It hasn’t rained in weeks and the Crackman has been getting calls about basement water issues. One would think a basement water remediation expert like
Rich Comeras would be taking a vacation during a dry spell. In this episode, Rich explains how a basement can have water puddles during a drought.
Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. I’m Darren Kincaid here with the Crack Man himself, Rich Comeras. Rich has 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and over 25 years as the president and founder of A1 Foundation Crack Repair. This podcasts provides expert basement waterproofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s valuable insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic of today’s podcast: Why is my basement getting water during this drought? A case study in Boston, MA.
Narrator: So Rich, it hasn’t rained in weeks and you’re getting calls about basement water issues? I would think a basement water remediation expert like you would be taking a vacation during a dry spell. What’s up?
Rich: Oh, we don’t take vacations, we just keep moving for the past 25 years. Yeah, I got a call from a woman in Boston, and she’s telling me, like every three or four days she gets water in her basement and it’s been extremely dry. So I start asking her a few questions. I start out with, what’s outside? Is it a walkway, a paved area, what’s going on outside? She tells me that it is a paved area. I said, well, look between the pavement and the foundation, see if there is a void. Well guess what, there’s always a void because that’s what pulls away from the concrete. It’s always about a quarter an inch, half inch void. And I said is there any water spigots to hook up a garden hose? She says let me go back out and look. She goes out back to look, and lo and behold there’s one right there.
So, I have to be a detective and I say, has anybody been using this? She said, my gardener comes every 4, 5 days and he waters. He’s in Boston now, and he waters some of their plants, and what’s happened is he doesn’t turn it off all the way. So this water from the faucet drips, goes into that void between the foundation and the pavement, and then goes down and comes into her basement.
The way we were able to be sure that’s what it is, I said, turn on that faucet a little bit more and then go downstairs in your basement. And she let some time go by, she went in her basement, and guess what happened? Water was in the basement. So there’s a simple fix to make sure that the hose was off, the spigot was off. And also what I recommended her to do which we did for her is we put a flexible sealant in between the foundation and the asphalt, and then a little angle of an asphalt skirt right there to protect that from water coming in, even from rain hitting the building and going down into that crack. Case study, problem solved.
Narrator: Wow, thanks Rich for explaining how a basement can have water puddles during a drought. Interesting stuff indeed.
Narrator: If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or, if you’d like more information on foundation crack repair and basement waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call Rich at (866) 929-3171. Or you can email Rich at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.