If you have a house with a basement chances are it’s not as dry as the rest of your home. In fact the risk is so great that most home-owner’s insurance policies don’t cover losses due to flooding. Even if your basement hasn’t been flooded, excess moisture can still cause negative effects on the foundation of your home and the living space inside. Some signs of basement water problems may include white mineral deposits left on the floor or walls, flooding, centipede or bristle tail infestation, or mold growth. A gravity drainage system may be the perfect solution to all your wet basement issues.
A Gravity Drainage System (Fig 1.) sometimes referred to as a French drain, directs water away from the foundation of your home using gravity without relying on any additional power source to pump rainwater away from the foundation. When installed properly a gravity drainage system can eliminate basement flooding and excess moisture, keeping your basement dry even during strong storms and power outages.
A gravity drain is installed by first sealing the foundation wall to prevent moisture from entering the basement from the outside, which may also reduce the risk of radon contamination that can leak through concrete slabs. Then a system of underground drainage pipes is installed on an angle to carry rainwater away from your home’s foundation to a lower lying water basin. So, instead of waiting until the water has entered your foundation and relying on energy to pump it out like a conventional sump pump system (Fig 2.), the gravity drain redirects the water so it never enters the foundation in the first place.
The price difference between installing a traditional sump pump system, which typically requires an additional pump and/or generator, and Gravity Drainage installation can be anywhere from $1,000 to $1,200 depending on the contractor. However, according to experts on Zillow.com a finished basement can not only help you sell your home faster, but it can also add up to $70 per square foot to the value of your home. So, a home with an 800 square foot finished basement could increase your property value $48,000, making the difference in price well worth it to protect your investment.
