Building a Defense Strategy: Clay Bowl Effect

Monday, September 19th, 2016 by Brittany Woitas

Challenge

Homes throughout Southern Minnesota fall victim of the “clay bowl effect” – water buildup around the home that is unable to escape due to the clay bowl that surrounds the home. This is the number one reason that basements leak, and can cause water damage, mildew, and headaches!

How it happens: Hydrostatic pressure (aka the pressure that builds up because water is taking up space around your home) forces water into the basement through the walls and the floor. Additionally, this constant pressure can cause walls to bow and lose structural integrity. In sum, when there is any moisture in a basement, this is a sign of a serious problem.

White Bear Lake homeowners were tired of being victim of the clay bowl effect! They had multiple occasions of water entering the basement through the walls and floor, and one of the walls was dangerously bowed.

Solution

System Design Specialist, Dylan Woitas, designed a system to check off all the boxes on the homeowners’ checklist. The system included a full perimeter WaterGuard system to waterproof the space, CleanSpace – a wall vapor barrier – and PowerBraces to correct the bowing wall.

Now that the project is installed, the homeowners can rest assured that their basement problems are solved! Now that the space is dry, safe, and structurally sound, they can choose to utilize the space for storage or additional living space.

Project Summary

System Design Specialist: Dylan Woitas

Foreman: Blake Yungbauer

Products Installed: WaterGuard, CleanSpace, Discharge Line, Sump Pump, PowerBraces

As the crew worked to dig around the perimeter of the space to install the waterproofing system, the mold and mildew problem was extremely evident. All of the walls had a black coating of mildew from being damp for so long.

Once the space was prepped, the crew installed the CleanSpace water vapor barrier on the walls, and began installing the waterproofing system.

The fully enclosed sump pump works to collect the water from both the WaterGuard and CleanSpace, and transport it all to the exterior drainage system.