About Your Home’s Sill Plate

Did you know that your home’s foundation is made up of 2 separate pours of concrete? Seems logical, I know, but these separations are important to consider as they can become points of entry for water over time.

The average poured concrete foundation is made up of 3 parts: the footer, the foundation walls, and the floor. The foundation walls sit on top of the footer, and the floor is poured right on top; each section being allowed to dry before the next is poured.

This presents a problem, as these seams expose your home to moisture as water pressure builds. This holds especially true for the sill plate. The sill plate is essentially the top of your foundation walls, where the foundation meets the rest of your home. This can be an especially vulnerable point of entry, but luckily can also be one of the easiest issues to fix.

Possible Solutions

1. Re-grade your soil. Make sure the soil around your home is graded down and away from your foundation. If necessary, purchase topsoil and build up foundation perimeter. Be careful not to bury your sill plate; this can allow water pressure to build up within the soil and force its way in.
2. Seal it up with caulk. Depending on the strength of the leak, masonry caulk can be an effective tool against the water pressure.
3. Add drainage outside. This solution is more suited for those who are experiencing a lot of saturation of the soil outside. When grading and caulking aren’t enough, you’re going to want to try and redirect the water away from your home. This is accomplished with sealed trenches containing washed gravel and perforated drain tile.

If you need additional help, contact your local basement waterproofing contractor for a free inspection!