some type of underground cistern for the purpose of collecting and saving valuable drinking water especially in drier climates where rainfall may have been scarce.

The first Basement Waterproofing contractors would probably have learned various techniques by trial and error. At some point (mid 1850?s) 14? clay pipe sections were placed side by side in a trench around the perimeter of the basement. This pipe would be placed about one inch apart and the installer would surround these tiles with a product called ?tan bark? over these spaces so that the holes wouldn?t be blocked with the soil. Actually this system worked fairly well and was a major improvement over previous drainage systems built with just stone. The waterproofing contractors (as these pioneers became known as) realized that water seeks the path of least resistance and by installing these sections of clay pipe they could move ground water faster from under the basement floor.

Well, before electrical sump pumps became a standard feature in basement waterproofing systems, most drainage systems would have to be a gravity system. The contractor would have to rely on a drainage system directing water to land which was lower than the basement floor. That was great if your home was built on a hill. As the population grew, choice building sites on hillside would be taken up. People started building houses on more level lots. This posed a problem until electrical sump pumps were invented. (Around 1920?s). These pumps could now pump the ground water up and out of the basement to a place away from the foundation.

Sump pumps changed the way basements were waterproofed. Actually even though our industry calls us ?Basement Waterproofing Companies? we really are not waterproofing contractors but rather water control contractors. Why is it that ?waterproofing contractors don?t try to totally seal water from ever coming into the basement? The truth of the matter is it is not cost effective to ?waterproof? a basement by sealing water out and even if the contractor succeeds by using an epoxy sealer at 40 lbs per square inch concrete will crack and therefore water will come in thru that new crack. So contractors learned that it is easier to relieve the hydrostatic pressure by directing the ground water to a sump collection basin (pit, liner, etc), where once it filled the sump basin to a certain point an automated sump pump would turn on and pump the water down to a certain level. The contractor knew that if he could keep the ground water pressure below the basement floor then the basement could be kept relatively dry.

Over the years different visionaries in the basement waterproofing industry, developed various types of drainage systems from one foot pvc pipe replacing the clay pipe sections, to coiled plastic piping with different types of opening from small slits to ¾? holes. Although the first patented baseboard system was in the early 1900?s many ?baseboard systems? became popular in the late half of the 20th century. These systems were different types of plastic gutter systems that would be glued down to the concrete floor around the perimeter of the basement. These contractors felt that most ground water coming into the basement was from the floor and wall seams, so by installing this type of system the water could be directed to the sump collection area where it could be pumped out of the basement.

There were certain advantages to these types of systems. The contractor would not have to break as much of the basement floor, although they would still have to break some of the floor to install the sump basin. These systems were more cost effective, and also were advantage when dealing with a monolithic foundation which did not allow the contractor to break the concrete floor because it would affect the structural integrity of the foundation. These baseboard systems are still a viable solution to use when the foundation footing and floor are poured at one time.

In more recent times, some waterproofing contractors began developing sub-floor ?trak? systems. These various systems were an improvement over the pipe and stone or baseboard systems that were available. The principle was simple and I believe a mix between an above floor baseboard system and a sub-floor pipe and stone system. These systems were designed to sit on top of the footing. They would be easier to install, since the contractor would not need to remove as much concrete and debris. Since most water comes into the basement along the floor / wall seams, these systems worked very well. No longer did the ?pipe? sit in the mud where it could clog. These systems were less intrusive since the contractor would not have to break as much of the concrete floor.

Today, we see all of these types of systems being installed. There are some contractors who do one or more of these methods. This is my 28th year in the basement waterproofing industry and I firmly believe that there is no one system out there today that is good in all situations. I still use a baseboard system in homes that cannot have there floor broken because of a monolithic foundation.

I believe that as basement waterproofing contractors we need to look at what we do. We need to ask ourselves if the system is the right one for the customer. I don?t want to smash manufacturers, but just because they say their system is the best in all situations does not mean it is. After all manufacturers want to sell products that they have spent time and money to develop.

