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Hey folks. Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about why concrete settles, and why it’s important to address it before it’s too late. Now, as far as why concrete settles, typically it always has to do with the soil or the base underneath the concrete. And that could be the soil was never compacted very well to begin with. Perhaps the concrete was poured over an area that was originally excavated and put back with fill dirt. Or, a lot of times, it’s poor drainage in the area or from a downspout that ultimately washes away that soil. And the soil in all those cases loses its ability to hold the load or the weight of the concrete and it settles. Now, it’s important to address these things as soon as you see these cracks because they’re never going to get better, only worse with time. We can come in in the early stages and stabilize that soil underneath it and even lift the concrete back intro place. Which can ultimately prevent you from getting to a point where it’s so bad, where you have to replace it. And when it gets a lot more severe, now you’re dealing with not only an eyesore, but a trip hazard. And things that are really going to affect the way you live in your home, and potentially what it’s going to look like when you go to sell it. So if you have any of these issues, please give us a call. We’ll be happy to come out and take a look at it, and show you how we can help you with all your concrete needs.

Hey folks. Today I want to talk about concrete leveling and lifting, what causes it, and what are some of the repair methods. Remember, concrete settles because the soil underneath the slab has washed out or eroded, creating a void that is no longer able to support the weight of the concrete. One of the old school methods is called slab jacking or mudjacking. And this is when they drill holes throughout the slab, what could be the size of a soda can. And they pump, under pressure, this slurry mix of concrete. Now, this concrete is designed to be pumped under the slab and fill that void and gently lift the slab. The problem with that is the weight of this slurry mix is over 100 pounds per cubic foot. And that adds a lot of weight on to the soil that was already compromised in the first place. So the potential for the soil and the concrete to settle again is very high. Now, our PolyLevel process drills only dime-sized holes in the concrete, and pumps a two-part polyurethane foam that weighs about four pounds per cubic foot. So you can see it’s dramatically lighter, and this fills the void, gently lifts the slab. Our PolyLevel material is also waterproof. So it’s not likely to get washed away or eroded by continuous water coming into that area. So if you have settling concrete, give us a call. We’d be happy to come out for a completely free, no obligation inspection of your concrete, and show you how PolyLevel can lift and level your concrete.

Hey folks. Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk to you about how we lift settling concrete. And it starts with our fantastic PolyLevel process. Now, if you start seeing cracks in your driveway or sidewalk or patio or pool deck, now is the time to address it before it gets to a point where maybe total replacement is the only answer. What we do with our PolyLevel process is we drill dime-sized holes in very strategic areas and we pump, gently under pressure, this two-part polyurethane foam, which expands greatly once it’s pumped under the slab. And what this does is it stabilizes the soil underneath the slab, and it slowly fills that void that caused the settling in the first place. And then we gently lift he slab back into place. So when we’re done, we’ve not only ideally given you a better looking piece of concrete, but we’ve stabilized the soul underneath it which will prevent it from settling any further. So if you see these kinds of cracks around your home, give us a call before it’s too late. And let us show you how PolyLevel can serve all your concrete needs.

