All-Dry of the Carolinas Before & After Photos

The best thing about piping systems is their ability to hide in plain sight. The biggest problem with this is that not all piping systems have this ability. Most systems are nothing like the WaterGuard we use. Those systems either take up too much space or will become extremely expensive.

WaterGuard, as you can see, is installed in the actual basement. It doesn’t take up any room and is safely hidden from view. It’s the perfect alternative to pricy, bulky piping systems.

Basements with an open area under the stairs are great for if we need to install a system in the home. Not only does it help us out, but it also gives the homeowner an area where the sump pump can be contained, without really having to see or deal with it. This was the case with this homeowner and their basement. In this basement, we installed WaterGuard drainage, as well as a SuperSump pump system, which is what will be shown in the after photo.

The "before" picture shows the open area that is beneath the stairs leading to the basement. But more importantly, this shows the area where the SuperSump will be installed. This is such a good area because it usually is not used much (or in some cases, at all by homeowners), so when the sump pump is installed, no real space is taken up by the system. It gives our service technicians an easily accessible area, while still being able to be concealed by the homeowner.

The "after" photo shows off the installed SuperSump pump system. As you can see, it certainly is not the most invasive system, but it does require quite a bit of room. It has more than enough room to be installed here, and the fact that it is up against an exterior wall is another plus! We try our best to install the sump pump an area that is not used very often or that is hidden away.

Finding out that there is a water intrusion issue in a finished basement is never fun to find out because it makes the repairs much more difficult. Floor and parts of walls may need to be replaced and any furniture near to the walls will likely have to be moved. As frustrating as this may seem, it is still better to go this route, because once the system is installed the problem will be solved for good. 

Fortunately for this homeowner, while they did have some furniture in the basement and used it more frequently than most others, it was not a completely finished basement. This homeowner was getting quite a bit of water intrusion through the joint between the floor and wall of the basement, which was increasing the relative humidity level in the crawlspace, which could easily mean even more troubles. The homeowner called before the issue became too serious because he had a family friend who had a similar issue and knew that All-Dry of the Carolinas could fix the problems they were having.

The solution to the water intrusion in the basement of this home was one that we've used thousands of times before; WaterGuard drains with a SuperSump pump system. The WaterGuard is installed in the floor around the perimeter of the basement, leaving a small gap between the floor and wall where water can flow into. The other part of the system is the SuperSump, which is like a sump pump on steroids, with many features that just a pump doesn't provide. The SuperSump ensures that the water that comes into the basement is promptly pumped out and away from the home.

Having water intrusion in a basement is never something you want to see as a homeowner. However, the very nature of basements being below grade leads them to be more likely to have issues with water intrusion. Of course, not every basement has these issues and sometimes there may be water getting in without any obvious signs of water intrusion. Whatever the case, the basement (and crawlspace) of a home should be checked periodically for signs of water intrusion. The earlier it is caught, the less damage can be done. 

While there are some signs of water damage at the joint between the floor and wall, it could easily be overlooked. Fortunately, this homeowner was still able to see that something was off and took the initiative to have someone look at it. We had one of our System Design Specialists go out to the home to see how we could help out this homeowner with the water intrusion issues. Our Specialist was able to figure out what the issue was and where the water was coming from, from there he was able to draw up a quote for the homeowner and get the problem fixed!

The crew came out just a few weeks later to install the system to keep this basement dry. It consisted mainly of our WaterGuard drain system and a SuperSump pump system. Both of these products work great with each other and help to ensure that no water stays in the basement. To install the WaterGuard, a section of the concrete must be taken out and the WaterGuard is installed. Once the new concrete is put over it and dries, it looks pretty much the same as before, except there is now a small gap between the floor and wall to allow water to get to the drain. The other part of the system is the SuperSump which is where the water drains and is then pumped outside and in an area where it won't make it back to the home. 

This homeowner in Pelzer, South Carolina told our Design Specialist that they weren't experiencing any problems in particular, but felt that this was a good investment. And sometimes, that can be very true. Even if they weren't experiencing major issues, from the look of the crawlspace, this needed to be done anyway. Many crawlspaces have dirt floors, but many of those crawlspaces suffer from high humidity levels and moisture issues. This is because of the water vapor escaping into the crawlspace from the dirt. Not many people often thing about it, but water vapor, when let alone, can cause all sorts of problems. The moisture can rust cables, rest in wood, and welcome in an entire fleet of temites.

And so, to protect this space from future problems, we installed a CleanSpace liner. This is a 20 mils thick plastic material reinforced with polyester cords.  This material is perfect for keeping that moisture at bay and, thus, sealing the entire space. The finished product is pictured here in the after photo.