Now that we have come to this point in time in our basement waterproofing industry, we need to look for ways to combat some of the problems that have not been solved. The biggest problem that we need to work on is iron bacteria. Iron bacteria are a difficult problem and not an easy one to solve. It is no wonder that many waterproofing companies choose to state that iron bacteria is a rare occurrence. In fact most waterproofing contractor will write a disclaimer in their warranty stating something like ??while iron bacteria (iron algae, iron ocher) is a rare situation ­ contractor cannot be responsible for it clogging their drainage system? Then at best they will offer the homeowner a service to periodical flush the system.

That is why several years ago I decide to research the problem. I looked at other industries that had to deal with iron bacteria, like aquariums, livestock watering, waste treatment plant and well water. I asked waterproofing companies throughout the United States to estimate what percentage of jobs they did involved iron bacteria. I ask how they were dealing with the problem. In some cases I even collected iron bacteria samples from different areas to see if there were any similarities or differences from samples collected.

I must say after 25 years of truly not understanding the problem. I like everyone else in the industry chose to pass it off as a rare problem and protected my companies? liability by including a disclaimer on our warranty just like everyone else. Several years ago when I started my research, their really wasn?t a lot of information on the problem. In most cases the attempts to solve the problem were really just things that treated the effects of an iron bacteria buildup, rather than looking at the cause.

Basement waterproofing drainage systems today for the most part are not really designed to deal with iron bacteria. Some contractors will offer to flush out a drainage system with iron bacteria buildup using a hose with pressure, sometimes using various chemical treatments such as chlorine, or sulfates like ?Iron Out?. The problem with using chemicals are obvious, these chemicals when pump out with the collected ground water can get into streams, ponds, lakes, and swamps. There they can affect the aquatic life present in these bodies of water.

Most drainage systems available today do not have enough access ports installed, to enable the contractor to do an adequate job of flushing his system. Even the few manufacturers who developed and produced ?clean outs? did so as an after thought without really dealing with the cause. I do believe that ?cleanouts or ports? are an important part of dealing with iron bacteria. However as I researched iron bacteria I realized that more should be done to aid the homeowners with this nasty problem.

Let me explain in lay terms what is happening in a drainage system that has an iron bacteria buildup. First, one type of iron bacteria comes along in the ground water and has the ability to attach itself to the side of a pipe, pump, sump basin, and even crushed stone. These iron bacteria do this so they can feed on the nutrients in the ground water as it passes by. That is the beginning, and then other types of iron bacteria come along and can attach themselves to these first ones, producing a biofilm. Just like plaque on your teeth it will continue to gather until cleaned off.

These iron bacteria do not need oxygen but rather they need carbon dioxide like we need oxygen in order to thrive. These iron bacteria feed on iron ocher which usually is red or yellow in color. This iron bacteria colony will continue to thrive given the right conditions. They will produce a gel like slimy mass until all the drainage pipe holes are clogged. In the process they produce oil like substance on the surface of the ground water. You can actually see rainbow colors in the water. Many times a sulfur smell will also be present. Iron Bacteria are very resilient. In fact if ground water dries up, these bacteria have the ability just like mold, to lie dormant until water is re-introduced to the drainage system at which point they will pick up where they left off. Iron Bacteria within the colony will even sacrifice themselves in order for the colony to survive. Iron bacteria are about one micron wide and about 20 microns long.

To deal with iron bacteria a drainage system must have enough access ports. These should be in every corner and where the drainage system ties into the sump liner. These access ports need to be large enough to get a hose in to jet out the system. My research as proved that hot water between 140 -160 degrees help release the iron bacteria colony from the drainage system and sump liner. However some drainage pipes and pumps may be affected by hot water over 140 degrees.

When using a sump collection system it is very important to have plenty of 5/8? to 3/4?inlet holes. The sump liners available today do not have enough holes or have holes that are too small. Most liners available today have their inlet drainage holes drilled, which usually leaves burrs that allow the iron bacteria a place to start attaching itself to.

Company Name: Pioneer Basement
Website: www.pioneerbasement.com
Author: Stephen Andras
E-Mail: stevea@pioneerbasement.com
Address: 31 Sanford Road
City: Westport
State: MA
Zip: 02790