SAS Basement Waterproofing

Dear Glenn: I would like a recommendation from you for a contractor who can help me with my wet basement problem. I have water coming into the basement from my basement windows, which are glass block; water from rod holes; and water seeping in from the chimney. I am looking for a reputable contractor with reasonable fees because I am retired and on a fixed income. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Dear Ruth: You should always get multiple estimates, so here are a few companies to get in touch with. One is B-Dry System of Wayne County, (800) 635-8130, www.b-dry.com. Another is Mr. Sponge, (800) 491-4686, www.mrsponge.com. The last is SAS Services, (800) 894-5115, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com. All of the companies have many years of experience in the waterproofing industry.

Dear Glenn: I am trying to help my dad find a reputable contractor to fix a basement crack. My dad’s house is a small ranch that was built in 1960. The crack is high on the north wall near the chimney clean out. It’s only a quarter of an inch in diameter, but he thinks it’s quite deep. It has only leaked once during a driving rain. He wants to fix it before it becomes a bigger problem. Can you suggest someone in the area who can fill this kind of a crack? Dear Lynn: Here are names of a couple of companies that specialize in crack repair. B-Dry System of Wayne County, (800) 635-8130, www.b-dry.com. Another good company is S.A.S. Services, (800) 894-5115, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com. They have been fixing basement leaks since 1983.

Dear Glenn: We have CertainTeed shingles from the ’90s. They are disintegrating, so we need a new roof. We’re having Kearns Brothers come and give us an estimate. You always say to get multiple estimates, so who would be another contractor that you would suggest we call? Dear Kathryn: Kearns Brothers is a Master Elite GAF installing contractor. I would also contact S.A.S. Services, (800) 894-5115, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com. They have been installing CertainTeed roofs since 1985. Another well established company is Pine Building, (888) 500-7463, www.pinebuilding.com. They are a family-owned and operated company that has been around since 1986.

Dear Glenn: I have been in my house for over 13 years and have never had an issue with water in the basement. With the recent heavy rains (2 inches in a couple of hours), my basement has developed a small leak where, you guessed it, the wall meets the floor. The water will cover an area of about 5 square feet, so at this point it’s not flooding the basement. You always say on your radio shows to make sure the grading is correct. In my case, it seems that if the grading was not done properly I would have had an issue when we got heavy rains in the past 13 years. Note that my gutters are run out (underground) for over 30 feet from the house. In a recent show, you discussed this issue, and said that it might be a problem with the sump system bleeder lines; my sump pump works fine and is also piped out over 50 feet from the house. I want to get this fixed before it becomes a major issue. Bill, Ann Arbor Dear Bill: Take a deep breath — 2 inches of water in a couple of hours and all you had was a 5 square foot area that was wet. You win. Thirteen years and no wet problems is the standard to look at. Water always wins. You don’t have water winning. Take a look at the roof slope to determine water run-off into downspouts and if the wet side in the basement faces south or west, you’re doing the best without spending thousands. An ultra low temperature Energy Star dehumidifier will help. Set it at 60 degrees humidity.

Dear Glenn: I need help, and I don’t know who to turn to. My house foundation that was built in 1991 has a crack that developed 10 years ago, which I assume was from a hard winter and has enlarged over time. It is about 1 inch wide now and has resulted in uneven floors and doorways. Can you give me some advice on what kind of contractor I should contact for an estimate of work to fix the problems? Judy, via e-mail Dear Judy: I would call Foundation Systems of Michigan, (877) 379-6424, www.drymich.com, and SAS Construction, (800) 894-5115, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com. Get written quotes from both. I have written an article on checking out contractors that ran in The Detroit News on Sept. 4. You can read it on my help site, www.masterhandyman.com. Just click on the column archive under Featured Articles in the center of the page, and you can read it and even print it out to save. Use it.

