I just bought a new house. We went over there trhe other day and the homeowner told us that at one point he had “rivers of water” streaming in the basement. He put some type of sealant on the walls, and hasn’t had any “rivers” since, but the walls have some calcium on them, which indicates to me that water is still seeping through the cinderblock. Other than the calcium, I see no indication of other leakage.
I really would like to finish the basement into a rec room, but I can’t if the walls are damp. My mother suggested B-Dry.
Has anyone of you ever used them? How much was the service? Will the size of the basement affect the price? (Mine is about 1000 sq. ft.) Will the fact that it’s just the walls change matters?
What other systems have you guys used for damp basements? I’m open for suggestions.
I was looking at their web page trying to decide if I was going to call them for an estimate just last week. I was also looking at some other sites and the local places I called when we had our last flood were busy and didn’t have appointments. Now that the drier weather is here I want my basement sealed.
So I too would love to know people’s basement sealing stories! If I get anyone to come visit me to look over my basement I will post those results.
My basement was done by B-Dry right before we bought our house. (Philadelphia area)
I think the previous owner paid around 10 thousand bucks but that was because they had to replace two entire cinderblock walls, which pretty much means jacking the house up and all.
The system includes a sump pump and some sort of vinyl wall covering (which is an attractive enough wall covering and also seems to keep bugs out)
On top of that, I use a dehumidifier.
Anyway, I’ve never had a problem in the 6 years that I’ve been here.
I’m hoping it would be a lot cheaper than this-- the basement is in perfect shape except for the calcium seepage. It’d pretty much just be a seal-job-- at least I HOPE so.
Your best line of defense is a sump pump, with battery backup. A plumber can provide an estimate. The power of hydrostatic pressure cannot be underestimated and will easily overwhelm whatever wimpy sealant the previous owner spread on the wall. One way or another, water overwhelms these quick fixes.
Also this: call your insurance agent. Many policies today exclude coverage for this kind of claim, but they don’t tell you unless you read the fine print.
