Two Game-Changing Basin Installation Techniques Your Waterproofing Contractor Isn't Using

Ever wondered why some homeowners struggle with basement flooding despite having sump pumps installed? The secret often lies not in the equipment itself, but in the installation techniques.

In this eye-opening discussion, Michael Church, the Crawl Space Ninja and Basement Waterproofing Ninja, reveals two game-changing installation methods that separate professional waterproofing from amateur attempts. Michael identifies the notorious "cove" – the junction where your foundation wall meets the footer – as the primary water entry point in most homes and explains how proper basin installation addresses this vulnerability.

The first critical technique involves wrapping sump pump basins with specialized felt liners. While standard basins feature holes designed for water entry, these openings inadvertently allow soil, mud, and silt to contaminate your system. By adding a simple filtration barrier, Michael's team ensures their powerful 4,800-gallon-per-hour pumps operate at maximum efficiency without getting bogged down by debris.

The second technique focuses on creating direct connections between drainage pipes and the basin itself. Unlike competitors who simply terminate pipes near the basin and rely on gravel percolation, Michael's direct connection method guarantees that every drop of collected water reaches the pump without delay. For homes with extensive perimeters, he recommends installing additional pump systems every 140 linear feet to create a comprehensive water management network.

These seemingly small installation differences represent the dividing line between temporary fixes and permanent solutions for your home's moisture problems. Whether you're dealing with an existing water issue or want to protect your foundation proactively, understanding these professional installation techniques will help you make informed decisions about your home's waterproofing needs.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Sump Pump Basins
• 0:54 Basin Design Problems
• 1:31 Direct Pipe Connection Method
• 2:53 Final Thoughts and Sign-off

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, michael Church, crawl Space Ninja, basement Waterproofing Ninja. I want to share with all of you one of the ways we install sump pump basins in basements and crawl spaces that is different from our competitors. Don't tell them, stay tuned. Okay, so one of the biggest problems a lot of homeowners face is they're taking on foundation water, and normally that foundation water comes through where the block or concrete wall meets the footer. Okay, it's called the cove. We call it the cove. That's probably the number one place that you're taking on water in your basement or your crawl space. Okay, so one of the things that we do to ensure that we're getting maximum efficiency of our water management or waterproofing system is to properly install the basin. A lot of people don't put a lot of time and thought into this, but look at how this basin and most basins out there are designed. They actually have these little holes in them. Now, the holes are designed for the water to go in, but guess what? It also, depending on what kind of soil you have, can allow mud and sand and different things like that to enter the basin. So, tip number one and one of the things that we do that's different from a lot of our competitors. We'll actually put a felt liner around the basin in order to filter and keep that silt out, and that improves the efficiency and the effectiveness of the sump pump that we install in the basin. Keep in mind, our sump pump moves about 4,800 gallons per hour of water. And another tip that we encourage homeowners to do is also to put a basin and a sump pump about every 140 linear feet. It just creates a more efficient waterproofing system inside the home, whether it's a basement or a crawl space.

Speaker 1: 1:54

Back to what I was talking about. The other thing that we do, that we don't see a lot of contractors do, is we actually directly plug our waterproofing pipe, whether it's the Hydraway or the NDS Easy Flow, directly into the basin. A lot of people they'll stop the pipe right about here. They'll have a lot of gravel around the basin Remember they don't put felt on it, so that gravel and that soil eventually is going to make its way into here. What we do is we'll put a direct link. We'll cut a hole and put the pipe directly into the basin on all sides that. So if you got the pipe, come in this direction. It's going directly into the basin. Pipe. Come in this direction, going directly into the basin. That way it causes all that water in that pipe to make its way into the basin so that again we're getting as much water out of that pipe into the basin, so that again we're getting as much water out of that pipe into the basin, so that that 4,800 gallon per hour sump pump can pump all that water out of your basement and your crawl space. Those are two of the things that we do. That's different than many of the contractors. So if you think about hiring someone else versus us, just think about how we install our basins to keep the sump pump clean and the water flowing as quickly as possible to get it out of your basement or your crawl space.

Speaker 1: 3:10

I'm Michael Church. Crawl Space Ninja, basement Waterproofing Ninja. Hope you make it a happy and blessed day. We'll see you later.