| Backfill |
The process of taking the earth that was dug out for a basement or crawlspace and putting it into a trench against the home's foundation wall, so there's not 10 feet of concrete staring at you from the street. |
| Basement Slab Floor |
The basement floor, usually a slab of concrete four to five inches thick. |
| Black Mold |
Known in scientific circles as Strachybotrys atra and sometimes as Strachybotrys chartarum this notorious mold has been identified as a factor in respiratory bleeding, and as a contributing factor to such illnesses as bronchitis and asthma. According to the CDC (Center of Disease Control), this mold is responsible for over "100 cases of lung disorders." http://www.cdc.gov/MOLD/stachy.htm |
| Capillarity |
Also known as capillary action, capillarity occurs when the surfaces of a liquid and a solid make contact, resulting in the liquid's surface becoming distorted from its planar (flat) shape. |
| Cinder Block |
A pre-fabricated building component made of concrete and cinders, used for constructing foundation and retaining walls, etc. |
| Clay Soil |
A soil type made up of unusually fine particles, typically aluminum silicates, or a mix of aluminum silicates and iron and magnesium. This type of soil absorbs waters slowly and holds on to it, making it sticky, heavy, and even swollen from the moisture. When it finally dries, it shrinks, hardens to a crust, and cracks |
| Drain Tile |
A perforated plastic pipe laid at the base of the foundation wall for the purpose of draining excess water away from the foundation, and preventing groundwater from seeping into the foundation wall. Sometimes referred to as a perimeter drain. |
| Dry Well |
A gravel (or debris)-lined shallow well, dug to receive the inflow of drainage water, and to permit it to seep away naturally. |
| Efflorescence |
A fuzzy, powdery almost glowing form of crystallized salt that can form on masonry walls such as brick, concrete block, and, clay tile. This spooky wall coating occurs when water seeps through the porous masonry material, dissolving the salts naturally present inside, carrying them to the outer surface, and leaving them there when the water evaporates. |
| Erosion |
The process of wearing away topsoil or land through natural processes such as water, ice, or wind. |
| Excavate |
To dig (and remove) something, especially enormous amounts of earth. |
| Exterior Footing Drain |
A cylinder, box, or tube typically installed around the outside of a home's foundation footings. The drain's function is to collect groundwater and direct it away from the home's foundation. |
| Footing |
The poured concrete forms (usually steel-reinforced) upon which support these elements of the foundation; the foundation columns, walls the chimney (if present). |
| Foundation Wall |
A home's supporting wall, between the ground and the floor of the first floor, typically enclosing duct work, and plumbing, and sometimes water heater and /or furnace, depending on style and height. |
| Foundation |
In a frame house, the lowest and supporting portion or member of a wall, including the courses (base and footing). In a masonry house, the foundation includes the entire substructure. |
| Groundwater |
Water that has passed down through all the layers of soil and rock that are easily permeable until it reaches a rock layer through which it cannot pass, or can pass only at a slow rate. This causes water to accumulate above the impassable layer. The permeable rock stores water in its gaps or in between the very particles of which it is composed. |
| Hydrostatic Pressure |
Pressure exerted by any fluid in a confined space against the outer walls of the containing space. In other words, fluid in a container exerts pressure against the wall of the container. In a cylinder-shaped container, the pressure increases as depth increases, due in part, to the force of gravity. |
| Keyway |
A joint between the foundation wall and the footing. |
| Mold |
Parasitic (means it lives off a host) microscopic (so you can't see it until there's a lot of it) fungi. It's airborne like dandelion whisps (but you don't get to make a wish), and triggers many allergies. However, it likes damp areas like the bathroom or the basement, and it ruins books and clothing if it finds them |
| Poured Concrete |
A concrete slab or structure originally poured and formed as a liquid. |
| Rust |
Iron oxide, a reddish brown corrosion, which forms on iron when it is exposed to moisture. |
| Soil pH |
The measure of soil's relative acidity or alkalinity. On a scale of 1-14: 1-6 is considered acidic;
7 is neutral; 8-14 is alkaline. |
| Sump Pump |
A specially designed pump for removing accumulated water from the sump pit beneath a home. The sump pit is a specially created collection area for diverted runoff and groundwater. |
| Tar |
A roofing, waterproofing, and pothole repairing material, viscous, black, and containing many organic compounds. |
| Undermining |
Wearing away the bottom or base of base or the foundation. |
| Water Seepage |
The process of water's oozing slowly, almost imperceptibly, through masonry or soil, into a space where its presence is not beneficial. |
| Water Table |
The underground depth at which point the ground is totally saturated with water. |
