On this page you’ll find everything you need to know about diverting water seepage and waterproofing your crawl space or basement.
Water can come into the basement through walls, floors, and the joints between them. This has been a problem for Bay Area homeowners for more than 100 years, especially since the soils vary from region to region and basements are imperfect concrete structures. Contractors and engineers have developed several different ways to keep the basement dry. Some methods are more effective than others.
There are many possible solutions, including:
An interior perimeter drainage system is among the best methods to install for a Basement Water Diversion project. Basement Systems has worked hard to design a product that addresses the challenges that come with interior subfloor drainage. The main issue is existing sub-floor clogged drains. Many homeowners go years without a problem and then develop one due to drain clogs.
In order to accept water from the walls without leaving a large gap prone to dirt and debris from falling in, Basement Systems created the WaterGuard perimeter drainage system as well as the DryTrak Baseboard Basement Water Diversion system.
Bay Area Moisture Control, Inc. installs a state-of-the-art French drain (aka drain tile) system called WaterGuard – a patented product only available through Basement Systems dealers.
What makes WaterGuard in CA much more effective than a basic French drain or drain tile system is its design. WaterGuard is specially engineered to sit on the basement footing, keeping it up out of the dirt and mud (the Mud Zone) and making it highly resistant to clogging. A special flange also makes a clean edge at the basement wall and prevents dirt and debris from falling into the system.
Our California service area includes: Berkeley, San Rafael, Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara and surrounding areas. Call or contact us online for the best French Drain waterproofing system available. We offer free French drain quotes and inspections in CA.
Drain tile and French drain first started to be used in basement waterproofing projects in the 1920s. Originally designed with clay tile, French drain and drain tile was designed by Henry French in Concord. Given the time, this was an excellent solution. Today, this drainage system lives on, and is generally made out of large, round plastic piping. However, since the 1990s, a more effective alternative has been developed – the WaterGuard drainage channel system.
French drain systems are usually designed with PVC pipe that is perforated and installed along the interior perimeter of the foundation, or along the exterior as the home is built. Laid underneath the basement floor, it drains water to a gravity drain (uncommon) or to a sump pump (very common).
All over California, Bay Area Moisture Control, Inc. has pulled out many clogged, French drain and drain tile waterproofing systems.
The WaterGuard system has a design that seprates it from the soil under your floor so it will be highly resistant to clogging. It also has a special wall flange that creates a neat space between the floor and the wall to drain any wall seepage, without allowing dirt and debris from the floor to enter. The WaterGuard system is applicable to all types of foundations including block, poured concrete, stone, etc. Weep holes are drilled into block walls to drain water out of walls into the system. Water enters the WaterGuard system via holes on the wall side and flows in the WaterGuard conduit to a SuperSump or other drain. The WaterGuard system intercepts water at the perimeter of your basement and drains in unseen safely away- guaranteed!
The BrightWall Paneling System is 4′ x 8′ sheets of plastic paneling attached to the walls with special drilled-in fasteners that should never come off the wall. BrightWall provides a clean, bright, semi-finished look to your basement walls while stopping water vapor from permeating your walls and diverting and water leaks down to a WaterGuard system. It is the best looking and most durable of the three wall system options. If your basement will remain unfinished, and you want the nicest look possible, this is the system for you.
WaterGuard is a drainage channel engineered specifically to solve basement water problems effectively without worry of clogging from soil beneath the basement floor. It has large holes in the back to accept water and a flange with special segments to drain water from a basement wall leak.
The patented WaterGuard interior basement waterproofing system is designed to sit on top of the footing and out of the soil under your basement floor, so it will never clog. The WaterGuard system also has a special wall flange that creates a clean-looking space between the floor and the wall to drain any wall seepage that may occur, without allowing dirt and debris from the floor to enter.
The WaterGuard system is applicable to all types of foundations including block, poured concrete, and stone. Weep holes are drilled into block walls to drain water out of the walls into the system. Water enters the WaterGuard system via holes on the wall side and flows into the WaterGuard conduit to a TripleSafe or SuperSump sump pump system or other drain, or to the soil and stone underneath the floor.
Illustration of how the WaterGuard System works—the WaterGuard Sub Floor Drainage System intercepts water at the perimeter of your basement and drains it to a sump pump located in the lowest spot of your basement floor. The system will keep your basement floor dry so you can use the space for storage, recreational purposes, or to finish for additional living space.:
The DryTrak Basement Water Drainage System combines superior materials and practical design to remove seepage from the troublesome basement floor-wall joint and direct it to a sump pump or drain. The removal of this water lowers the water table around your foundation, thus relieving hydrostatic pressure. The DryTrak system is very effective on all types of foundations, including poured concrete, brick, block, and stone, but is typically used on monolithic basement floors as shown in the diagram.
The patented DryTrak basement water drainage system will keep your basement dry with a clean-looking finish so that you can use the space for storage or to finish for additional living space.
The DryTrak system has been installed in thousands of basements across the U.S., Canada, the UK and Ireland. With DryTrak, there is no costly digging or damage to landscaping, sidewalks, porches, decks, or lawns outside.
The DryTrak system will never clog like sub-surface drains do because it is not sitting in the mud. The DryTrak system can be installed whether your basement is wet or dry and is the only system appropriate for waterproofing monolithic foundations.
A monolithic foundation is a foundation in which the floor and footing are poured as one piece, then the walls are poured or built on top of the floor. The edges of these floors are your footings, so jackhammering a trench through them is not recommended. (A dual-system option is available for homes with monolithic foundations and floor crack seepage.)
The DryTrak system with a TripleSafe Sump Pump System is the perfect solution to your wet basement! The TripleSafe drains water from the DryTrak and from below the basement floor and discharges it out of the basement.
Included with the TripleSafe is a reliable 1/3 hp pump, a 1/2 hp pump, a battery back-up sump pump, and a WaterWatch alarm system to alert you to pump or power failure BEFORE the water rises above the floor level. An attractive feature to the sump pump system is a removable airtight lid to cut down on noise, prevent objects from falling in, and keep moisture, insects, and odors from rising up out of the sump.
