All-Dry of the Carolinas Before & After Photos

This finished basement in Inman, SC was taking on water. Our All-Dry of the Carolinas team installed out waterproofing technology, such as CleanSpace, draining matting, a sump pump, a LawnScape outlet, and a WaterGuard. A water guard is a system that intercepts the water at the perimeter of the basement and drains it unseen and safely into the SumpPump where it is then flushed from the basement. WaterGuard is different because it is designed to not sit in dirt like most draining systems do. There is a special wall flange that creates space between the floor and wall allowing wall seepage to drain through the WaterGuard while keeping it away from the dirt. Since this type of drainage is separated from dirt, the chances of it clogging are nearly impossible!

All basements are uniquely different than others. Although some basements might require the same process of work to manager moisture levels, sometimes there are other routes to take. This basement in Scaly Mountain, NC took a route of action that is rarely used anymore.

To address the issue of moisture in their basement they had our All-Dry of the Carolinas team install The ThermalDry Wall System. Our ThermalDry Wall system is a type of vapor barrier that has two different sides. The side that is attached to the wall is made of bubble wrap. This bubble wrap provides space for the water that is leaking down the walls to flow into the WaterGuard. The bubble wrap also works as insulation for the basement. On the other side of the ThermalDry Wall system, it is made of foil; this foil is used to reflect heat back into the basement.

WaterGuard was also added to the perimeter of the basement. The WaterGuard system intercepts the water at the perimeter of the basement and drains it unseen and safely into the SuperSump where it is then flushed from the basement. WaterGuard is different because it is designed to not sit in dirt like most draining systems do. There is a special wall flange that creates space between the floor and wall allowing wall seepage to drain through the WaterGuard while keeping it away from the dirt. Since this type of drainage is separated from dirt, the chances of it clogging are nearly impossible! The WaterGuard leads the water to the SuperSump where it is then flushed from the basement outside to the LawnScape outlet. All resulting in a dry basement! The SuperSump Pump is a sump pump that can pump up to 2,650 gallons an hour, has a WaterWatch system, Superliner with 96 holes for water flow, and an Airtight Lid. The SuperSump then drains all water outside through the LawnScape Outlet.

In the ‘Before” picture you can see our All-Dry of the Carolinas team preparing the basement to the installation of WaterGuard. In the “After” picture you see a fulling insulated basement with ThermalDry Wall and WaterGuard.

This basement was having some issues with the relative humidity level. It was much higher than it should have been, which gives mold a chance to grow on any organic surface in the basement. The was potentially a pretty serious issue, as mold can cause health problems if left unchecked. Fortunately, this homeowner caught the problem quick enough that no mold had grown.

The "before" picture shows what this area in the basement looked like before the system was installed. The main part of this photo that we want to focus on is the wet spot to the left of the brick. The problem with water intrusion is that it is not always visible, and even when it is, sometimes it is not even that noticeable. However, having that water there shows that there is water intrusion around that area.

The "after" photo shows the area with the WaterGuard already installed. This system will help to keep water from just sitting in the basement and evaporating, increasing the relative humidity level. The WaterGuard leaves a small gap in between the wall to catch any water that soaks through the wall. This systems has helped this homeowner to have a safer, cleaner, and healthier basement.

                When some envision their dream home, they might imagine it sitting on the side of a mountain. This is the case with this home in Sky Valley, Georgia. The downside of living in the mountains though is the issue of water running downhill and entering your basement or crawlspace.  This home had the problem of high moister and water puddling in their crawlspace. Along with the water problems, it was also a physical challenge to work around because the area was covered in rocks. In the far right corner of the crawlspace there was a bolder that caused an issue placing in a drainage system. The homeowner feared that even with our waterproofing technology that the bolder would cause water to drain in a direction away from the drain. Although these problems faced our All-Dry of the Carolinas’ team they were able to tackle the issue and create a water free area under the home.

                Our solution for this issue was a series of our waterproofing technology. To begin to tackle the issue our team had to first clean the space of debris and rocks. Once that was finished, our team had to figure out a solution to installing a drainage system that would work around the bolder that was unable to be moved. After careful consideration our team decided to place the drainage system at the base of the wall and bolder. We did exploratory digging to find the edge of the bolder to make sure that water draining off it would go into our drainage system. From there, drainage matting was added and then covered with CleanSpace to keep moister from coming from the soil of the crawlspace. A SmartSump was also added to the area to flush excess water from the crawlspace. Finally, a dehumidifier was added to the crawlspace to take care of the remaining issue of high moister levels in the air.  

This homeowner had some pretty severe water intrusion in their crawlspace, enough that mold was just begging to start growing. The homeowner had actually had us help with a similar problem in a previous home, so they knew exactly who to call and knew the system would take care of their problems. The Systems Design Specialist proposed that the homeowner go with a CleanSpace Encapsulation, along with drainage matting, 3-inch drain tile, and a SuperSump pump.

The "before" picture shows part of the crawlspace when our Specialist went out to the home. The water intrusion was definitely worse along the sides of the home, as shown in this picture. As you can see, the area up along the wall is much darker, mainly because of the amount of water in the soil.

However, the "after" picture shows a much different story. As you can see, this entire area was covered in CleanSpace liner, from the floor to the walls. The more area that we are able to cover, the less moisture is able to get in, which is one of the main reasons why we like to go as far up the wall as we can. Some homeowners go with only a foot or two up the wall, but we suggest having the entire wall covered to prevent moisture from getting into the crawlspace.