Tip of the month
Drain silt
Basement foundation drain half silted shut!
Ratzloff Builders from Hardinsburg Indiana uncovered this nearly silted shut drain tile from a home less than 10 years old. This shows the importants of using clean stone and proper drainage components when installing a basement. Ask your builder if he uses one of the products I have listed below. It may keep you as a new home owner from having moisture headaches in the future!
This drain tile comes with a white filter sleeve or sock that reduces silt build up.
FORM-A-DRAIN® is the 3-in-1 foundation solution that forms footings, provides an integrated drainage system, and can be easily adapted to vent radon where needed. Designed for residential basement applications, Form-A-Drain consists of lineal sections installed as the foundation footing forms. Unlike standard wood forms, Form-A-Drain lineals stay in place permanently after completion of the concrete pour and because they form a complete sub-slab perimeter loop around the foundation, Form-A-Drain functions as a foundation drainage and a radon collection system as well. Since it stays in place, Form-A-Drain also shaves valuable time from the construction schedule; there’s no need for a crew to return the next day to remove, strip, clean and transport forms to the next jobsite.
GFCI protection
GFCI Receptacle
GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) is a circuit protection system designed to protect from shock. A basic analogy compares the circuit to plumping. Compare one prong in a receptacle to the incoming water, or faucet, in a sink and the other prong to the drain. The GFCI component is a measuring device that continually measures the amount of water coming through the faucet with the water going down the drain. If at anytime the water going down the drain is less than what is coming through the faucet the GFCI component expects the water must be splashing out of the sink onto you! It will immediately shut of the faucet to protect you.
There are two practical things to know about the GFCI circuit.
1. GFCI’s do not need a ground (bonding wire) to work properly. So, they are a good option even in old houses that are not wired with a bonding wire (2 prong receptacles).
2. GFCI’s fail, and when they fail they quit protecting you. GFCI’s should be tested every several months.
To test a GFCI protected receptacle plug a lamp into the receptacle and press the test button. If the reset button pops out and the lamp goes off the GFCI is good and you are protected. Press the reset button. The GFCI receptacle you are testing may also protect other receptacles. This can be checked by plugging a lamp into the receptacle in question. If the lamp goes off when the GFCI receptacle is tested, then the receptacle in question is also protected.
GFCI protection, usually in the form of a GFCI receptacle (can also be a GFCI breaker) are not expensive and simple for a qualified electrician to replace.
An example of the need to test GFCI circuits is illustrated in one of my recent home inspections. I was inspecting a well-built home that was less than 15 years old. In the course of my inspection I discover 3 of the 4 GFCI circuits were faulty, thus not protecting the residents. Remember to test!
Landscape grading
Negative Grade
Many problems begin when the landscape around a home is not properly drained. In southern Indiana many homes are “back-filled” with a combination of crushed limestone and soil. This can settle over time causing a “negative grade” situation. When rain water is not drained away properly the porous soil around the home foundation becomes saturated. Moisture soaks through the concrete or block foundation wall potentially leading to wood rot, mold and other adverse affects inside the home. However, less known to many home owners, is the damaging affects of expanding water during freezing. During a hard freeze saturated soil can exert several thousand psi force against a homes foundation. This can and does lead to foundation failure in many homes.
One of the best preventative maintenance measures a home owner can take is to insure there is proper drainage around the home. Landscaping around the perimeter of the home should sloped away for at least 10’. Remedies can be as simple as hauling a few wheelbarrows of dirt along the foundation to hiring an excavation or landscape contractor to regrade the surrounding yard. But the time, money and effort put into proper grading will not be lost.
A more in-depth article on foundation damage due to freezing can be found here: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2013/01/10/how-it-works-frost-heave
foundation cracks
Foundation: cracks in poured concrete wall
Q: Is the crack in my basement wall something to be concerned about?
A: A fine vertical crack in your basement wall is common, especially in long walls. This is usually nothing to worry about. These cracks are due to shrinkage in the initial set of the concrete; they do not adversely affect the performance of your foundation. However a horizontal or diagonal crack can be part of a more serious problem and should be checked out by a foundation professional.