Hey folks. Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. You know, most homes today have a lot of concrete around them. That could be a driveway, a sidewalk, steps and stoops, patios, pool decks, car ports, basement slabs, and when you start to see these things settle and crack, a lot people are wondering, “Boy, is my only option having to replace these?” Well, that’s the time to give us a call and be proactive with all of these issues because we have a fantastic process called PolyLevel that in most cases can fix and lift these areas versus completely replace them. So if you see these concrete areas start to settle and crack around your home, give us a call before it’s too late. And let us show you how our PolyLevel process can address all of your concrete needs.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Now when installing a waterproofing system around the interior of the basement, it’s important to know if your foundation is a two-piece or a three-piece foundation before you choose a system to install. Now by far most foundations are made up of three pieces called a conventional foundation. This consists of a concrete footing at the bottom, a poured concrete or a cement block wall that sits on top of the footing, and a concrete floor that’s poured across the two. A three-piece foundation. However, a less common type of foundation is a two-piece type. This consists of a concrete wall that sits on top of a concrete floor with a thick edge around the perimeter. This two-piece foundation is called a monolithic foundation, and requires a different approach for basement waterproofing. Now fortunately we have a product specifically designed for two-piece foundations. It’s called DryTrak. DryTrak installations are installed around the interior perimeter of the basement up against the wall. DryTrak sits on top of the floor because we don’t want to break open the floor around the perimeter for structural reasons. DryTrak catches the water from the wall/floor joint. Now this system is then drained into a second stage, subfloor drainage system further away from the wall that protects against floor leaks. Both sets of drains take the water to a sump pump system and evacuates it out and away from the home. The DryTrak two-stage drainage system is the perfect interior solution for a 2-piece monolithic foundation type with water seepage problems. Are you noticing water or signs of water in your basement, and you’re not sure what type of foundation you have? Well feel free to give us a call or email us. We’d be happy to take a look. We have a free inspection and we can get you started on creating dry usable space and a healthy home. Have a great day from all of us here at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about bowing walls and another repair method we use for walls that might have a little bit more damage than just your basic horizontal crack. Now this can happen when you see maybe a block wall where it not only does have your horizontal crack from the lateral hydrostatic pressure but you might have some star step cracking or it may actually be popping out at the top of the wall from where it’s suppose to secured to the house. Or maybe down closer to the basement floor where a block is maybe kicking out and actually pushing in. So this is a little bit more involved. The way we normally do this is we still install our GeoLock wall anchor, which is that rod that we drive through the earth and we put an earth anchor out in to the yard. But instead of putting a wall plate that we would normally put on the wall, this is going to be a piece of steel, typically what we call a c-channel. Which will span typically from the top of the wall down to the bottom of the wall. So we are spending the load and the support, not just in an area this wide but literally the entire wall holding that wall in place and preventing any more inward movement. In this case, we’re still going to guarantee life of the structure, nationally backed, transferable warranty. It’s a great repair method for the right situation. So if you suspect you have bowing walls, give us a call. Have us out for a completely free inspection and let us give you back your peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about retaining walls and how they can potentially fail and why these are a little bit more susceptible than foundation walls. Now, retaining walls are typically walls that are retaining dirt. They might be attached to your home. They might be out in your yard, but they are typically not supporting the weight of the house. Which typically means there’s not something on top of these retaining walls. And they are very susceptible, like any other wall, to that lateral pressure, hydrostatic pressure, pushing on that wall where it can literally just fall right over. So it’s particularly important that you pay close attention to these early stages of some of the symptoms of cracking, bending, you might even see the wall leaning a little bit. Which is not unusual. It’s important that you be very proactive with these things. We do have methods that we can stabilize and in some cases straighten these walls. But if you wait too long it’s going to really leave you with pretty much just total replacement as the only option. So if you think you have any of these issues on your retaining walls, give us a call. We’d be happy to come out for a completely free inspection and give you back your peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about bowing foundation walls, in particular block wall construction. So if your basement or crawl space is built out of a block wall construction then you really need to pay attention to this one. When a block wall is surrounded with a lot of water, that hydrostatic pressure builds up and pushes laterally against that wall. And it literally breaks it. And typically your first signs might be a tiny or very narrow horizontal crack that you might just be able to stick a business card in. But what happens with increased pressure over time, that crack can open wider and then can actually close based on the weather conditions. So if it’s really rainy out for a period of time, that crack may open up. And then if it’s dry for a period of time, then it can close up. And that can give you a false sense of confidence. But much like a paperclip, that when you bend a few times, it ultimately snaps and breaks. And that’s what can happen with your foundation wall if left unattended. And that’s what we call total wall blowout. And that’s where your concrete blocks are now sitting in your basement or your crawl space. So, obviously you don’t ever want to let it get to that point. So, if you’re concerned about any of these types of cracks in your foundation wall, please give us a call. We’ll be happy to come out for a completely free inspection of your foundation wall and give you back your peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. You know, we have a lot of foundation repair issues in the Atlanta area and most people don’t realize that a lot of it has to do with the type of soil that we have. Now I know you’ve all heard about this wonderful Georgia red clay, you know the kind you can never get the stains out of your clothes. But that same soil also has characteristics that create a lot of problems for your foundation. And a lot of that has to do with the fact that it is very expansive in nature. There’s not a lot of rock in it. And what happens is it is very susceptible to expanding when it gets wet and contracting when it is dry. And that constant expansion and contraction creates a lot of settlement and shifting of your foundation. Which can really cause a lot of foundation repair problems. Another reason that foundations leak, settle, and crack have to do with the clay bowl effect. Now this typically relates to homes that are built over dirt crawl spaces or have basement walls. When they over-excavate these lots to put these foundation walls in. Then they put that loose backfill back against that wall and they never really compact it as well as the virgin soil that was taken out in the first place. So what that causes is this loose backfill allows water to penetrate more readily into the soil and really exacerbate that expansion and contraction of the soil which creates the shifting and the settling and the pressure against the walls causing all kinds of issues. So if you feel you have any of these issues, give us a call before it’s too late. Have us out for a completely free inspection of your home and your foundation.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. You know, one of the questions we get asked all the time is, “How much does foundation repair cost?” In fact, it’s one of the most commonly searched terms on the internet, and it’s a great question to ask but not an easy one to answer. Until a true professional comes out and assesses the situation, nobody’s going to really know. But the cost of not doing anything about it can be a lot more. Quite honestly, these problems never get better by themselves and typically they can get worse over time. Which can definitely cost you more in the long run. To have us out to give you a completely free honest evaluation as to what your problem is and what your problem isn’t, cost you nothing. Then at least you have the peace of mind knowing what you’re dealing with and then budget accordingly. I can tell you a lot people are really quite surprised at the cost not being anywhere near as much as they thought it was. They think it’s my foundation. It’s big. It’s important. It must be expensive to fix. A lot of times they aren’t. And sometimes they are. But if they are, doing nothing isn’t doing anything but taking your biggest investment and really putting it in jeopardy. So do yourself a favor and have us out for a full and honest evaluation and let us give you back your peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about bowing walls and one of the best repair methods we have to stabilize and even straighten that bowing wall. It’s called a GeoLock™ wall anchor. And the way it works is we drive from the inside of your home out, nine to as much as a 12 plus foot threaded rod, out into the yard, ideally past the backfill zone so we’re into virgin soil. And we dig down and we install an earth anchor on the end of that, and on the other end, inside on the wall itself, is a big steel wall plate. We put a big nut on that and we start to tighten and create tension between the earth anchor and the wall plate on the inside. And what happens is we then create that tension which basically stabilizes that wall from any more inward movement, and over a period of time—especially when the conditions are drier outside and the soil has kind of pulled away from the wall—we can slowly but surely start to straighten that wall. But the most important thing is that that wall is now permanently stabilized from any more inward movement, and that’s what gives you a life-of-the-structure, transferrable, nationally backed warranty. So if you suspect you have bowing walls going on at your house, give us a call, we’ll be happy to come out for a completely free inspection and give you back your peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio, founder ofAquaGuardFoundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about foundation wall cracks and when you should be concerned about them. Now typically we have two types of foundation wall construction: We have block wall construction and poured wall construction. Let’s start with block wall construction first. Now when it comes to block walls, almost any crack could be a potential problem. So if you see a horizontal crack or a vertical crack or diagonal cracks or stair-step cracking, those are all signs or symptoms of what could be either a settlement issue or bending wall failure—something you definitely want to get looked at sooner than later. Now when it comes to a poured wall, understand that there are a lot of normal cracks in poured walls. It could be little shrinkage cracks or little hairline cracks that might be susceptible to water intrusion, but typically not a structural issue. But if you’re noticing cracks that are much wider that you could stick a nickel or a quarter into, or god forbid one of your little fingers in, or if you see diagonal cracks or vertical or horizontal cracks, or the cracks are so severe that you see one side of the crack is sticking out a little bit further than another, what we call “in shear,” then that is definitely something you want looked it. So if you notice any of these cracks in your foundation walls, be proactive, give us a call. We’d be happy to come out and do a completely free inspection of your foundation and give you peace of mind.

