If you have an older home with finished levels under exterior grade levels, foundation waterproofing is what protects your home from water damage. In many older homes, this is merely an asphalt coating, which acts more as a dampener than a complete waterproofing system. This means that overtime, your foundation waterproofing will degrade which can lead to leaks and failed waterproofing systems. There are many causes of this, such as seepage, clogged drains, and cracking.  If you want to know what is causing these water problems in your home, here are some of the causes of foundation waterproofing failure:

1. Degraded Exterior Waterproofing

With asphalt waterproofing on the exterior of your home, it will eventually dry and begin to decade. This can allow water to seep into the cracks in the waterproofing and cause problems in your home. To repair this problem, excavation needs to be done and a new waterproofing system installed. The best type of waterproofing system available today is a system that uses membranes and layers of drainage mats to provide your foundation walls with an impermeable system that will not decay.

2. Failing Drainage Systems At Foundation Walls

The drainage systems at the foundation walls can also fail over time. Sediments usually cause this and the drains clog, which traps water against foundation walls. This leads to static pressure against the foundation walls and will eventually lead to the water getting into your basement. To fix this problem, the drainage system will need to be cleaned, or you can have a completely new system installed. You may want to consider a more robust system with more than one drainpipe, so if one pipe fails, there is still another pipe to allow water to escape.

3. Foundation Cracks From Penetrations

Cracking of the foundation is another major cause of water problems. This is usually found where there are penetrations in the foundation walls. This can be due to things like mechanical systems such as sewer lines leaving your home through the foundation. These problems can sometimes be repaired by sealing the exterior of the crack and the penetrations to prevent water from getting in your home. Once you have the repair done, you will want to check this area from time to time for leaks, as this is one of the most likely places for you to find leaks in your home.

4. Poor Foundation Footings And Concrete

Poor foundation footings can be another problem that can lead to failure of foundation waterproofing. This can also be related to bad concrete with air in it, which will eventually lead to cracks and holes in the concrete. Pressure from water on these areas can cause the water proofing to fail. To address these issues, you may want to have areas of bad concrete repaired, as well as the repairs to your foundation waterproofing system.

These are some of the things that can cause the foundation waterproofing in your home to fail. If these problems have caused mold and mildew in your home, you will first want to contact a mold damage contractor to clean up the mold damage, and then have the repairs done to the foundation of your home.