Conference 7.286::home_work

    See notes 149-150.
    
    My guess is, the brush-on-from-the-inside stuff won't work if there
    is any sort of pressure behind the water at all.  Down at floor
    level, you may have the pressure of a 5' or 6' head of water forcing
    the moisture through the concrete, and if that is the case it will
    probably just push the sealer off.  The sealers work okay if the moisture
    is from capillary action, etc.  Otherwise, I have my doubts.  Strictly
    personal opinion, not backed up by any particular facts.
    
    If you can put the sealer on the OUTSIDE of the wall you may have
    something, but that involves digging and other hard work.
    
    The brush-on stuff is certainly easy enough to try, but I think
    I'd buy some and try it before investing in 5 or 6 gallons of the
    stuff.  It may work - there has certainly been a lot of new chemical
    wizardry in the past few years.
    
    Steve

Update on what I have found out:

	I went to a home show a while back and saw a booth concerning
basement waterproofing. So I casually filled out a card and elected for
them to come out and show me their presentation. The name of the company
is National Basement Waterproofing out of Worcester. 

	Their process involves a substance called Bentonite, which is a 
vocanic ash that they import from the western part of the country. This
substance is injected into the ground. Once in the ground, this stuff is
supposed to expand with water and fill any and all cracks where water 
comes in.

	Therfore the questions I have are:

	1. Has anyone ever heard of "Bentonite" and does it contain the
	   qualities that they proclaim..?

	2. Has anyone heard of or used this company before....?

Thanks for any input.


						Robert

    re.: -.1
    I got some of what is probably the same stuff from a Tru-value hardware
    store. The fellow there told me that it tested to something like
    150 psi so that should hold back any water short of an actual flood.
    My question is (and I didn't think of it at the time :-( ): if it
    really will hold back water to 150 psi, won't that build up a lot
    of pressure on the foundation and cause it to crack? I'm going to
    call the store and ask the question but I'd also like to hear from
    you folks out there before I do.
    
    Thanks.

    
    	Can someone please list brand names of basement sealers that
    are applied to the outside of a foundation.  This spring I'm going
    to have a trench dug and lay some pipe and install a sump pump.
    While I've got the basement exposed I'd like to use some sealer.
    	The water in my basement comes up through the floor, but I figure
    to seal the wall while it is exposed.

During last year a number of notes were written concerning the 
application of Benonite by Basement Waterproofing Nationwide.
This method sounds like an effective and inexpensive alternative
to solve water problems.  Problem is most of the information in
this conference deals with the salesmen's claims for the product.
I could not find a single note from someone who had actually 
tried this stuff.  This makes me very nervous.

Since over a year has passed since Benonite has been discussed
lets try again.  Has anyone had first had experience with this 
product and care to comment on results?


-JFK- (Wishing for a dry basement)

In a recent note (2685.8) a comment was made about the cost and
availability of THOROSEAL.  Having recently finished sealing my
basement I just wanted to share with you an economical source for
THOROSEAL.  I ended up using 350lbs of the stuff. East Coast
Lumber (Hampstead NH and other locations) sells THOROSEAL in
50lbs bags for something like $18-20 (don't remember if that was
before or after contractors discount). Thats a lot cheaper than
the 25 or 35lbs plastic tubs that they sell at places like
Channels. It is also available in gray or white with the white
being a dollar or two more. 

-JFK-

      When  we  did our foundation (on the OUTSIDE -- we planned ahead!)
      we were advised to use THOUROSEAL.  Off we went  to  B  J  Masonry
      Supply Inc (Manchester NH). They'd have gladly sold us THOUROSEAL,
      but suggested a generic brand called sometihg like  SULPRO.   They
      told  us  it  was  essentially the same thing and is was something
      like 10-20% less.
      
      Check  the  heading  CONCRETE  BLOCKS,etc  in your phone book form
      possible sources.

    
    I have no idea how Bentonite works for sealing a foundation.  But
    I do know that Bentonite is found in the ground in some areas around
    Colorado Springs.  When I moved out here and looked at homes in
    those areas, MANY homes had varying degrees of foundation problems.
     From small cracks to huge cracks and severe heaving of slabs. 
    From what I understand, this is only a problem if the drainage around
    the house is improper, allowing the Bentonite to swell against the
    foundation.  Personally, I'd be afraid to use the stuff based upon
    my observations.  I suppose the stuff would be O.K. if applied exactly
    right, but it sounds risky.

    We have a poured concrete foundation through which we sometimes get
    water seepage in the back of the house.  This is primarily occurring
    where an old bulkhead was removed (and moved), and mostly in the
    spring when the ground is wet.  The inside walls of the basement
    are finished with panelling over studding and Homasote.  Of
    particular note is that our porch is directly over where the old
    bulkhead was, making it undesireable to excavate it.
    
    We'd prefer to keep the water from coming into the concrete, so
    have started to get quotes from waterproofing contractors (there
    doesn't seem to be a note for them in the contractors note space).
    
    The quote we got tonight was for injecting a slurry of Bentonite
    at intervals along the foundation down to the footing.  This was
    said to act as a "soil stabilizer" and keeps the water away from
    the foundation wall.  We were quoted a price of $1200 for a 40
    foot wall.  Of course, we intend to get other quotes from
    companies which may suggest other methods.  This price included
    a 25 year guarantee.
    
    I'll repeat a query made earlier - has anyone actually had
    waterproofing using Bentonite injection done?  If so, how did
    it work out and how much did it cost?  What other methods
    of outside treatment are available that might be of interest?
    
    					Steve

    
    No experience with Bentonite, but is your water problem under the 
    soffit side of the roof..?  Do you have gutters if it is..? 
    I solved a similar problem with about $25 and a half days work
    putting up some gutters. 
    

We added gutters and they did reduce the problem significantly, but not
completely.

				Steve

Steve  - who did your estimate?  (178.10)

Anyone - "National Basement Waterproofing" is not listed with directory
         assistance for Worcester (or 800).   Out Of Business?

Anyone else in the greater Worcester area doing Bentonite?

This topic has YET to produce any list of installers.....

- jw

    Re: .13
    
    Sorry, I don't remember and didn't keep the paperwork.
    
    			Steve