At first glance, basement leaks where the wall meets the floor may look menial or harmless.
Related:Basement Drain Backing Up When Washing Clothes?
In this article
What is a cove joint?
The cove joint is basically the spot where the basement wall meets the floor.
Seepage or small leaks flowing through it is an extremely normal occurrence in the cove joint.
You have to know, however, that cove joint seepage is induced by prolonged heavy rains.
This happens when the accumulated water rises to the foundation walls of the home.
Why is there a gap between the basement wall and floor?
A cove joints existence is because of the way concrete is poured in the basement walls and floor.
Specifically, when the foundations footings are already in place, pouring the basement walls immediately comes after.
After the basement walls have been poured and after they have cured, the basement floors are poured next.
When this happens, the water pressure can cause cracks in concrete.
The immediate solution to this isdehumidifier.
The more droplets present in the foil, the higher the level of condensation.
#3.Wall cracks
Cracks on the wall could be due to many reasons too.
If the leaks are not that big, locate white, salt-like residues along the cove joint.
This is one of the signifiers of plumbing leaks and its effect on foundation walls.
The next section will tell you why it merely sealing the cove joints would not fix the seepage.
Should I seal the cove joint?
Sealing a cove joint is not a good measure to stop seepage.
The role of sealants is just to act as a barrier where the first seepage is seen.
Because of this, it will encourage water pressure buildup somewhere else along the basement walls.
As such, you are only adding more problems in the long run.
Fortunately, a more permanent fix has been introduced and that would be through a drain tile system.
The first one is by installing a drain tile system; the interior or the exterior drain tile.
The second one is by adding a protective coating to the exterior basement walls.
This is called the exterior waterproofing membrane.
In this section, we will have a brief rundown of these cove joint waterproofing methods.
Basic descriptions are highlighted along with their pros, cons, and costs.
They can be made of plastic or clay and range from a few inches to just a foot.
It works by relieving the waters upward pressure through the collection of the water underneath the floor.
The collected water is then channeled to what we call as a sump pump.
This throw in of drain tile could be installed within a day.
At an average, installation could range from $8000-15000.
As such, this pop in of drain tile system requires wall excavation.
This one is more labor intensive due to the need to excavate the walls.
In terms of cost, installation ranges from $14000-35000.
In these circumstances, you could turn to exterior waterproofing membranes.
This works by adding a layer of waterproof coating to the foundation wall.
The most used one is the PVC waterproofing membrane.
Other waterproofing membranes include bituminous membrane, elastomeric membrane, and crystalline waterproofing membrane, among others.
This is done through wall excavation.
it’s possible for you to reinforce this by attaching a drainpipe at the trenchs base.
This is done to eliminate excess water.
Overall, the cost of an exterior waterproofing membrane is from $55-120 per square feet.
How long does a drain tile system last?
Drain tiles are essentially built to last.
It may lead to various structural repercussions.
This necessitates applying interventions, specifically a drain tile system.
A third alternative is also existing which is adding a layer of protective coating called the exterior waterproofing membrane.
With all things considered, we have to secure the basement walls once we see cove joint seepage.
While it is a common occurrence, it cannot be left unchecked.
Installation of the drain tile systems can be done on your own.
But if you are not sure about how to navigate through this, consult professionals.
