[Greenbuilding] Foundation weatherproofing

[RT]

On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:02:31 -0400, Corrinne Harol <charol at ualberta.ca>  
wrote:

> wet basement. standard fix involves weeping tiles, a sump pump, crack  
> repair,
> waterproofing the foundation from the outside, a vapor barrier. They  
> also, install insulation board which is rigid, grooved on the house  
> side, smooth on the soil side, and which adds R-9.6 insulation value.


Corrinne;

Here in Ontario, every new home in Ontario is protected by a mandatory  
warranty that is provided by the builder and guaranteed by Tarion Corp .

           http://www.tarion.com/Pages/default.aspx

Before the current version of the Ontario Building Code was put in place,  
the number one warranty claim item was leaking foundations.

The current version of the Code attempted to address that problem by  
requiring that a drainage layer (draining to be provided to relieve  
hydrostatic pressure at the foundation.

The configuration that you've described (namely the rigid exterior  
insulation with drainage grooves) would provide the "drainage  
layer/relieve hydrostatic pressure" requirement.

The Roxul "Drainboard" product would be a similar approach.

             http://www.roxul.com/commercial/products/roxul+drainboard®


By far, the most common approach that one will see on new home  
construction is a dimpled, high-density polyethylene membrane wrapped  
around the exterior of the foundation:

            http://www.systemplaton.com/foundations.html

... sometimes used in in conjunction with the Roxul rigid mineral wool  
product.


The same dimpled plastic membrane material can also be used for problem  
basement floors.

             http://www.systemplaton.com/flooring.html


-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
< A r c h i L o g i c  at  Y a h o o  dot  c a >
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