Hey folks, Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about another repair method we use for bending or bowing walls called CarbonArmorⓇ. Now CarbonArmor takes advantage of the high technology involved in carbon fiber technology. This is a very lightweight material that is extremely strong. We use this application where driving a rod out into the yard is no longer an option, so this is done completely on the inside. And basically what we do is we epoxy to the wall a series of carbon fiber straps that are literally epoxied to the block wall itself and literally become part of the wall. Once this product’s installed, it is gonna permanently guarantee for the life of the structure of that home that you will never have any more inward movement of that wall which is exactly what it is we’re trying to accomplish. So if you feel like you have bending or bowing walls, please give us a call, have us out for a completely free inspection of your foundation wall, and let us give you back your peace of mind.

Hi, Tom DiGregorio, founder of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about hydrostatic pressure. What is it, and what kinds of problems does it cause? Well hydrostatic pressure has to do with the amount of pressure that’s created typically around the foundation of your home. You have dirt, when you add a lot of water, that water has to find a way to relieve itself or level itself and, in doing so, creates a tremendous amount of pressure on your foundation walls. Kind of an abstract example of that is if you’re in a swimming pool and you have a ball in your hand and you push that ball just below the surface, it’s not too hard to hold it. But the further you push it down, the harder it is for you to hold, and then when you let go of it that ball just comes flying out of the water, relieving itself because of the pressure that was created. Same type of thing kinda happens with water around your foundation. When that pressure builds up to such an extent, it can literally push water through the tiniest of cracks in a poured foundation wall. That pressure can also push so strong laterally, especially on a block wall, that it will literally bend and bow a block wall. So if you think you have any of these kinds of problems, please give us a call before it’s too late. Have us out for a completely free inspection of your home and give you back peace of mind.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about a typical footing or French drain versus our WaterGuardⓇ drainage. You see, at AquaGuard we can tackle foundation water problems from the inside, from the outside, or both. That just depends on the problem you’re experiencing and what you the homeowner are looking to accomplish. Now one product that we use when tackling the water from the inside is our patented WaterGuard drainage system. This has some serious advantages over a typical French drain. You see a foundation drain, or a French drain, is typically a 4” plastic round drain pipe that’s perforated. It allows water to pass through the pipe to a point of exit.
It normally sits at the base of the foundation, typically on the outside, or sometimes on the inside, down next to the footing, down in the dirt. It collects water. The problem is, this French drain is sitting in the dirt and the mud and it collects more than water. These pipes eventually clog, rendering themselves useless, and they allow pressure to build and water forces its way in through weak points in the foundation. WaterGuard drainage, on the other hand, is designed to be non-clogging. It’s installed on the inside of the foundation. It still sits below the floor but on top of the footing, out of the reach of the dirt. WaterGuard allows water to drain effectively, never clogging up from silt or sediment. It’s the least-intrusive method on the market. There are no massive outside trenches or torn up yards, no landscaping needing to be removed, patios and porches that have to be taken down that get in the way of exterior work. And, WaterGuard can be installed in a day or two. It has the best warranty in the business: lifetime, transferrable, and nationally backed. Are you noticing signs of water in your basement? Give us a call; we’d be happy to stop out with a free inspection to give you some ideas on how you can make that basement dry and usable. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. People often ask us “what kind of waterproofing do you do?”And the answer is “well, many different types!” We can waterproof from the inside or the outside or both, it just depends on the problem and what you are looking to accomplish. Homeowners usually follow that question up with “well, we want the least intrusive method—we don’t want to tear up our home.” “We want the most cost-effective method—we don’t want to spend too much.” And “we want a really good warranty because we just don’t have to deal with it anymore.” Well, for that we recommend our patented WaterGuard drainage system.
Now WaterGuard is installed from the inside where we remove approximately 6” of concrete or less around the inside perimeter of the basement. Waterguard is designed to sit below the floor but on top of the footing, up and out of the dirt. And that is what makes WaterGuard so special: It’s not sitting in the dirt which means it’s a non-clogging, permanent system unlike the existing drains that failed and led you to call us in the first place. WaterGuard is run to a specially designed sump pump system or in some cases a gravity drain, and a vapor barrier can be installed on the wall to protect against vapor transmission. The great thing about WaterGuard is a typical installation can be done in as little as one or two days with little disruption to the home. Contrast that to a typical excavation or drainage system outside that requires major excavation in your yard, landscape to be removed, decks and patios, air conditioning units—all have to go in order to expose those foundation walls from the outside. And because the newly installed drains are put back down in the dirt just like the old ones, these exterior drains ultimately clog over time just like the old ones did. This is why excavation is much more destructive, much more costly, and has a limited warranty compared to an inside system with WaterGuard. And this is why WaterGuard is much less intrusive, much less less costly, and comes with a lifetime transferable nationally backed guarantee. In fact, it’s the best warranty in the business. Need help deciding which waterproofing system is best for you? Call or email us for a no-cost, honest evaluation of your basement. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Let’s talk about the effects of mold in wet basements today. You see, once a basement experiences water intrusion, conditions are right for mold growth. And mold needs two things to thrive: Water and dead organic material. So, what exactly is dead organic material? Well, basically it’s anything that was made of something that was once living—like a tree, for example. And most basements are full of these things, such as boxes, furniture, clothing, carpeting, and more. Even the building material, such as lumber, plywood, and drywall, are all unfortunately great food sources for mold. Just add water and the stage is set. You see, mold releases air-borne spores throughout the basement and, with the help of the stack effect—which is the natural air flow from the lower levels to the higher levels of the home—along with help from your HVAC system, these mold spores get distributed throughout the home. Mold spores can trigger allergies and asthma even if you don’t go down into the basement. And once mold and rot take hold, your options are limited. Number one: Remove the affected items as soon as you can. Number two: Remove and prevent further water intrusion into the basement. And number three: Control high humidity—anything above 55–60%. The best way to prevent water intrusion and high humidity is by installing a proven long-term waterproofing and dehumidification system in the home. So, call us if you have any questions. We offer a free, no-pressure inspection where we can give you options on how you can protect your family and your home. