96 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2021
INSIDE JOB
WATERPROOFING THE BASEMENT
STAY DRY AND BREATHE EASIER
BY ARLENE GROSS
Now that we’re at the peak of hurricane
season and possible relentless
rainstorms, it might be a good time to
make sure your basement is completely
waterproofed.
Basement waterproofing is essential, as
excess water that saturates the ground
can damage the foundation, says Mark
McAlpin, owner of Islip-based ACM
Basement Waterproofing.
“It’s really a question of water management,”
McAlpin says. “You can live in a
house for 40 years without a problem
and all of a sudden you walk down and
there’s water all over.”
SIGNS OF WATER DAMAGE
Though your basement may have never
flooded, you might still see signs that
water is seeping in by examining the
interior walls, advises McAlpin. Indications
of water damage include white
powder on the walls; peeling paint,
especially towards the floor; and cracks
in the floor and walls.
BASEMENT MOISTURE HAZARDS
In its early stages, mold may not be
clearly visible to the naked eye, but it
can still be there and potentially wreaking
havoc on our health.
Though we all may be breathing in mold
to some degree each day, high concentrations
of mold can cause respiratory
complications, allergies, asthma, bronchitis,
and even compromised immune
systems.
Over time, moisture can damage the
structure of the home, as well as ruin
the insulation, which can lead to increased
energy consumption, according
to the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE).
As the weather is predicted to become
more and more extreme over time, you
should add waterproofing to the budget
before you invest in other basement
improvements, advises McAlpin, who
notes that it’s cheaper to tackle waterproofing
before you incur water-damaged
furnishings.
WATERPROOFING TECHNIQUES
Generally, the only way to guarantee
a dry basement is to add an interior
French drain (named after inventor
Henry French), a drainage system
under the floor of the basement that
captures the water and leads it out to a
sump pump.
“The pump comes on automatically and
takes the water outside,” notes McAlpin,
adding that there’s a battery backup in
case of power outages.
Installing a French drain entails breaking
apart the basement’s concrete floor,
digging down along the perimeter of
the home, removing concrete and dirt,
placing the French drain with perforated
piping and gravel in the trench,
recementing the floor, and adding wall
drainage, explains McAlpin. The entire
process takes between three and six
days.
“You can do half the perimeter, but
it’s really recommended to do the full
perimeter,” McAlpin says.
Homeowners should also maintain
their roof gutters, keeping them clear
of debris and efficiently directing the
water away.
“But the bigger problem is the underground
water,” he says. “That’s the root
of it: underground water on a sunny
day.”
VENTILATION ESSENTIAL
The Environmental Protection Agency
advises that everyone should be ventilating
their basements, subterranean
areas where there’s typically limited
airflow, says McAlpin.
“Up top, there’s plenty of air leakage,” he
says. “Downstairs, it’s a concrete vault
and there’s almost no air coming in.”
ACM Basement Waterproofing utilizes
an EZ Breathe Ventilation System that’s
placed on the wall and draws moist air
off the floor, exhausts it outside, and
draws better air from upstairs.
A French
drain can
mitigate
basement
flooding
Ventilation
is key in
basements.
GETTY IMAGES
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