Basement Health Blog

Generator or Battery Backup Sump Pump in New Jersey? Here in New Jersey we had 2 events in 2011 that caused most of the State to lose power; Hurricane Irene and an October snowstorm. The electricity was out at my house for three days with each event. One had widespread flooding with it and the other did not.You know you need to keep your sump pump going, so what it going to be; Generator or battery backup sump pump?. Are you looking to run your HVAC, TV, computer, refrigerator, and sump pump(s), and freezer in the basement and the lights in your house? Or just the sump pump? GASOLINE POWERED PORTABLE GENERATOR PRICE RANGE $400-$700 If you onl...

TOP 5 REASONS you need a Sump Pump Cover 1. A sump pump cover prevents stuff from falling into the sump pit. There could be a million things I could say that we want to keep out of the pit. Basically, we want to keep everything out of the pit including pets and small children. Your sump pump operates by propelling water out of the pit with an impeller blade. If there is debris in the pit, the debris could impact the impeller blade, which would cause it to jam. If the bade jams the electrical motor that powers it will burn out shortly thereafter. 2. Quiets the sump pump noise. Sometimes a sump pump can be very noisy. This is a big concern if t...

What Is In The Sump Pump Pit? A sump pump pit is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water. A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in the water collecting sump pump pit, commonly found in the basement of homes. The water may enter via French drains of a basement waterproofing system or be independent. The sump pit is where many homeowners look to drain unwanted liquids so the sump pump can pump them away. How does the sump pump pit water exit the house? There is usually one pipe coming up and out of the sump pit. That pipe is called the discharge pipe. A sump pump is a pump used to remove w...

What is a High Water Table? The ground thaws while snow melts and spring rains come. At the same time, the thaw is happening all the plant life is dormant and not drinking water. The water accumulates under and around your home. This is called a high water table or perched water. The thing to understand here is that the high water table is part of the earth and cannot be graded away. Think of the water being flat like a table top. Because it rains over a wide area water table typically covers a wide area. When the water table rises, it does not just rise at your house, because it did not rain on your house only. The rain usually falls over a ...

How high to drill Weep Holes in basement walls? Here in Central New Jersey many homes have basements with foundations constructed of Concrete Masonry Units (CMU)s. CMUs are also called Cinder blocks or just Concrete Blocks. When installing a French Drain in a house with hollow block masonry walls, we put weep holes in basement walls, allowing the drainage to occur. A drain tile or French Drain system will capture the water entering the block system and drain the water into a pit where a sump pump will discharge it from the building. An interior French drain is much less likely to clog than an exterior, partially due to the fact that it is not...

Do I need basement waterproofing weep holes? If your foundation is constructed of concrete masonry units (CMU), a.k.a cinder blocks, yes, you need weep holeshollow block foundation wall These hollow blocks make a solid foundation but are more porous than poured concrete. When your foundation was constructed, tar was applied to the outside of the hollow concrete blocks. The tar is a degradable substance that has a 30-40 year life. Once the tar is gone the foundation is no longer sealed and water seeps into the hollow blocks. Water is trapped inside the blocks and needs to be released to prevent flooding. Drilling basement waterproofing weep ho...

How long does sump pump last? Here is a question that I am asked a few times every week, “How long does sump pump last?”; and the answer is very simple; 7 years, 3 months, 17 days, 6 hours, 53 minutes and 19 seconds. I’m sure you will agree that this answer is ridiculous. Except for the answer “I don’t know”, every answer to that question is a guess and is just as nonsensical. This applies to you whether your sump pump is connected to a French drain or not. Your Sump Pump will quit; it’s just a matter of when The better question would be: “How can I protect my basement for when my sump pump fails?” What is needed is redundancy. Think like a b...

Floating basement floor explained. Whether you have moved into an existing home with a basement or you are in the process of building a brand new home, understanding how your basement was built can be helpful. Knowing what a floating basement floor is and why it is not a French Drain can be priceless. The basement in its early history was little more than a cellar where the cold storage took place. Root cellars are for keeping food supplies at a low temperature and steady humidity. They keep food from freezing during the winter and keep food cool during the summer months to prevent spoilage. When boilers replaced fireplaces for home heating, ...

Is it a good idea to use a steamer to kill mold? In a word the answer is no. It is not a good idea to use a steamer to kill mold. Maybe to grow mold, but not to kill mold. But we need to look further into it than that. The two things we are talking about are Black Mold and steam. What is Black Mold? Black Mold is a fungus that can grow anywhere that is moist – and it can grow fast. Once inside, mold can grow almost anywhere moisture accumulates. Wet basements, with or without French Drains and sump pumps, often get mold because of excessive moisture. Unventilated bathrooms are prime candidates for mold. Anywhere in the home that has had a wat...

White stuff on Basement Wall The white stuff on basement wall is a residue left from water called efflorescence. It indicates that water has evaporated from the concrete. Efflorescence is proof that water was in the basement. Many of us have come across this strange phenomenon; a white powdery substance comes out of the concrete foundation. It can be on the walls or on the floor. On the floor it can look like it is growing up out of the floor, appearing as a small fluffy stalagmite one might expect to find in a cave rather than in their basement. What is the definition of Efflorescence? Efflorescence is defined as: “the changing of certain cr...

Dehumidifier in Winter, Fall and Spring Should you use a dehumidifier in Winter? or Fall? or Spring? What do you do about the moisture that comes through your concrete foundation, most of which is below the frost line, and brings dampness and moisture into your basement in the non-Summer months? Most people have an understanding about the use of a dehumidifier in the summer. It gets very humid and eventually, you go down to the basement and turn on the dehumidifier. The only time you give much thought is when you have to empty that heavy bucket. But a dehumidifier in Winter, that’s a different story. The technology of the dehumidifier is over...