Snohomish, WA Attentive Basement Waterproofing & Foundation Repair

Joe W. called us with some questions and concerns about his existing crawl space drainage system installed by another company in 2009. He and his wife, Antonia were having ongoing problems with their sump pump for the last 8 years.

The old pump broke down multiple times, leading to flooding and water damage. Additionally, the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) that the previous company installed tripped on a regular basis since its installation in 2016. As icing on the cake, Joe was disappointed with their customer service, saying they were unhelpful, stressful and “kept putting them off.” It was just not working out, so Joe and Antonia reached out to Rainy Day.

During our free inspection and estimate, we inspected the old drainage system and noticed that not only was their pump that was replaced for the first time in February of 2016 broken again, the drainage system was poorly designed. The setup held up a lot of water and did not flow correctly, leaving a ticking time bomb in their crawl space. One of the design faults was that there were parts of the crawl space that should have had SmartDrains installed.

Joe and Antonia informed us that since they purchased the house 14 and a half years ago, they have had problems with their crawl space leaking, sending musty and moldy smells upstairs in the winter and being infested with carpenter ants. They also said that want to live there for at least 5 more years, maybe 10, so they wanted to ensure that they were getting a reliable system. We created a plan that would make their crawl space welcoming in addition to solving the issues that they kept having for over 14 years.

First, we recommended that the homeowners get an electrician out to inspect the GFCI, telling them that it should be removed from the crawl space and have a dedicated line instead of being tapped into an existing run. After the GFCI was fixed, we started installing an adequate drainage system. The homeowners said that they wanted a better pump, so we installed a TripleSafe. With the TripleSafe, their crawl space will now be equipped with two sturdy pumps and a battery backup system, allowing for water to still be pumped even during heavy rain and power outages. Together, the pumps can pump up to 6,200 gallons of water an hour.

After cleaning up all the fallen insulation, we installed SilverGlo crawl space wall insulation panels, giving the crawl space a radiant barrier that will reflect heat back in for ultimate energy savings. On the floor, we installed three SmartDrains in the problem areas we noticed on our first inspection, giving the homeowners a plumbing leak system that will drain water away into a drywell and alert them until the problem is fixed. We then encapsulated the crawl space with CleanSpace, a 20 mil. thick inorganic liner that completely seals off the home from the earth.

To complete the room, we installed a SaniDry CX dehumidifier, covered the 28 open vents around the crawl space with CleanSpace Vent Covers and placed seven WaterWatch Floor Alarms around the area. The vent covers will never rot and are securely placed over the vent with drilled-in fasteners. Outside air, moisture, and pests can no longer come in through the vents, giving the crawl space a more clean and controlled environment. For further security, the WaterWatch alarms will alert Joe and Antonia if any floor leak occurs. The Energy Star rated SaniDry CX has a powerful 300CFM fan to keep the circulating air dry. This automatic innovative system is self-draining and has a Merv-11 air filtration system that can filter items as small as two microns such as dust mite waste, mold, and other allergens. This newly sealed crawl space with a proper drainage system can now avoid mold, rot, moisture, dirt, and water.

Outside the home, we installed a LawnScape Outlet, an underground downspout extension that will send water away from the foundation in a camouflaged manner. To ensure that water will be disposed of properly if any pipes are frozen or clogged, we installed two automatic IceGuard devices that can never clog with ice, snow or other debris.

Before leaving, we let the homeowners know that we offer annual checkups and maintenance appointments if they are interested in a review of their system for whatever reason. Joe and Antonia now have a reliable system and a company in their corner who will answer any of their questions whenever they arise.

Eric and Kristi M.’s crawl space was not in great condition when they bought their home in 2001. It was evident there was previous water damage and there were cracks throughout the drywall. Their plan (like many others) was to simply ignore the space and make the best out of the rest of their home. However, the problem was more serious than they had originally thought. Their crawl space managed to leak anywhere from one to one and a half feet of water at a time. Bouncy bedroom floors were the result of rotted support posts that had settled into the ground and the drywall cracks were quickly expanding. Eric and Kristi contacted Rainy Day Basement Systems because they were pursuing a long-term solution in preventing future damages.

To resolve the bouncy floors, moldy support posts were removed and replaced with new ones to reestablish a firm foundation. Along with the new posts, a number of measures were taken to prevent water from damaging them in the future. Eric and Kristi’s crawl space was encapsulated in CleanSpace, an antimicrobial crawl space lining that isolates the space completely from the ground below, greatly reducing the amount of moisture allowed into the space. The encapsulation is completed with durable plastic vent covers and an EverLast Crawl Space Door. Both are made entirely out of inorganic materials making them waterproof and unable to support mold or mildew growth.

Moisture that is stopped by the system is captured by the drainage trenches that were added. The water is then pumped through the newly installed TripleSafe Sump Pump, our most effective sump pump. It offers the homeowner three times the protection by including two water outlets, two pumps that can process up to an impressive 6,200 gallons per hour and an additional battery backup system for worst case scenarios, like a power outage. The water is then released out of the LawnScape Outlet, a buried discharge line that carries the water a safe distance away from the home.