How a sump and pump keeps a basement conversion dry (Type C waterproofing)

A Type C cavity drain membrane waterproofing system cannot hope to work without some means of taking water away.  If water builds up a head against the membrane – IT WILL FAIL. Gravity drainage works well, where it can be used, but for many occasions a sump is needed, with one or more pumps to […]

PCA Structural Waterproofing Group & BS8102

Today marked a really great moment for the group.  I attended a meeting in Birmingham where the members talked about the future of waterproofing, CSSW and the new revised BS8102 standard. Steve Hodgson (PCA technical Director),  gave a really good presentation on the standard, outlining the many differences between the old and new.  BS8102 has […]

Waterproofing – Darren tries out our Hilti breaker

I visited a fresh site today where we are installing a  type C cavity drain system in 13 basements. The job involves forming a channel in the existing screed to accommodate the safeguard aquadrain channels, which take away any water ingress. The wall will be protected by Oldroyd XP membrane and the floors by Safeguard […]

When basement waterproofing goes wrong

A music room in Leeds. A domestic basement waterproofing job illustrates the gulf between unqualified waterproofing ‘specialists’ and trained PCA Structural Waterproofing Group members. My client bought a fine Victorian terrace with a basement already converted as a snug. There were no guarantees and at first glance the room looked very nice and seemed the […]

Copyright © 2010 Preservation Expert. Legal Stuff: All the advice and information in the posts on my blog is made in good faith and is based on my experience and knowledge at the time of writing. However, nobody is infallible and whilst I’m confident that most of what I write about preservation issues is accurate, there’s a good chance there’ll be an error or two somewhere. I do change my mind about stuff, as I gain more experience. In view of this you must make your own decisions on whether to follow any advice I write and think about this; I could be wrong. No responsibility will be accepted by the author for any losses anyone may suffer as a result of any mistake or for the consequence of any action you take as a result of reading this blog. If you do suffer a loss, resulting from anything I’ve written, a verbal heartfelt apology will be your only compensation.