Video capsule
In this capsule, we want you to pay attention to the damages that a water infiltration can cause to your property in winter.
Indeed, with the diffences of temperature that we live during the winter, it become important and even primordial to prevent water from accessing the outlines of the foundations by stretching the gutter on the floor. One of our clients learnt it at his expense, during a hot day in winter, following a lot of milimeters of rain fallen, the ground being less frozen near the foundation since we heat our basements, the water has infiltrated and this time it has been in contact with a metal stem of the foundation. The result, a horizontal crack on two walls of the foundation.
The costs to fix this kind of issue are important and could put in danger the promise to purchase.
It’s a think well
Good checking
The damages of a water infiltration
The infiltration of water in winter can cause serious damages due to the effet of « frost and thaw ». Following the infiltration, when the water is turning to ice it take expansion and this effect can cause harmful consequences that could affect the resale value of your house.
The image below represents the result of a water infiltration in winter causing a crack on two of the wall foundations of a house located in Sherbrooke.
How to prevent an infiltration of water in winter?
It can be very difficult to prevent an infiltration of water in general. The water can come from the roof of the habitation and pass through a wall to make its way directly to the basement. This is why our recommendations are limited to the foundations of the building.
Here are some points to verify :
Water from the roof flows along the gutters and can accumulate on the floor near your foundation. It is primordial that water evacuate in the opposite direction of the house. Your gutters are may be too short, a simple extension can save you a lot of problems.
Normal life time of a french drain is 25 years. If your residence is more than 25 years old, there are chances that it can be partially clogged, even completely. In case that a clogged french drain, water is accumulating along the house and ends up being infiltrated in the foundations. In order to be sure, you can contact an expert to do an evaluation of your french drain with the help of a camera.
It is most likely that water infiltrates by already existing cracks. However, the water did not accumulate along the foundations to cause an infiltration. Multiples technics allows to repair the cracks, consult an expert to take the right decision!