What makes you choose to drain the house? Is it moisture in the basement or is it the insulation you want?
Many drain houses that do not need drainage because it was a long time ago or never done, and people believe that all houses are in urgent need of this.
Many drain houses that do not need drainage because it was a long time ago or never done, and people believe that all houses are in urgent need of this.
Of course, it's bad if the house stands in water for a long, long time, that's why you're draining. But the purpose of drainage is for the house to dry out.Hammare&Spik said:
If we take your example with a 2.5-meter deep trench around the entire house, and then there's a decimeter of water at the bottom. The water at the bottom of the trench is only slightly more than what would have been against the foundation, but then bound in the soil. The difference when you have an open trench is that 2.4 meters of the foundation is open to the air and can transport the moisture outwards. So overall, there's not much difference for the house. And: Even if there were a difference, it would be a matter of a few days. Moisture damage is something that occurs over time.
The only thing I know is that the house hasn't been drained in 40+ years... Admittedly, the house stands on sand... according to the inspector, which to some extent should be self-draining.E epw said:
But I will read the inspection report once more now that you mention it. I will get back to you.
Thanks for the feedback. I probably got the idea that a little rain for a couple of days is bad. But I wasn't aware that the bottom of the trench is probably in water all the time?P PatrikJo said:
I agree with epw. You shouldn't spend a lot of money on something that might not need to be done. You may never even need to do it?
I would probably never trust an inspection report, there's always some "indication" that there's moisture in the basement...
How should I "find out" IF I need to drain? Maybe only one side of the house needs to be drained. (The side we have that has a small hill 20m away)T TechChad said:
What do you recommend? Should one get a "moisture measurement company," whatever that may be? So they can do some tests? Or how should one proceed?
As long as the basement walls aren't lined, it's easy to see if you need drainage. If the plaster on the walls or the paint comes off, it's probably the wrong paint (not silicate) or too damp. This is usually quite clear. You can also check with a thermal camera when it's a bit more humid outside than now during winter. Ideally, if it's rainy for a long period.
As mentioned, there has been inflation in the idea that you need to drain every 20 years. This is a waste of resources to dig up and redo and possibly create a problem with the basement walls. Don't fix what ain't broken!
I want to turn the question around, how did the question come up in the first place? Who said you needed to drain, and why?
What type of basement do you have? Is it living space, or do you just have, like, a garage, boiler room, etc., down there?
Good point!P PatrikJo said:
We've lived in the house for about 8 months. The lady who lived here said her husband drained it about 40+ years ago. At the back of the house, there's a smaller hill that I assume sometimes brings some water down towards the house. About 15-20m away. The inspector said that the house stands on a sand base and that it's good! According to him, it's self-draining and that's probably why they haven't had problems for over 40+ years. As mentioned, we have big plans for the garden. Replace the panel! Build new decks at the front and back of the house. Do some landscaping, for example, remove a spruce and plant a plum tree instead, etc. So that's why we "feel" it would be troublesome to have to tear up all the work we put in if it turns out in 5-7 years that we need to drain. The house's basement is 100sqm of living space. With a bathroom, boiler room, laundry room, TV room. Everything is newly renovated in the basement. Including the bathroom. So, one is a bit worried about potential damage if the drainage is poor. I definitely need to find out if this is necessary from someone knowledgeable. A friend recommended (quite wisely actually) that we dig a few drainage pipes a bit away from the hill, so the water is caught there instead of ever reaching the house.