[4just1don]

When doing a basement I see on TV that they use a rubber membrane on outside of blocks. Guy (old school block layer)doing basement says its a waste and not worth the money. says ANY moisture that finds its way behind the membrane creates a great mess. Says when he sprays hot tar on outside it seals just fine and no further treatment necessary. is he pulling my leg?? I am in Nebraska and weather conditions get extreme here,,,100 plus in summer and 30 below in winter,tons of driving snow and wind chills 40-80 below!! LOTS of wind chill!! Going to put drain tile both inside and outside and pipe them both to sump inside. Dont always NEED a pump but if you do,,,you NEED one!! plus radon tubes are required here!!

Anything else I forgot??

 

[stadry]

in theory, there's no difference 'tween theory & practice,,, in practice, there is :laughing: tv makes it all look sooooooooo easy, doesn't it ? ? ?

i like rubber membranes but also trowel'd-on coatings,,, just make certain you protect coatings w/miradrain, insulation board, toe drain, & a pump if nec,,, 15 fiber-reinforc'd vapor barrier under the conc floor, too,,, don't forget crushed stone backfill along w/soil filter fabric, either.

remember - bsmt's no different than a ship's hull below waterline & water's got yrs to find access :furious: hot asphalt cement's not flexible & wouldn't meet bldg code rqmts if it were a perfect world.

 

[jomama45]

I hate to disagree with itreallyconcrete, but I don't see a problem with a GOOD thick application (or double app) of hot tar. I would suggest using rigid foam against it though to protect the tar. I've had long in-depth conversations with the company that does our tarring, & they always talk me into the conventional tarring, as they feel the products today are far superior to years ago. If you're in an area with very high water table, that's a different story, but it sounds like you may not even need a sump pump? If anything, I would spend the extra $$$ on additional washed stone backfilled over the exterior draintile.

 

[Termite]

Here in Kansas I can tell you that the sprayed bituminous (tar) coating is the norm. Rarely does anyone use anything else in this area. It works fine and lasts forever.

 

[stadry]

i'm not acquainted w/hot tar & rubber but we have applied hot asphalt cement & crumb rubber which works well IF protected as previously noted,,, the asphalt emulsions ( asphalt & water ) have no ability to bridge crks nor expand/contract,,, those're most used by bldrs & found in 5gal bkts at the apron stores.

i'm uncertain as to the definition of ' forever ', 'mite,,, i am certain 90% of the homes in nj we ' waterproofed ' were coated as you describe - according to bldg code specs,,, interestingly, toll bros & other high-end bldrs now spec 'rub-r-wall' & offer a 10yr warranty against leaky bsmts.

i rest my case ! ! ! :thumbup: we're really talking about exceeding min specs, NOT JUST SATISFYING THEM ! ! !