Minneapolis Weather Conditions
Spring is here with above normal temperatures which means any rain may build ground pressure for water making your basement wetter than normal.
The next few weeks are expecting more above normal temperatures but below normal rainfall.
Minneapolis Ground Conditions
The City of Minneapolis has many different ground conditions, the downtown area can be rocky, 50th and France Avenue is extremely wet and the areas around the Lake of the Isles all drain towards the lakes so we see lot's of flowing water. Installing a drain-tile system might be like popping the cork, allowing a permanent flow of water into your basement with a constantly running pump.
Minneapolis, let Great Lakes Waterproofing solve your basement water problems, we stop the water for Real Waterproofing!
Waterproofing Basement Wall Cracks
This Minneapolis Home has a working drain tile system but see that big horizontal crack? We call that an expansion crack, it's from the freeze/thaw cycle of winter. In the fall, if the ground is wet enough, freezing weather will cause the ground to expand, pushing against the foundation right around the 4-5th block down from the surface. This "hinge" crack will allow a lot of water in and hopefully it makes it to the sump basket and drain tile system.
In this home it didn't, Real Waterproofing from Great Lakes Waterproofing was needed, for wet Minneapolis Basements with existing drain tile systems, exterior water-proofing is needed to stop the water.
The crack itself might need to be stabilized, Great Lakes Waterproofing also installs Fortress Brand Carbon Fiber strips vertically on wall like this for wall stabilization.
Waterproofing Settling Basement Foundations
This Minneapolis Home has a very common problem, the corner is settling, usually from having no gutters or pulling the extension off in the winter because it freezes up.
Most Minneapolis Homes built after 1980 have a sump pump and drain tile system, this older home does. Water coming down the hill and off the roof move through this crack, the drain tile may collect some but the homeowner was also getting it on the floor in this area.
The best way to fix this wet Minneapolis Basement is Real Waterproofing from Great Lakes Waterproofing, stopping water before it moves through the foundation, the drain-tile, sump basket system just collect water and pump it back outside, sometimes the water just flows back into the cracks and your pumps running all of the time.
Waterproofing Older Minneapolis Homes
Another Minneapolis Older Home, this one dates to around 1920 and they were having wet basement water issues.
Other Minneapolis Waterproofing Contractors quoted ripping out part of the basement floor, installing a pipe system into a sump basket and pumping the water back outside, commonly called "Drain Tile."
This Minneapolis Customer went with Real Waterproofing from Great Lakes Waterproofing, exterior waterproofing, stopping water before it moves through the foundation walls with bentonite injections
Some Minneapolis Homes may have concrete, decking or pavers in the way. While we try to work around these obstructions, sometimes drilling or removing boards/blocks might be needed.
Exterior Waterproofing using Bentonite
Exterior waterproofing with all-natural bentonite is different, we stop water outside the foundation, letting it flow where it was designed to when the building was first built. Bentonite is recognized as the world's #1 waterproofing material with billions of dollars in yearly sales.
Poured walls and rock walls are perfect for bentonite waterproofing, we would never recommend installing a drain tile with these foundations, it is not the right application.
Drain Tile System is Not Working
This Minneapolis Home has a working drain tile system but once the water is pumped back outside, it sits around the foundation and works it's way back in through outside cracks and holes.
Why? Most Waterproofers don't stop the water and usually neglect anything outside of the home. Great Lakes Waterproofing stops the water at the source, outside the building!
Here's a great example of a drain-tile system that eventually stopped working. When the end of the discharge pipe freezes, the water has to go somewhere, either the pipe breaks or the pump burns up from "dead head" where the water doesn't move, the pump runs until it burns up.
With Minnesota Winters, it's common to see negative temperatures for several days, the freeze/thaw causes more damge to the foundation making problems worse.
Stone Walled Basement Leaking Water
This very old Minneapolis Home has a very common problem we see with Minneapolis Foundations made with stone or rubble and mortar.
Over time the mortar joints between the rocks will start falling apart creating a space for water to enter the basement.
This photo shows bentonite weeping through the holes, the bentonite hydroclay is being pumped and injected outside in this area and shows we found the "sweet spot."
Once we move on from this area, the inside will be cleaned up and a concrete "cork" will be applied on the inside.
This foundation will no longer leak, the water channel from grade to this area has been filled with bentonite for Real Waterproofing only from Great Lakes Waterproofing!
Foundation Waterproofing Older Minneapolis Homes
This Minneapolis Lake of the Isles Home had water leaking through the poured concrete basement walls. No drain tile was installed when the home was built.
While cost was a concern, the customer was happier to not have to tear out a large portion of the basement floor. They also wanted the water to stay outside the foundation.
The backyard, where most of the water was coming from, had limited access, typical for Minneapolis, our waterproofing equipment is small enough where we can get into tight areas without damage to the landscaping.
We waterproofed this area for a fraction of the cost of drain-tile, once done the area was cleaned and no damage was done to the plants or shrubs.
This Minneapolis Homeowner is now happy with their dry basement and Real Waterproofing from Great Lakes Waterproofing.
