Basements can be such a headache and are notoriously damp or wet – unless we do something about it and here is an article which describes basement problems and possible remedies.

There are so many aspects to basement waterproofing but in this article I am going to focus solely on basement sub-slab perimeter drains (a.k.a. interior french drains). The process for installing these drainage systems is designed to relieve the hydrostatic pressure under the basement floor. Properly designed drain systems will accept water into them at a depth and pace to ensure that the water level does not reach the bottom side of your basements floor, or slab. The result of a properly installed and free flowing sub-slab drain is a dry basement by eliminating seepage and future flooding.

The installation process involves removal of 8″-18″ of concrete around the interior perimeter of your basement, and/or in chosen water problem areas. A sump location must be chosen and dug out. All of the concrete must be removed and a trench must be dug 8″-12″ graded from a far high point to the sump location. The grade is a necessary step in order to properly pitch the drain pipe. Virtually every basement waterproofing company has their own company procedures for drain installation.

The drain is installed, usually accompanied by large amounts of river gravel or processed stone, it is lead to a sump location and then the drain opening is closed up and recemented. The sump pump(s) is installed and the discharge line(s) is fed to the outside of the building. Many companies offer drip moldings for the perimeter and vapor barriers so that water coming through wall-cracks and pipe penetrations can be collected in the drain below the floor. These are the main features of an interior french drain, though there are many other custom offerings from companies worldwide.

So how is Green Bear Innovations, Inc. going to help this industry go green. We have aligned our corporate values with waterproofing industry experts and come up with solutions to what we believe are flaws in the common designs of these wet basement systems. Most basement waterproofing companies train their installers to jackhammer the entire perimeter of the basement. This poses three major problems:

1. Jackhammering a basement floor, or slab, with no detached edges causes a tremendous amount of stress and leads to microfractures in the remaining portion of the slab. Instead of having a wet basement or a flooding problem, now you could have a radon problem, as these microfractures turn into floor cracks.

2. The jagged edge that is created by the jackhammer is NOT a clean cut. The cement is cracked in many directions including underneath the floor. When recementing is done, not only does it look terrible, but due to the fact that old concrete and new cement does not bond, in a year or two you may have efflourescence and maybe even mold seeping through where these two types of cement meet. (See below for more information about how Green Bear Innovations will ensure that his does not happen to you.)

3. Jackhammering is very labor intensive, time intensive and causes silica dust from the concrete to cover everything in your basement that is uncovered.

So what’s the solution? Green Bear Innovations, Inc. will first use a concrete saw to cut a straight edge around the basement perimeter through the entire slab. We use a dust collector during this part of the installation process to reduce the amount of dust that can potentially settle on anything in sight. Once the perimeter cutting is complete, cross cuts will be made to section the waste concrete. A jackhammer, or hammer drill, will then be used to separate any stubborn slab pieces. Because the waste portion of the slab and the remaiing basement floor are detached, there is no risk of floor cracking.

We mentioned above that we will ensure that efflourescence and mold will not seep through the separation made by this installation method. What GBI does is thoroughly clean and wash the cut edge and apply a cement bonding glue (SilPro) immediately before the recementing process begins. You will never have anything creeping through this man made separation in your basement floor.

Green Bear Innovations is dedicated to using recycled/recyclable materials during all installations. We use 3″ and 4″ HDPE perforated pipe which is 100% recyclable and in the near future recycled HDPE pipe will be available. We use as little PVC as we can. PVC is recyclable but remains the number one pollutant of our world’s oceans due to the extensive recycling processes required for reuse.

GBI has eliminated an entire days labor and more, not by cutting corners, but by reducing the need for river gravel and recycling much of the soil that is extracted from the trench. We wrap our pipe with a stone mesh made from recycled plastic and place recycled low-float plastic pellets between the pipe and the mesh. This process eliminates the need for river gravel/processed stone and allows us to reuse the soil that was removed from the trench. Sandy and clay soils are mixed with clean fill before being used to ensue that water can freely enter the drain pipe.

Green Bear Innovations, Inc. offers energy efficient sump pumps and battery back up systems with all sub-slab basement drainage systems and even offers a water powered back up system. We also offer foundation wall vapor retarders and drip moldings made from 100% recycled plastics.

In summary, GBI is innovating the basement waterproofing industry in many ways. Our industry experience and extensive research have helped us save the earth’s resources and save consumers money in a home improvement sector that is known for resource gluttony and unaffordability.

By: greenbearinnovations

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Lois Bartels is the owner of Green Bear Innovations, Massachusetts greenest home improvement company offering green insulation, basement waterproofing, foundation repair, sump pump installations, seamless gutters, replacement windows and doors, airsealing and weatherproofing, mold and radon assessment and remediation and complete home energy audits. We use energy efficient products, recycled/recyclable materials and hold a high standard for resource conservation during all installations. We are based in Reading, MA and serve the entire state and also RI, CT and NH. www.greenbearinnovations.com

To clean up mold that is already present make use of recommended mold cleaning products

To dry out the basement you can  make use of a dehumidifier

When cleaning the area of the mold spores that can fly about easily in the air you might want to  make use of a breathing mask

Once you have cleaned up the area and to prevent further infection  an air purifier is recommended.

Basement Waterproofing And Hydrostatic Pressure Damage

Basement flooding problems and water damage is a problem experienced by many homeowners, especially those who have older residences that haven’t been properly.  

How Does One Find Out How to Waterproof A Basement?