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to share with you some of the damages associated with basement water problems. You see, water entering a basement is never a good thing. It can cause permanent discoloration of the walls, paint peeling off the walls, and stored items get wet and often need to be thrown away. Other stored items must be kept off the floor to prevent further contact with the water. And water seepage wreaks havoc in finished areas for two reasons: Mold and dry rot. You see, water creates a breeding ground for mold and dry rot to thrive in a basement. This mold and rot, they love to feast on dead organic material—material such as furniture boxes, clothing, blankets. And mold and dry rot love to eat building material such as carpeting, lumber, and drywall. Even your utilities are not safe, as they’re subject to rust and excess wear due to the water. Water damage also greatly affects the health of the family, and, eventually, the loss of space down in the basement. And it greatly affects the value of the home—up to 20% of the home’s value is affected by water problems. After all, would you buy another home with a wet basement? Think about it. Do you have water in your basement? Well first get those things out of harm’s way, and then give us a call. We’d be happy to stop by for a free, no-obligation inspection and get you started with some great information on how to rid yourself of that water permanently. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, my name is Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about dry rot. What is it? How does it affect my home? And how do we get rid of it? So let’s start with the what.
Dry rot is a wood decay caused by a fungus that only affects wood that is excessively damp, with a moisture content greater than 15–20%. Dry rot leaves the wood brittle, cracked, weakened. And since wood is used in your crawl space to support your home, what is the result? Well, the result can be a host of structural problems. Homeowners often experience sagging floors, damage to floor tiles, trip hazards in the home, cracks in drywall upstairs, and in extreme cases, failure of the floor structure itself. Unfortunately, once afflicted there’s no return for dry rot. The only fix is to cut it out and replace it which can be very expensive. And worse, if the conditions that caused the dry rot (excess moisture) are not rectified, it will happen over and over again to the new wood that’s put down there. So, what’s the cure? Well, the cure is to control water and moisture in the crawl space. Any water intrusion must be stopped by installing a complete and permanent waterproofing system, and high humidity must also be controlled so as not to exceed 55–60%. You see, if we can eliminate the water and control high humidity in the crawl space, dry rot can become a thing of the past—maintaining a healthy, structurally sound home and avoiding more serious problems down the road. If you think you’re noticing dry rot in your crawl space, give us a call for a free inspection. We’d be happy to stop out get you started with some ideas on how to get you back on the path to a dry, healthy home. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. At Aquaguard we receive many and many calls each day, asking us about our inspection process. So I thought I’d share with you a quick outline of just how we operate. At Aquaguard, we offer a free basement or crawl space inspection or evaluation for any homeowner experiencing a problem. Our inspection can be done during the week, or on the weekend based on your schedule. Now each of our inspectors are thoroughly trained and certified before ever setting foot into your home. A typical visit consists of a full inside, and outside inspection and evaluation of your foundation. Everything we find is then documented on an inspection report. We share that inspection report with you once the inspection is complete. We explain the causes of any issues that we find, as well as review and explain all of the options for repair relative to the project at hand. And discuss the pros and cons of each solution based on what you the homeowner is looking to accomplish. Finally, together, we choose a solution, print it out and leave each customer with a comprehensive written estimate for repair.
Once we install, all of our work is performed by trained employees, and aside from a small deposit which holds your installation date, the balance is not due until the work is complete, and you have been walked through the completed job site. You see we stand behind our word, and you don’t pay until the job is complete. Remember no job or problem is too big or too small to at least take a look. So take us up on a free inspection, we understand that even if you don’t need our services right now, if we serve you right, you’ll remember us when you do. Have a great day from all of us, at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hey Everyone I want to talk to you about our SmartJack system and how it compares with some of the other systems we’ve seen when it comes to leveling and stabilizing floors. You know, we’ve been in thousands and thousands of crawlspaces and we have seen it all and when it comes to leveling and stabilizing floors we’ve seen replacing the same concrete system that was settling right back on the soil that failed it in the first place just waiting for the same thing to happen again. We’ve seen 4×4 posts just stuck under the dirt and then jammed up under the floor joists. We’ve seen some of the steel posts that you can buy at big box stores sometimes put on a concrete block sometimes on a footing, and they’re not typically adjustable so they go as far as they can with hammering shims to bridge the gap between the top of the post and the floor system itself.
We’ve seen all kinds of things whether from Handymen and general contractors. We do this every day, we have dedicated people committed to doing this type of work and its with our SmartJack system.
So our SmartJack System we’re going to start with a brand new concrete footing, we’re going to put our SmartJack post capable of handling 60,000 lbs and they all have adjustable steel tops that will allow us to lift or lower the system itself which really is going to give us the results or stabilizing and lifting and leveling as much as we can.
So if you feel like you have these problems, give us a call we’d be happy to come out for a completely free no obligation inspection of your floor system in your crawlspace and give you the peace of mind knowing you’re back on solid ground and level floors.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about Vapor Barriers, you see once a basement is waterproofed and the water is pumped effectively away from the home, its time to take a look at your walls. Basement walls almost certainly let in moisture and cold air from the outside. You see concrete walls allow water vapor and moisture to pass through them and into the basement itself. Especially cement blocks, moisture and water can find their way right in.
Many home owners try different kinds of wall coatings or paints. Not usually a good option. You see the moisture has already penetrated the wall and it tends to just push the paint right off. The walls end up looking worse than they did before with paint chipping, and flaking off the walls.
We have a great vapor barrier product called Cleanspace. Cleanspace is a 20 mil thick plastic liner. Our Clean Space wall system stops water vapor, drains wall leaks, is extremely durable and comes in a bright white color. You can leave it as is for a beautiful bright storage area, or you can finish right over it to protect those new walls against vapor transmission and rot.
