For several decades, the accepted standard for basement waterproofing systems was to establish a drainage system around the outside of the foundation wall that would collect groundwater and direct it away from the house. However, as these exterior foundation drains begin to fail continuously all over the country, an epidemic of flooded basements have been causing enormous problems and expenses for homeowners.

As failing French drain systems lead to basement flooding and damage to furniture, boxes, books, all other organic material stored in the basement is affected. The homeowner is forced to pay hand over fist to pump the water out, and the problems are just beginning. Soon, mold growth, mildew, and dust mites begin to thrive, and the odors that are produced begin to rise up into the rest of the home. Wood floors, wall panels, and foundation support beams can begin to rot, lowering the home's market value and can even lead to foundation damage.

The problem with external French drains lies in their design. When they're installed around the home, they're laid in a bed of gravel that's supposed to protect them from mud and soil around the home. Occasionally, a layer of filter fabric is laid on top to further protect the drain from this soil. This solution sounds ideal, but after ten years, mud and sand makes its way through the gravel and into the drain to clog it. And if filter fabric is used and never replaced, that will eventually clog as well and will keep water from entering the drain at all!

There's no way to know exactly when a French drain and its filter fabric will need to be cleaned, but doing so means excavation around the perimeter of the foundation. To do this, any foliage, sidewalks, steps, gardens, porches, sidewalks, porches, and other landscaping in the way will need to be removed.

Even a year after the new installation has been completed, the problem is not resolved. By this time, the soil that was backfilled in has settled and created a dip in the yard, which will collect pooling water during storms. This area will need to be regraded with new soil, which will disturb the area again. The system you've installed to replace the old one is no different: look forward to the same situation in another few years.

To make matters worse, the exterior French drain has been designed to discharge water away from the foundation by gravity alone. With no aid from a sump pump, a French drain must run downhill to be effective, which is not often possible. And when French drains discharge to a septic system, and they can't discharge more than the holding size of the tank.

The entire ordeal of external excavation can be easily avoided by opting for an interior perimeter drainage system instead of an external one. This process requires no foundation excavation- instead the basement floor is removed around the perimeter, with no damage done to the footing. When the foundation soil begins to collect water, it flows in through the foundation wall floor joint, filters upwards through a bed of gravel, and enters a perimeter floor drain system like WaterGuard, which is designed with the old-fashioned French drain in mind but has greatly improved on the design.

Once the water enters the internal French drain system, it's directed to a sump pump, which discharges the water outside through a pipe that discharges the water downhill beyond the foundation soil. In the unlikely even that a large amount of sediments rise upward through the foundation wall floor joint, through the stone and upwards into the system, it can easily be serviced without the need to excavate the yard. And with annual maintenance of the sump pump, it can be kept running smoothly, ensuring a dry basement all the time.

If you're looking for a basement waterproofing system that is not going to clog and flood your basement, WaterGuard is the answer. Installed just below the basement floor, it keeps the basement dry all the time. And unlike other interior French drain systems, there will be no unsightly gap around the edges that can collect debris from the basement floor and allow humidity into the basement area.

Sump pump systems are often criticized for clogging or losing power, causing them to shut down. Basement System's TripleSafe Sump Pump System comes with a backup sump pump that can kick in if there's overwhelming rain or the primary pump clogs. And if there's a power outage, its battery backup sump pump can remove more than 11,000 gallons of water on a single charge. It's a system that's got what it takes to keep the basement dry all the time!