Serving Lewiston
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Lewiston, ME
Basement seepage, failed sumps, and hydrostatic pressure against the foundation are extracted and dried, and the path from the ground is identified so the loss does not repeat. Groundwater and basement seepage are extracted and dried only after the path from the soil is identified — a wall, a slab, a drain, or a failed sump. Drying the interior without stopping that path returns the same water to the same floor.
Frequently asked questions
The cellar wall has moved since we bought the house.
In this climate and this stock that is usually frost rather than settlement. Water in the soil behind a rubble or granite wall freezes and expands, pushing on the wall, and repeats every winter. Over many seasons the wall bows or courses displace. Keeping the soil behind it drier is the only real remedy, since you cannot stop the freezing. Repointing or rebuilding without addressing the water means the same movement resumes.
Why is the spring melt harder on a cellar than autumn rain?
Because of what the ground is doing. October rain falls on unfrozen soil that can absorb and move some of it. The spring melt releases a whole winter of precipitation over a couple of weeks while the ground a foot or two down is still frozen solid and cannot take any of it. All of that water travels at or near the surface, and a cellar wall is the first thing it meets.
Is plumbing in an exterior wall a real problem in older tenements?
It is one of the most common causes of winter loss in this housing. Older tenement construction frequently ran supply lines in outside walls with minimal insulation, which was survivable when buildings were heated hard and continuously. In a modern setting, with lower thermostats, vacant units, or a heating interruption, those lines freeze. Rerouting them inward during any renovation is worth far more than any amount of pipe insulation left in place.
This FAQ belongs to the Lewiston page; it is repeated here.