You’ll love our cleanspace wall system for your foundation walls. Just give us a call and we’ll be happy to come take a look for a free no obligation estimate. Have a great day from all of us a Aquaguard foundation solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions and today I want to talk about the Triplesafe Sump Pump System and why it is the best pumping system on the market. First I want to back up for just a minute, because sometimes homeowners ask us “can we just use a gravity drain instead? The short answer is yes. But the long answer is that there’s 3 major issues with Gravity Drains that you need to be aware of.
1) With a Gravity Drain, you need to have a good pitch. If you don’t have enough pitch on the drain, the water is going to backup into the basement.
2) You can’t control the flow of volume with a Gravity Drain. So if you get those heavy downpours a few times a year, the volume may not allow to get out in time before it backs up into your basement
3) Gravity Drains get clogged at the exit point. Sometimes you run over it with a lawn mower, sometimes furry friends make a home in them and they get clogged in mud, maybe the previous owner put it in and it’s hidden in the landscaping somewhere; the result unfortunately is a flooded basement by the time you realize it’s not working.
So good pumping systems, are the way to go and we have the best. The Triplesafe Sump Pump System, built specifically for Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. So let me just show you what it looks like we cut the side open so we could take a look
At the bottom here we start out with a 1/3 horsepower, cast iron, zoeller pump. This is the workhorse. This is what will be doing the majority of the pumping throughout normal rain falls throughout the year. As you can see here, it sits on a little stand, it’s a silt stand, it’s a patented little pump stand that keeps it just set up off the bottom of the basin so it keeps it out of any debris that may collect in there. Next you’re going to see slightly higher, a ½ horsepower cast iron zoeller pump; kind of piggybacked off to the side of it a little bit. This is for those heavy downpours. So those few times of the year when we get those heavy heavy rains, if that first pump can’t keep up, the second pump keeps on, and you have double the flow pumping thousands of gallons out keeping your basement dry. But if you notice, they don’t call it a doublesafe! We call it a Triplesafe and here’s why we call it that. Because if you look in the back tucked away in the corner here, there’s a third DC powered, battery back up pump. So in the event of a power failure, which happens rarely but typically happens during a heavy thunderstorm right, you have a redundancy. So, if the powers out, if the water level rises to the level of that third pump, it will take care of the water until the power comes back on. In fact, that little guy back there is capable of pumping up to 12,000 gallons on a single charge. That’s practically a swimming pool.
Now this DC powered pump comes with it’s own built in charging station and long life battery to keep it charged at all times.
There’s a couple other cool features here for you, on the top here it’s hard to see, but it’s a sealed system. Nothing can get in and nothing can get out no dampness, no water, bugs, it’s all completely sealed inside the system. Number two theres also a built in floor drain on the top here. Now why would you want that, well homeowners have asked can I hose off the floors and hose it into the sump? And we say sure, there’s a built in floor drain, it’s got a self sealing ball joint that falls back down on top to make sure the system stays completely sealed.
Lastly on the top you’re going to see what we call a Water Watch Alarm. This alarm will go off in the event of a power failure just to let you know the battery backup is operating and you may want to get downstairs and flip a breaker or something when the storm passes.
So that is our triple safe sump system, I did want to show you one other real quick which is a smaller version of the Triplesafe. It doesn’t have the three pumps, it’s got a 1/3 horsepower cast iron zoeller pump in the bottom and it is capable of receiving the battery backup unit just as the other one is. We use this smaller version in tight spaces like crawl spaces where the opening may be small or maybe you have very low overhead clearance.
So with either one of these systems you can just set it, and forget it. You can enjoy your useable space, and your peace of mind. Until next time, stay dry and have a great day from all of us at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to take a minute to discuss Sump Pump Failure. What causes a sump pump to fail? How can I protect my basement or crawl space from flooding? Well, obviously if your basement is old and it’s been neglected, you’re going to want to have it serviced by a reputable contractor and Aquaguard would be happy to come out and take a look.
But one of the most common causes of sump pump failure, believe it or not, is a power failure. You see, the power could go out during a heavy rain storm, and that’s when you need the pump the most. Maybe the pump just came unplugged, somebody used the outlet. Or a circuit breaker could trip. What’s the end result? Unfortunately, it’s a flooded basement. What we always recommend is the Ultra Sump. The Ultra Sump is a DC Powered, battery backup pump, that sits just above the main pump and only kicks on in the event of power failure. And these batteries are not your typical auto parts battery. They’re sealed, maintenance free batteries specifically designed to have a long life. In fact, a pump can pump up to 12,000 gallons off of a single charge! They come with a Water Watch Alarm, which tells you when to get downstairs and check if your power has gone off.
Listen don’t let pump failure leave you standing in the water. Get the Ultra Sump and stay high and dry, even when the powers out. Have a great day from all of us, at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about something that’s usually at the top of the list when homeowners call us regarding water or dampness in their basement or crawl space. And that’s Mold. What causes it and how to get rid of it.
You see, mold comes from mold spores and those spores are all around us everyday. But in order to grow, mold needs two things: dead organic material and moisture. You see, mold has a purpose, and its purpose is to breakdown and eat dead organic material to rid it from the earth. That’s what mold does. Well the problem is our basements and crawl spaces are fill with organic material. Mold loves paper, boxes, furniture and clothing. Mold loves plywood and paneling and lumber. And mold really loves drywall. And the higher the concentration of mold, the more it affects us humans in the forms of allergies, asthma and respiratory illnesses.
Since we can’t empty our homes of organic material, the only factor that we can control is the moisture and humidity in our homes. You see, mold needs a moisture or humidity content of about 55 to 60 percent in order to grow. Do you want to control mold and create a healthier home for your family? Then you need to control the moisture and humidity in your basement or crawl space.
