Hydrostatic Pressure Basement Floor

This can make cracks form in basement concrete particularly in wet seasons and is often why there s water in your basement after rain.

Hydrostatic pressure basement floor.

Hydrostatic pressure describes the outward and downward pressure caused by standing water pushing against any object or surface that blocks it in this case your basement walls. Once the drainage pipes are blocked the water table can rise and create hydrostatic pressure underneath the basement floor and along the walls. Permanently waterproof your basement this week. Rising groundwater causes hydrostatic pressure and that causes soil to push on your basement walls and floor.

Normally this happens in basement floors or floors below water tables. Hydrostatic pressure is a natural force that can move rocks buckle walls and cause havoc with your concrete but it does not explain every instance of water intrusion in concrete. If there are gaps in the concrete floor such as cracks or where the basement floor meets the foundation wall the cove joint or seam between the foundation and the floor slab ground water is forced up through them and into your basement. As the water table rises the amount of hydrostatic pressure increases.

So what is hydrostatic pressure where does it come from and how do you stop the rising water it produces from seeping onto your basement floor. Hydrostatic pressure is one of those fancy terms a basement waterproofing contractor may use to describe the source of water coming up through your basement floor. Paint on the basement floor may not hold. Ultimately if you finish the basement without entirely solving the moisture issue i would recommend you never use carpeting.

It sounds serious and it is. Efflorescence on basement walls or floor mold growth humidity in the basement strange smells in the basement walls that bow inward or outward cracks in walls. Install a new drainage system. Ground water picks up soil sediment sand and mud as it travels down through the soil.

What causes hydrostatic pressure. Over time accumulations of sediment can block the drain pipes. Other visible signs of basement moisture problems due to hydrostatic pressure often include. This means that near microscopic holes and passages in its structure allow water flow through.

The best solution would then be removing as much of the basement floor as possible and have the concrete replaced with a heavy plastic vapor barrier underneath. Hydrostatic pressure is the technical term for water pressure in the soil around your foundation and it s a major cause of basement water problems. The pull of gravity against standing water is relentless causing the water to push and push hard against anything that restricts its flow. The foundation concrete is a porous material.