There are many basement repairs that you can do yourself. One of the important ones is, foundation crack repair and waterproofing. It is important to repair any cracks appearing in your foundation walls as soon as possible. If the cracks are repaired early you may stop them from growing any larger.
There are great do it yourself crack repair kits available. Most of these products can be injected into the cracked concrete from the inside so theres no need for you to dig up your yard. Repairing these crack help maintain the integrity of your concrete waterproofing. Many of these products can even be injected into a wet crack, even one that is still leaking!
Radon testing is another project that the do it yourself person can carry out. Ensuring that your home is radon free is essential to maintaining a healthy living space for your family.
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Read what the EPA says about radon at www.epa.gov/radon/. Radon is a radioactive gas, but its not hard to find out if you have a radon problem in your home. All you need to do is test for radon. It is easy and should only take a few minutes of your time. Kits are available for $9.95 and up.
These kits are classed as short-term tests and will give you a good indication of what your radon level is. The more expensive units may be used to continuously test the radon gas level. Just follow the instructions on the test kit package.
A sump pump may be required if there is a constant water problem in your basement. Some homes are built in an area with a high water table. In this situation, the ground water is near or above the elevation of the basement floor. If your home is in this situation it will be difficult to keep water out.
You can install a sump pump yourself to remove the unwanted water. A sump pump is simply a extraction pump that is installed in a sump or, a pit if you wish. This will most likely require that you cut through the concrete slab floor of the basement. The jackhammer needed for this is available at the local tool rental store. There are plastic sumps that you can drop and glue into place. Basically there are two types of sump pumps.
1. The pedestal sump pump has an open motor that is supported on top of a column attached to the pump casing. When installed, the motor sits outside the sump and above the basement floor(not a decorative asset).
2. The submersible pump uses a watertight motor designed to be immersed in water. The motor is coupled directly to the pump casing and is designed to be completely within the sump. (out of sight out of mind)
by Jim Stewart
