Basement Waterproofing
Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Wondering why you have a leaky basement? Basements are imperfect concrete structures built in varying soils, and in Pennsylvania and New Jersey we see numerous soil and ground types. Water in the soil leaking into basements is a problem that has troubled homeowners for more than 100 years. This water enters the basement through the walls, floors, and especially the joints between them. Over the years, basement waterproofing contractors and engineers have developed many different methods of keeping basements dry. Some of these methods are more effective than others.

BQ Basement Systems offers state-of-the-art basement waterproofing products and systems to homeowners in the greater Philadelphia area and throughout eastern Pennsylvania, including Bucks, Montgomery, Berk, Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Lehigh Counties, PA; and northwest New Jersey, including Hunterdon and Mercer Counties, NJ.

There are many possible methods to repair a wet basement, the most common include:

• Exterior Excavation (trenching around the foundation)
• Interior Subfloor (WaterGuard or drain tile systems)
• Interior Baseboard System (DryTrak)
• Negative-side Sealant ("waterproof" paints and hydraulic cements)

Excavation is typically the original system that has failed and is now the reason that your basement is wet. Exterior excavation also costs about twice the price of interior systems. Exterior waterproofing systems, like interior systems, need to be drained to a sump pump in the basement.

Negative-side sealants, that include waterproof paints and hydraulic cements, are temporary fixes at best, but since they do not address the water sitting around the foundation, they have little to no use. Paints also look terrible when they start to peel and flake.

Among the best of these methods is to install either an interior subfloor drainage system or a baseboard drainage system along the interior perimeter of the floor, however, there are a few challenges to this method. One challenge is to keep the drain from being clogged by mud. Drain tile systems sit down in the mud, but the patented WaterGuard system sits on the footing, up out of the mud. WaterGuard is a highly clog-resistant waterproofing system.

Many homeowners in Philadelphia and New Jersey go years without a basement water problem and then develop one due to the existing sub-floor and sub-surface drains clogging with mud. Another challenge for subfloor systems is to set up the system to accept water from the walls without leaving a large unsightly gap at the edge of the floor that can collect dirt and debris from the floor - another potential for clogging the drain. A special flange on the WaterGuard drainage channel addresses this neatly and effectively.

Both of these interior basement waterproofing systems, WaterGuard and DryTrak, can be easily serviced and a lifetime warranty offered -- it's true, anyone can offer a lifetime warranty, but the best warranty is the one you never have to use, and a serviceable system is one that can be maintained and kept in good working order. To learn more about the basement waterproofing systems that BQ Basement Systems installs, visit Basement Systems Inc. online.

BQ Basement Systems is a responsible waterproofing contractor, and only offer the best solutions to keep your basement dry into the future. We have won the Angie's List Superior Service Award in 2007 and 2006, an award given for maintaining the highest level of service based on customer reviews.

Almost all waterproofing systems today require a sump pump to remove the water from a basement. BQ Basement Systems installs the best sump pumps in northwest New Jersey and Pennsylvania, using Basement Systems' patented sump pump systems, including the TripleSafe system - the most reliable sump pump system in the world.

BQ Basement Systems also addresses crawl space waterproofing with drainage and the CleanSpace crawl space encapsulation system.

If you're in eastern PA, greater Philadelphia, or northwestern NJ, call us to schedule a free basement waterproofing estimate or contact us online.