The weight of water is one of natures biggest fears. It costs Americans trillions of dollars a year just in home damage. This doesn't even account for damage costs at sea. Lets face it, the force of water sank the titanic and thousands perished. What are the consequences you can face in your own home.

From a small town in Monroe, NY we have our fair share of bad weather. Surrounding us is the Tri-state region which includes NY, NJ and Connecticut. Unlike the rest of the country, we don't experience too many tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes. We do have the tendency to experience massive snowstorms and crippling rain in the spring. Now we have experienced a hurricane!!!

Major rains will bring your home devastating results like this without proper drainage. My own personal home experienced this last year after 3 feet of snow and a following of 4 inches of rain. I immediately came to the conclusion that my newly purchased home had inadequate footing drains. Within weeks I broke ground and started replacing the damaged drains.

 This picture above shows a curtain drain being installed and tied into the footing drains already installed. The idea is to divert water away from you home before it can enter. Without installing the correct drainage components can create results you may never thought possible!!

WMB Construction excavated this property in Monroe, NY for water issues due to poor footing drains. What we found on top of digging blew my mind. The actual weight of water and ice collapsed the infrastructure of the foundation leaving the homeowners bedroom upstairs unsafe. The foundation had pushed itself in 4-5 inches.

As it may be hard to see from the photo, the foundation was almost at the point of complete failure. Even my helper looks puzzled how it happened!lol

The biggest overlooks of drainage:

• What you can't see, will not hurt you!(huge misconception)

• Worry about it later!(do you know mold and mildew problems will make you home worthless?)

• We'll worry about those expanding foundation cracks in the future.(these issues don't go away, only become worse.)

The results of poor footing drains

WMB Construction had to re support the upper level and remove the damaged areas of the foundation. All due to the strength and power of water!

How did we correct the problem?

• We started by installing new block to match the existing wall structure.

• Every row of block we installed "Durawall" reinforcement to ensure future strength

• When block were installed to the existing grade we installed rebar through all the block.

• Block holes were filled solid with 4,000 psi gravel mix cement to ensure no possible future movement of the wall.

• Installed industry standard footing drain application.

Drainage is the #1 key in keeping your home dry and free of mold and mildew! What you can't see, will hurt you and your investment!

Drainage services:

• Footing drains

• Curtain drains

• Sump pumps

• Gutter drainage

Lots of water and no where for it to go. Water tables this time of year are at their capacity leaving water to seep into undesired areas. These areas usually consist of your homes basement. With improper drainage water cannot be diverted away from your home.

Tips for removing water away and out of your home:

• Install a sump pump inside your basement. It is installed in the concrete floor to relieve aquastatic pressure before it can enter into your home.
• Install french drains inside your basement. Drains are installed in the corner of the wall and floor. Usually installed due to failing footing drains.
• All homes are installed with footing drains unless built on a slab. Over time, older footing drains fail due to products used years ago or poor installation. Footing drains are the number one factor for relieving water away from your home.
• Install a curtain drain. Curtain drains help relieve water before it reaches your footing drains. Also good for wet areas of your property.
• Divert gutter downspouts away from home.

 The key to good drainage is a good installation. Most systems fail due to poor installation and a misunderstanding of how the system works. Water is one of natures greatest forces and costs homeowners and insurance companies trillions of dollars a year.

Key factors when installing footing drains:

• Make sure before you dig, call! Have a markout done so you don't hit any underground lines.
• Use a minimum 4" corrugated pipe.
• Use more gravel than necessary. Gravel is natural drainage.
• Install filter fabric around gravel.
• Install filter fabric around corrugated pipe.
• Use a good quality foundation coating.

 Curtain drains are a perfect way to relieve water away from your home or property. It works the same way as a footing drain and a lot of the time they are installed together. With both systems installed it cuts down your risk of water penetrating your home.

Why you might need a curtain drain:

• Areas of your property are consistently wet
• Water problems in your basement
• Your soil has bad perculation

Sump pumps are an excellent way of keeping unwanted water out of your basement. Installed in your basement floor, sump pumps relieve water from aquastatic pressure. In some areas, water tables are always high. As the pressure builds, water will always go where there is the least resistance. This will be in the cracks of your floor or walls. A sump pump catches any unwanted water before it can penetrate  into your home.

 Removing water away from your home is always a good idea. Gutter downspouts drain a massive amount of water from your roof. Installing a 4" pipe in the ground to divert the water elsewhere is an excellent investment.

What you gain by diverting water from your downspouts:

• Less water to worry about penetrating your foundation.
• Less mold and mildew issues next to your home.
• Much cleaner appearance.

 Water problems are always an issue. Fixing the problem is another issue. In the picture above you can easily see the high water table before we installed the curtain drain. Contact WMB Construction today for your next water issue.