Keep this page open when you read an estimate or talk with an adjuster. If a term on your paperwork is not here, ask the person who wrote it to explain it in plain words and to show you where it applies in your basement. A clear answer is a good sign; a vague one is worth following up.
Terms
- Air mover
- A high-velocity fan aimed along walls, floors or into wall cavities to speed evaporation.
- Areaway
- An open pit outside a basement window or door, such as an exterior stairwell, that needs its own drain.
- Backfill
- Soil placed against the foundation after construction. It is looser than undisturbed soil and tends to settle and hold water.
- Backwater valve
- A one-way valve in the sewer line that closes if sewage flows toward the house.
- Category 1, 2, 3 water
- Industry shorthand for water cleanliness: clean, significantly contaminated (gray), and grossly contaminated (black), such as sewage or most outside floodwater.
- Check valve
- A valve on a sump pump discharge line that stops pumped water from flowing back into the pit.
- Cove joint
- The seam where a basement floor slab meets the foundation wall, the most common entry point for groundwater.
- Dehumidifier (LGR)
- Low grain refrigerant dehumidifier, a commercial unit that removes moisture from air even when humidity is already fairly low.
- Efflorescence
- White, powdery mineral deposits left on concrete or masonry when water moves through it and evaporates.
- Flood cut
- A straight cut that removes the lower band of wet drywall so the cavity can be dried and insulation removed.
- Footing drain
- Perforated pipe along the outside base of a foundation meant to carry groundwater away. Many older homes lack one or have one that no longer works.
- Hydrostatic pressure
- The force of water in saturated soil pressing against foundation walls and up under the slab.
- Interior perimeter drain
- Drain pipe installed in a trench cut into the slab along the inside of the walls, leading to a sump pit.
- Lateral
- The private sewer pipe running from the house to the public main.
- Moisture map
- A sketch of the basement with reading points marked and each day's numbers recorded.
- Parging
- A thin coat of cement mortar applied to the face of a foundation wall.
- Tack strip
- Wood strips with angled pins nailed around the room edges to hold wall-to-wall carpet.
- Wicking
- Water climbing upward through drywall, wood or fabric above the level where it actually stood.
Turning terms into questions
- The estimate mentions a flood cut. At what height, and which readings support it?
- How many air movers and dehumidifiers are planned, and how will you decide when to remove them?
- Which category of water did you assign, and what observations led to that?
- Is a backwater valve or check valve worth adding, and who would install it?
- Will the moisture map be shared with me each day?
General information for Englewood, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.