So if you’re concerned about mold in your basement or crawl space, give us a call. We’d be happy to help. Have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. You know, excess humidity is often the unseen enemy that wreaks havoc in a crawl space and up in the home itself. Crawl spaces are typically cooler than outside air during the summer because damp exposed dirt in the crawl space typically sits at 55 degrees all year. So when you bring warm humid air into a crawl space that air gets cooled and the relative humidity goes way up. Many years ago venting was added to the building codes, as a way to combat excess moisture and humidity. You see the thought was if we have more air flow, we’ll have less humidity. Well, they were wrong. During those hot summer days, those vents let hot humid air into the crawlspace. During damp wet rainy days, those vents let damp air in. Cold winter days? Those vents let ice cold air into the crawl space and at least 50% of this air flows up into the house. So, what’s the result? Mold growth, rot, odors, unhealthy air and increased HVAC bills.
What’s the answer? The answer is a dry, sealed encapsulated crawl space, with a commercial grade dehumidification system that can clean the air, and maintain the humidity at a safe and healthy level. Don’t let excessive humidity wreak havoc on your home and the health of your family. Give us a call, we’d be happy to stop out and address the reason why you have high humidity in your home.
Have a great day from all of us, at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. Have you ever seen a home that had permanent vent covers installed over the crawl space vents? Ever wonder why? I mean, weren’t those vents put there for a reason?
Well yes they were, you see years ago the installation of vents became code to help combat high humidity and mold growth and dry rot in vented dirt crawl spaces. These vents unfortunately, unintentionally made the problem worse, by allowing hot humid air to enter the crawl space during the summer, damp air to enter the crawl space during rainy days and cold air in the winter time; conditions were created for even more mold growth, dry rot and odors to attack the building envelope. In addition, heating and cooling bills soared due to HVAC systems having to compete with the outdoor air pouring into the crawl space all year long.
I mean, you wouldn’t leave your doors and windows to your basement open right? So think about sealing the vents to your crawl space as one important step toward encapsulation and creating a healthier, more efficient home for you and your family. If you have a question call us, and have a great day from all of us here at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Have you ever noticed unwanted pests in your home, or should I say rather underneath it? Bugs and critters love the dark moist environments that exist in damp wet crawl spaces. Termites love wet wood. Spiders love eating other bugts and insects that are usually plentiful in damp dirt crawl spaces, snakes mice and rats love them too.
And did you know that the number 1 allergen in the home comes from dust mite droppings? Tiny dust mites do not drink water, they actually absorb it from the damp wet air. Damp wet high humidity crawl spaces helps them thrive upstairs in the home. So dry out the crawl space air, and you dry out the air upstairs which helps eliminate those pesky bugs.
A dry, encapsulated crawl space with controlled humidity will send all those pesky bugs and rodents looking for another place to live. Hope that helps, have a great day from all of us, at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, Co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about the steps to crawl space encapsulation, that will give your family the benefit of a healthier, more efficient home. There are 4 basic steps to an effective, encapsulated crawl space.
Number 1, fix ground water seepage. You don’t want any standing water in a crawlspace. We need to effectively install a drainage system, with a reliable sump pump system that will get the water away from the home.
Number 2, you need to isolate the house from the earth. We use CleanSpace, a 20ml thick, bright white, reinforced liner that we use to cover the earth, and go up the side walls inside the crawl space near the top of the wall is where we stop. It’s a vapor barrier used to separate the earth from the house. It’s durable, tear resistant, and bright white so it cleans up and brightens up the space.
Number 3, seal out the outside air. I mean think about it, you wouldn’t leave the windows or doors open in your basement all year round would you? Of course not. Well your crawl space is no different, it’s just a little shorter. We need to seal off all those outside vents and install a sealed door to keep out all the hot humid air out in the summertime, and keep the ice cold winter air out in the winter time. And it will save you money on your HVAC bills as well.
And last but not least number 4, we need to keep crawl space air dry. You see even the best attempt to seal a crawl space, there’s still a fight to maintain the proper humidity during the hot summer months. We need to install a high quality, commercial grade, dehumidification system capable of maintaining the humidity at a safe level, to keep mold growth, dry rot, and critters away. A good unit will also clean the air, and help eliminate those odors, and we have the best in the industry.
So there you have it in a nutshell. Follow those four steps to a safer, healthier more efficient home; and give us a call, we’d be happy to stop out and customize a solution for your crawlspace. Have a great day from all of us, at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Today I want to talk about crawl space drainage. Vented dirt crawl spaces are just that. They’re short spaces beneath the home, that allow moisture and water to just sit there and attack the building envelope. Standing water is never a good idea in a crawlspace. Mold, dry rot, bugs odors, all find their way straight up into the living space of the home. Good drainage is a must, and we have a great drainage system here at Aquaguard. It’s called EZ Flow! EZ Flow is a 3’’ drain tile with several inches more of an engineered aggregate wrapped in filter fabric to keep the drain clean and water flowing.
EZ Flow is installed around the perimeter of the crawl space, as well as any lateral areas that may be holding water. The drainage is run to a custom-designed sump pump system with a battery backup that discharges the water a safe distance away from the home. Proper drainage will keep standing water out of the crawl space, and that is one important step in eliminating the damaging effects of water.
So if you’re noticing water in your crawl space, give us a call we’d be happy to stop out for a free no-obligation estimate. Have a great day from all of us at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hi I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions. Do you care about the air that you and your family breathe in your home? Of course you do. That means that you need to learn a little bit more about the stack effect.
The stack effect creates an airflow in your home from the bottom to the top. As warm air rises it tends to leak out the upper levels of the home and new air must enter to replace the air that was lost. The fact is that half of the air, in a typically well insulated home, escapes the home through the roof rafters each hour. This creates a suction effect on the lower levels of the home to replace that air. As a result, building scientists say that up to 50% of the air you breathe upstairs, comes from the crawl space or basement downstairs. So whatever is in the crawl space or basement, is up in your home. It effects you and your family. High humidity downstairs? You’re going to have higher humidity upstairs. Mold downstairs? Likely you’re going to have mold spores upstairs. Odors downstairs? You get the picture.
You need to care about the air in your crawl space or basement, even if you don’t go down there. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call and have us out; we’d be happy to take a look. That’s it for now, until next time have a great day from all of us at Aquaguard Foundation Solutions.