The basement waterproofing systems and their working. To answer that question, let’s first look at historically conventional basement waterproofing and how it.  

Insulating Basement Wall: Preventing Basement Problems

Aside from insulation, work on other basement damage prevention control scheme. The closest to this is the waterproofing of your basement. They are closely related and share the same objective – to prevent future damage of your basement 

Things To Consider For A Perfect Basement Wall System

So this is basement waterproofing comes in. Some basements have rubber plastic adhesive solutions layered in joints and walls to prevent moisture to set in. You may also want to check other basement wall system options in waterproofing. 

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Mold is a common term used to describe a nasty growth of a substance on wet surfaces or organic matter, caused by fungi, notably in the presence of dampness and decay.

Given that most all mold reproduces with a mixture of dampness and darkness, the basic thing you ought to do is commence drying out your home.

A fungus (pl. fungi) may be any of a large number of microorganisms that are parasites feeding on living organisms or dead organic substance.

Use a dehumidifier

Drying out can be done with a dehumidifier unit that you can obtain affordably sufficient from most home supply stores, many discount and department stores, or at many online retailers. Mold and fungus release spores which are their system of reproducing. These spores float around in the air and pose inhalation or respiratory risks to those living in the local environment. In fact, these spores are measured to be a main allergen and rank with pollen as a focal resource of contaminants for allergy sufferers.

One of the focal views of removing black mold is finding the places where black mold exists in your house. Here are a few suggestions that possibly will benefit you with the  black mold clean up .

Make sure that you are not breathing the mold. No matter what channel you make the most of as part of your black mold clean up tactic, the practice is sure to stir up some of the contaminants. Purchase and use a breathing mask, such as the face protectors that are regularly used while painting. This will offer satisfactory protection in nearly all cases. Though, if you be aware of that certain additional efforts are needed to keep down the dust and off-fly during the cleaning practice, set up and use an air purifier in the space. The purifier will cut back a important deal on the airborne contaminants.

Next, address the recent state of the mold. If the substance is dry, spritz the area with water or  a mold killing product solution. This will help loosen the mold as well as make easier for the cleaning agents to permeate via the black mold and the product will act as a shield after clean up. This step in black mold removal will also benefit to keep the airborne contamination to a minimum.

If the mold is not especially thick, try good old-fashioned soap and water. Wood oil soap works well, but it is also perfectly acceptable to use dish washing detergent. Apply the soap with a sponge, slowly working off the mold until the surface appears clean. However, do not be deceived by the clean appearance. There is perhaps still some mold embedded in the material. In order to remove the remaining traces, coat the area with a strong disinfectant, and then thoroughly dry the area.

In some cases, black mold clean up may insist on the services of a professional. If the amount of mold present is very thick, or you are prone to respiratory problems, calling in a practiced expert would be your preeminent bet. Keep in mind that while this may cost a little extra, you will like much cleaner air in your home, and as a result tend to feel much better day to day.

By: Drago Marx

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Where you can buy mold spray and which mold remediation products are best for your situation.

The Best Time To Water Your garden

If the soil is kept constantly damp with little chance to dry out, it could suffer from a lack of oxygen — plants would grow badly and be prone to fungus diseases, especially root rot. 

Wet Books – What Do You Do?

They’ve sort of dried out, but they stink to high heaven. Is there anyway to get the smell out? Is there a right way and a wrong way to dry books out once they’ve gotten damp (so I know if it happens again – heaven forbid!)

The Damp and I

The brick and I. Exposed brick and a man, and great drying machines. Because the machines are to come to dry the place out. Night and day, they’ll suck the damp from the air. And the plaster will have been stripped away. 

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Mold and mildews have been around as far back as the discovery of the earth as a planet. Mold, infestation is from the fungi family. It is generally made up of air borne allergic tiny particles and reproduces through the air. Mainly the toxic mold and mildews are found in damp and wet areas, growing on food and even on wood surfaces. The mold kingdom includes the yeast, mushrooms and the mold itself. Mildew is a kind of mold that is white in color.

Molds are microscopic and until a large enough mass has accumulated they can only be seen with the aid of a microscope. Because they are so small, even a very thin film of dust and debris will yield an abundance of food.

Molds cannot grow without moisture. First, moisture is required in order for the mold spore (the reproductive seed-like structure of many molds) to germinate. After germination the mold’s hyphae (or root like structures) secrete digestive enzymes that break down organic material. Moisture is necessary for the enzymes to be effective. Then the hyphae absorb the nutrients by ‘bathing’ in the digested mixture. Basement mold cleaning requires removing moisture and this is one of the most effective methods for halting growth along with mold removal products.

Allergies are the most common form that is caused by indoor molds. Stachybotrys is a greenish black fungus, recognised as the black mold. About the Stachybotrys it of said Stachybotrys grows well on extremely wet building materials containing cellulose that have remained wet for more than a week. It produces mycotoxins that can irritate skin and mucous membranes. One potent mycotoxin produced by Stachybotrys is called satratoxin; it is also toxic when inhaled. Extreme care should be taken when this organism is amplified indoors. Black molds are also play an important part in irritation of human being like respiratory problem, running nose, watery eyes, burning nose and red and itchy skin. Fungi are considered as the irritants of these diseases.

A proliferation of mold and mildew can be the hall mark of hot and humid summer. The humidifier and the home air purifier for indoor would be of immense help to drive away molds.

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Discover natural Mold Removal techniques for your home.

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