Dear Glenn: I have a question I hope you can answer. I live in Fort Gratiot and have a problem in my basement. I had B-Dry put in their system to solve the problem, and now I have bigger problem that no one seems to be able to solve. I have iron algae, and B-Dry said I had to clean out their system about every six months to remove algae from the system and the sump pump. I cannot do this myself as I am in my 70s and this is a big task. I put Iron Out in all of the ports every three weeks or so, but that is not solving the problem. I was wondering if the stuff they put in fish tanks would help. The house is three years old. Could you please recommend someone that can resolve this problem or at least give some sort of resolution to fix it? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can offer. Thank you in advance. Kay, Fort Gratiot. Dear Kay: Two companies that I know have solved this problem many times. Call Steve Safie from SAS Basement Waterproofing, (800) 894-5115, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com, or Pete Wood from Rooter MD, (800) 766-8376, www.rootermd.com. Both get the job done.

Dear Glenn: I have a bungalow in Royal Oak that was built in the late 1940s. We have a problem with water coming up from the cracks in the floor, as well as along the edge where the wall meets the floor. The basement floor is exposed and unfinished. I looked into a sump pump but was concerned that the water would not flow to a pump due to the fact that the floor was poured over a thin layer of tinder as opposed to gravel. I have adjusted the grade on the outside of the house and extended my downspouts. The problem is isolated to the late winter and early spring when the earth is more saturated. Can you recommend a remedy as well as a reputable company that would do such work? Jeff, Birmingham Dear Jeff: It sounds like a dewatering system is needed. There are two companies I would call. Steve Safie at SAS Basement Waterproofing, (800) 225-5727; www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com, and Bob Genord at Foundation Systems of Michigan, (877) 379-6424; www.drymich.com.

Dear Glenn: I was listening to your show a few weeks back when you talked about basement leaks and gave a company in Warren that you thought was good. They even did a clean-out access to the weeping tile. Well, I went online and located the info you had and figured I would go back to it later when I had more time. Now I can’t find what I found, so could you help me out? I have only one section of wall in the basement where water comes in and that’s between the wall and the floor in the front of the house almost as far as one can get from the pump. I think I know what needs to be done, but I would rather pay someone to do it correctly the first time. Like I said, I believe this outfit was in Warren. Your show is great, just can’t listen to it often enough to get caught up with the honey-do list. Ken, via e-mail Dear Ken: Thanks for listening to the show. SAS Basement Waterproofing, (800) 225-5727, sasbasementwaterproofing.com, is the company in Warren.

Dear Glenn: We moved into this house in Clinton Township, Michigan, in September 2001. After a few years, we noticed water spotting on either side of the wall where our chimney box rises above the roof. The roof has a steep pitch coming down, but as it gets down to the height of the chimney box, the builder built a ridge peak to divide the water to go down around either side of the chimney box. I have had 3 different contractors come out and “fix” the problem. With this overnight driving rain, we got up this morning and found a longer water spot than ever before. I am out of ideas and don’t know who to contact to evaluate the matter. — Jeff, Clinton Township Dear Jeff: This is a 2-part problem. First, you need to find out where the water is coming from. Call Bob Carey at Infrared Services of Michigan ((810) 329-9033, www.ismichigan.com). He can do an infrared scan of the home to find out where the water is coming from. Once the water entry point is located, then you can call SAS Basement Waterproofing ((800) 225-5727, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com) to fix the roof.

Dear Glenn: I have a home that was built in 1928. Approximately 15 years ago the chimney was damaged from a tree. I had the tree removed and the chimney rebuilt. About 4 years ago I started getting water damage in the bedroom on the second floor around the chimney. I had contractors look at the problem and the consensus was that I had to have the chimney reflashed and tuck pointed. I spent $2,100 for the repairs and thought I was all set. Less than 6 months later the bedroom ceiling started showing water damage again. I called my contractor out and he said he would return in the spring to revisit the problem. Unfortunately he passed away during the winter. I just had another contractor out today and without going up on the roof, he is saying that the flashing was done incorrectly and it will need to be redone. I need to know if there is someone in this area that will give me an honest estimate of what needs to be done. Doug, Detroit Dear Doug: First I would call Infrared Services of Michigan, (810) 329-9033, www.ismichigan.com, and have them come out and shoot the roof with an infrared camera. That way, you will know where the leak is. Then call SAS Construction, (800) 225-5727, www.sasbasementwaterproofing.com, and have them perform the fix.