Hey folks today we’re going to talk about Foundation Settlement; basically what is it, what causes it and how do you know you have it? Foundation settlement is when a foundation wall typically on a basement or crawlspace literally settles, or drops and it’s a very subtle process and typically the reason for foundation settlement is always the soil.

Now in Atlanta we have that wonderful Georgia red clay that is expansive in nature which means it’s expansive when it gets wet and contracts when it dries, and with constant patterns of weather changing we get this expansion and contraction going all the time and what can happen especially during drought periods is that the soil becomes so dry, that it literally contracts and dries up from underneath the foundation of your home, and it no longer has the ability to support the home and the foundation.

These are the kind of things that cause it, and how you know you have it are symptoms that you may be looking at every day and not knowing what they are. It could be something like a sheetrock crack on the inside of your home and most of the time they’re emanating from doors and windows. It could be that windows every time you go to open it, it sticks, and a door that does the same thing. On the foundation wall itself in the basement or crawl, it could be cracking that’s typically a little wider, or the crack instead of being uniform all the ways down it’s typically wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Or on the exterior of your home, it could be your brick veneer showing stairstep cracking.

So if you think you have these symptoms and you’re just not sure, give us a call and have us out for a completely free and no-obligation inspection of your foundation to give you the peace of mind to know exactly what is or isn’t going on with your foundation.

Hey everyone, today we’re going to talk about the different repair methods for foundation settlement issues, and typically we’re talking about helical piers, or push piers. And today I want to talk about push piers, and when to apply them. You know, a lot of companies have the one size fits all kind of repair methods and it’s important that you know we have various repair methods based on the type of your construction and the lay of the land around your home. Now when it comes to a push pier, these are typically used for heavier structures; a home that might have a 9ft foundation wall with a 2 story brick house on top of it there’s a lot of weight involved there and these push piers are designed to be driven deep into the ground using that weight of the home as resistance, to allow us to drive these piers deep down into the soil to where we get down to what we call bedrock or load bearing strata. And what that means is that we’re at a point where we can now safely shift the weight of the house, off the soil which has failed it in the first place, onto our piering and our bracket system. And once all the piers are in place that we need, we then will pressure them up and stabilize that foundation and in some cases based on circumstances, we even lift it.
Most importantly, you now will have a guaranteed, life of the structure, nationally backed transferrable warranty that says your foundation will never settle anymore.
So if you think you may have foundation settlement issues give us a call; we’ll be happy to come out and do a completely free no obligation inspection of your foundation and let you know exactly what condition your foundation is in whether there’s nothing to worry about of if it’s something that’s going to need some foundation repair.

