Basement waterproofing with dimpled membrane

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Josh - 17 Apr 2007 20:11 GMT

I'm looking for advice on using dimpled membrane products (e.g.
Superseal, Delta-MS, etc.) for waterproofing a block basement wall
(this is new construction). My foundation contractor thinks it sounds
like a good idea, but he insists that I should use it in conjunction
with asphalt/6-mil poly applied to the wall so that any water which
does manage to get in around the dimpled membrane still won't
penetrate the wall. Intuitively, I agree with him that "more is
better" when it comes to waterproofing, but I also know that any water
that does get into the wall (and inevitably it will) needs a way to
escape. If I apply a waterproofing barrier directly to the outside of
the wall, that leaves only the inside of the wall for moisture to
escape, which, in turn, limits what I can do in the future in terms of
insulation/vapor barrier installation. Obviously there are ways to
accomodate "breathability" of the interior of the foundation wall, but
it seems to me that a breathable exterior is one of the great
advantages of using a dimpled membrane.

Does anybody here have any direct experience with these products? Are
they good enough that I can forego additional waterproofing? For what
it's worth, none of the manufacturers' sites recommend anything
additional under the dimpled membrane. Then again, they also don't
specifically recommend against it.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Josh

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marson - 17 Apr 2007 22:23 GMT

> I'm looking for advice on using dimpled membrane products (e.g.
> Superseal, Delta-MS, etc.) for waterproofing a block basement wall
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> Thanks,
> Josh

I have used a dimple membrane in conjuction with a peel and stick type
membrane. My understanding of the dimple membrane is that it doesn't
actually keep water out, it only provides a drainage plane, in effect
reducing or eliminating hydrostatic pressure against the foundation.
The same thing can be accomplished by backfilling with sand. In order
to provide drying to the outside, wouldn't the top of the dimple
membrane have to be vented? Not sure how you would accomplish this
without having a gap that would eventually fill with dirt/derbris.
The type I used (system platon) came with a tapered stip which
effectively sealed the top of the membrane, so drying to the outside
would be very limited. I'd side with your foundation contractor and
use something to dampproof behind the dimple membrane.

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Michael Bulatovich - 17 Apr 2007 23:14 GMT

>> I'm looking for advice on using dimpled membrane products (e.g.
>> Superseal, Delta-MS, etc.) for waterproofing a block basement wall
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
> actually keep water out, it only provides a drainage plane, in effect
> reducing or eliminating hydrostatic pressure against the foundation.

Exactly right. The water's supposed to run down the inside face of the mat
to the weepers.

> The same thing can be accomplished by backfilling with sand. In order
> to provide drying to the outside, wouldn't the top of the dimple
> membrane have to be vented? Not sure how you would accomplish this
> without having a gap that would eventually fill with dirt/derbris.

Nobody dries the outside of a foundation.

> The type I used (system platon) came with a tapered stip which
> effectively sealed the top of the membrane, so drying to the outside
> would be very limited. I'd side with your foundation contractor and
> use something to dampproof behind the dimple membrane.

Absolutely, except that in certain circumstances waterproofing might be in
order instead. Any water that gets past the membrane will do whatever water
would do if there was no drainage mat: evaporate or leak. You should check
your local building code as I would be surprised if the installation of a
drainage mat exempts you from having to at least dampproof a foundation
wall.

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MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

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DanG - 17 Apr 2007 23:47 GMT

I have never heard of planning on allowing water to be able to
evaporate/perc/drain to the outside of an underground concrete
structure.

I have no direct experience with a dimpled product, but I have
used Enkadrain on top of both damproofing and waterproofing. The
dimples provide a drainage plane as does Enkadrain. Some areas
and conditions require damproofing and others require
waterproofing. Waterproofing is more extreme and more expensive.

You might also consider Xypex in addition to other measures. It
is a chemical treatment of the interior surface of the concrete
that grows crystals to seal molecutar voids in the presence of
water.

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DanG (remove the sevens)
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> I'm looking for advice on using dimpled membrane products (e.g.
> Superseal, Delta-MS, etc.) for waterproofing a block basement
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
> Thanks,
> Josh

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v8z - 19 Apr 2007 00:07 GMT

Not sure if its available where you're building, but you might want to
investigate the product "Rub-R-Wall" - 100% polymer rubber mixed and hot
sprayed on site.

We're in the final planning stages for a new house in NE Ohio. and several
builder's I've spoken with swear by it. I visited a job site where it had
been applied and was very impressed. It carries a liftime warranty and
they've been around since '89. I contacted the local application
contractor, and his price/sq.ft was comparable to dimple combined with a
waterproofing.

> I'm looking for advice on using dimpled membrane products (e.g.
> Superseal, Delta-MS, etc.) for waterproofing a block basement wall
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> Thanks,
> Josh

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Josh - 28 Apr 2007 04:23 GMT

> Not sure if its available where you're building, but you might want to
> investigate the product "Rub-R-Wall" - 100% polymer rubber mixed and hot
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
> > Thanks,
> >Josh

I'll look into it.

Thanks, everybody, for your input. I guess I'll make sure to
waterproof underneath.

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Homeowner Forum / Construction / April 2007

Basement waterproofing with dimpled membrane