Biloxi Basement Waterproofing & Foundation Repair

Soil erosion refers to the process of displacement of topsoil. It’s a slow, gradual process that shapes the way the soil looks and can also cause sinkholes. This displacement can occur for several reasons, but usually, water is the most common erosive element in soil. When talking about soil erosion in the Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area, one of the most common types of erosion is surface runoff. This is when the soil is so saturated with water that any water that flows will not be able to infiltrate the soil, causing it to run on the topsoil instead.

Even though sandy soils tend to be well-drained because of the large sand particles, the soil in the Lower Coastal Plain is extremely wet. Sandy soils are loose enough as it is, so for water to continuously run along the surface means that the topsoil gets easily washed away with the water. Splash erosion is another common type of erosion in rainy regions. Each droplet of rain creates an indent in the earth and causes very subtle displacement. Continuous rainfall, severe wind, and flooding are all disruptive elements that can displace the soil on the property of a Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area homeowner.

Soil erosion is not something human beings can prevent. It involves forces that we cannot control, be it the soil or the weather. As a homeowner, there are things you can do to discourage soil erosion, but ultimately, the soil is going to shift and change either way. It’s especially difficult to prevent it in the Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area because of the soil quality. All you can do is prepare your home, repair when needed, and keep a close eye out for your property.

A French drain, better known as an interior drain, is a drainage system used in basements. There are two types that can be installed in your basement: A full-perimeter one and one at the entrance. The AquaStop® Drainage System is a full-perimeter drainage system that runs along the entirety of your basement. A trench is made along the perimeter of the basement floor and the AquaStop® drainpipe is placed in the trench above some gravel. After everything is set, the floor is restored.

The AquaStop® Drainage System is designed to catch water and moisture from your basement walls and floor joint. Once it’s installed, it requires little maintenance and works automatically. Another great basement drainage system is AquaGrate™. It’s placed along the entrance of the basement, and it’s meant to drain any water that comes in from the outside. In a region like Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula, AquaGrate™ is really useful because of all the rain.

Both these drainage systems play their part in keeping your basement completely dry. Without them, your basement walls run the risk of getting wet due to saturated soil from outside. Either that, or rainwater can get in through the basement door. Mississippi is one of the wettest states in the U.S., so any kind of tool that can be used for waterproofing should be taken advantage of. Installing French drains in your basement is not an easy job, so contact us if you’re interested in AquaStop® or AquaGrate™.

If you have a cockroach infestation that’s seemingly impossible to get rid of, there’s a chance that it’s because you have a humid, vented crawl space. Most homeowners don’t pay attention to their crawl space because it’s out of sight and out of mind, so you might not think to look for roach nests there. Crawl spaces are usually the most humid spots in a house because they are close to soil. Soil is usually saturated with water, and because crawl spaces usually have some sort of ventilation, water sometimes seeps through. Although this is how crawl spaces are made, this kind of setup is detrimental to your home and your health.

Crawl spaces are everything cockroaches love: humid, dark, and undisturbed. There’s plenty of moisture for them to stay hydrated and they have easy access to your kitchen. As long as the crawl space remains open, cockroaches can find a way inside. Spraying insecticide into your crawl space might not be such a good idea because the air that’s in your crawl space always travels up towards your living area due to the stack effect. You’re much better off sealing and waterproofing your crawl space.

Sealing off your crawl space and applying a vapor barrier will ensure that nothing, not even water vapor, gets into the space. New insulation will make sure the crawl space air is trapped inside instead of going up. A sump pump collects and pumps out water, and a dehumidifier keeps the air fresh. Once you’ve got these waterproofing methods put into place, you’ll find that cockroaches will be a lot more difficult to come by in your home. And if you do happen to find some, at least you’ll know that they don’t come from the crawl space, so narrowing down their nest will be easier to accomplish.

The Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area is no stranger to flooding. Not only is this region facing the Gulf of Mexico, but it’s also located in a state that experiences frequent flooding and hurricanes. Given the climate, homeowners of the Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area are very familiar with flooded basements. Still, if you’ve never experienced a flooded basement before, it’s important that you know what you have to do. How fast you act will determine the extent of the damage and how quickly other problems will arise from the flooding.

The first thing you need to do is get the water out as fast as possible. If there’s a lot, get a bucket and start collecting the water, but if there’s only a few inches, get a wet vacuum and some towels. Once all the standing water has been dried, get fans and dehumidifiers to soak up all the excess moisture for at least a few days, depending on how much water there was. After you’ve saved anything of value, try to look around the basement to see what the source of the flooding was. If you’re not sure what to look for or can’t figure out what went wrong, contact a professional.

During the next few days, you need to take a close look at your basement concrete, drywall, and wood to make sure that no mold has begun to grow. If you notice after the initial flood that leaks are becoming frequent or that cracks have now appeared along the walls and floor, contact your local foundation repair expert and then think about waterproofing your basement. Even if you manage to avoid disaster the first time you experience a flood, there’s always a chance that the basement gets too water-damaged and begins to deteriorate. A deteriorating structure isn’t as easily fixed as a flooded basement, so don’t wait on calling a professional.

Helical piers and push piers are two types of support systems used as supports for settling foundations. The reason buildings settle is because the foundation soil is no longer stable enough to support the structure, so it begins to settle against the unstable soil. Steel pier systems like helical piers and push piers make it so that the foundation is stabilized and supported, not by loose, soft soil, but by dense, load-bearing soil deep underground. Both push piers and helical piers are made of galvanized steel that does not give way to erosion. They also both have a slender design that discourages skin friction.

Helical piers are driven deep into the ground and secured to the foundation with bolts. Push piers are the same except they rely on the weight of the building in order to function. Push piers are pushed into the ground by a hydraulic ram until they meet resistance, then they are fastened to the house with brackets. The house serves as a counterweight that finishes pushing the piers to lead-bearing depth. Push piers cannot be used on small to medium-sized houses because they do not weigh enough to act as a counterweight.

Helical piers that are “screwed” into the ground are great for homes in Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula because of the soil that exists in this region. The soils of Mississippi’s Lower Coastal Plain are sandy and saturated with water. Helical piers work best in soils that are softer and give way easily, which is the case with sandy soils. If you have foundation issues, the expert will be the one to inspect your home and determine how many piers you will need and whether or not your home is big enough to require push piers. All in all, the difference lies in the load capacity and the installation method.

Sump pumps are ideal solutions for basement flooding. No longer do homeowners have to manually mop and dry their basements. Sump pumps take in all the water collected by an interior drainage system and pump it out of and away from the home. Like most modern machines, they are convenient and make your job as a homeowner a lot easier. If you want to install a sump pump in your basement or are looking to replace the one you have, you might have questions about which one is best for you.

There are interior and exterior sump pumps. Outdoor sump pumps do the same thing interior ones do except they concentrate on collecting rainwater. Interior sump pumps collect water from within the basement as well as the surrounding foundation. In the Biloxi–Gulfport–Pascagoula area, which is frequently hit with hurricanes, an exterior sump pump might seem like a good idea, but it actually isn’t. As a homeowner in the state of Mississippi, you’re better off with an interior sump pump.

Exterior sump pumps have a shorter lifespan than interior ones because they are more exposed to the elements and tend to get overworked to the point of breaking. They also require more maintenance by virtue of being outdoors. Besides, no matter how many outdoor sump pumps you install in your yard, nothing can stop the hurricanes and rain from eroding the soil in your yard anyway. A well-built indoor sump pump like our AquaStop sump pumps focus on what really matters: Your foundation. They last longer, require less maintenance, and are a lot more efficient at keeping the foundation dry.