Hey everyone, today we’re going to talk about the different repair methods for foundation settlement issues, and typically we’re talking about helical piers, or push piers. And why that’s important for you to know, is that we’re not a company that one size fits all. We have several different repair methods that the same type of problem based on the construction of your home, and the lay of the land around your home. The product we want to talk about first is helical piers.
Helical piers are typically used for lighter structures, meaning maybe it’s a crawl space wall that’s only 3 or 4 ft vs a 9ft poured wall on a 2 story home. So when the structure is lighter in nature we’re going to use a helical pier which is a foundation pier that has helixes basically welded around the outside of a tube that looks much like a big screw, if you will, and we hydraulically drive these into the ground until we get to what we call load bearing strata or bedrock. That means we can now safely transfer the weight of the home, off of the soil that has failed it, and onto our pier and our bracket which fits underneath your foundation, your footing in particular, and then we can now effectively stabilize and in some cases lift your foundation back into place. Most importantly, you’ll now have a guaranteed life of the structure, nationally backed, transferrable warranty that says your foundation will never settle anymore.
So if you think you may have foundation settlement issues give us a call we’re happy to come out and do a completely free, no obligation inspection of your foundation and let you know exactly what condition your foundations in, whether its nothing to worry about or something that’s going to need some foundation repair.

Hey folks, today we’re going to talk about a leaning or settling chimney. Now when I say chimney, I’m not talking the kind that are prefabbed. I’m talking about the kind that are literally constructed from the ground up. They typically will have an interior frame of concrete block and then they are faced with brick or stone and they’re very heavy. And the weight of that chimney is totally dependent upon on the condition of the soil that it’s sitting on. And many times the builder didn’t anticipate the weight of that chimney and the impact that it may have on the soil. It could also be a chimney that’s built on top of fill dirt. And fill dirt, what I mean by that is if you have an original basement or crawlspace wall they over-excavated your lot and, when they backfilled, it was just fill dirt. And they didn’t compact it anywhere near like it was with the virgin soil originally.
So when you have that tremendous amount of weight on top of the soil, you’re going to see symptoms like the chimney literally leaning away from the foundation. Pulling away from the house itself. You might see some cracking in the stone or the brick itself. It’s definitely not going to look right.
So if you think you have something going on with your chimney, give us a call. We’ll be happy to come for a completely free, no obligation assessment of your chimney. Let you know if you have anything going on and what your options are for repair.

Hey folks, today we’re going to talk about foundation settlement issues and, in particular, how do you know if you have them?
One of the more common symptoms of a foundation settlement issue is windows and doors that stick or don’t open properly. Now if you think about it, when a foundation settles in the ground, it’s very subtle. But when a foundation actually drops or settles in one direction, everything above it is affected.
So if you think about a wall of your home that has doors and windows in it, what happens is you’re going to notice symptoms like sheetrock cracks emanating out of the corners of doors and windows. But also what’s going to happen when you go to open that window or open that door, it’s stuck or it’s sticky. You may end up having to really slam the door shut or yank it open. Or you may not be able to get that window open or only open a certain amount before it’s stuck. These can be classic signs of foundation settlement issues.
So if you’re not sure if you’re dealing with foundation repair issues, give us a call. We’d be happy to come out and give you a free, no obligation inspection of your foundation. And let you know whether your foundation is on solid ground or whether you may be in need of foundation repair.

Hey folks, today we’re going to talk about settling, sagging or uneven floors. Do you ever get that feeling when you’re walking into your home that you’re walking up or downhill? Well these are very common, especially in homes that are built over a vented dirt crawl space.
And in a crawl space, you can have lots of excessive moisture and water and mold and actually wood rot because of the high humidity in crawl spaces. Which can not only weaken and break the floor joists themselves, but the columns that the floor joists are sitting on can settle in the dirt and lean over. And those are the only things that really holding up the whole floor system.
So the way we resolve sagging or uneven floors is to go into the crawl space, which is the source of the problem. Identify all the columns that aren’t in the right place or are leaning or falling over. Look for any weak points in the floor joists themselves. Replace any rotten or sagging wood. We’re going to put in our SmartJacks system, which consists of brand new concrete footings with steel posts that are capable of handling up to 60,000 pounds per post. Replace any lateral supports of your floor system itself. Really putting yourself in a position where we can now stabilize those floors permanently and, in many cases lift them back in to place.
So if you feel you have these kinds of problems, give us a call. We’ll be happy to come out for a completely free, no obligation inspection of your floor system and your crawl space. Let you know exactly what’s going on in your crawl space. And put you back on solid and level floors.

Hey folks. AquaGuard Foundation Solutions has been serving the Atlanta area for over two decades and has an impeccable reputation. Especially when it comes to standing behind our work, our warranties and offering the best products and systems on the market. And when it comes to Guttershutter, it’s no different.
Guttershutter offers a lifetime no-clog warranty. It’s guaranteed to never pull away from your home. Comes with a 20-year paint warranty and a limited lifetime warranty.
So if you think you need gutters, give us a call and, let us show you why GutterShutter from AquaGuard is the only gutter system for your home.

Hey folks, today I want to talk about the importance of gutters and the different types of gutter systems on the market. Now as a foundation repair expert, please understand that the number one reason why basements and crawl spaces leak and foundations crack settle and bow is due to improperly channeled roof water. So you have to have gutters on your home. Now there are typically four types of gutters. There are open gutter systems. There are screened systems for gutters. There are all-in-one gutter systems, and there is our GutterShutter system.
Now, open gutters are better than no gutters. But it is inevitable that an open gutter system is ultimately going to be compromised by debris, pine needles, and leaves. Ultimately making them less effective. And typically water sheeting right over the gutter all around the foundation creating a lot of long-term problems for your foundation.
Now there are a lot of screen products out there that go on top of your gutters. And those screen products come with guaranteed never to clean your gutters again. Well that’s great. You may never clean your gutters again, but water’s not gonna get in them either. Because, just from the pollen we have in the Atlanta area clogging those screens, not to mention the pine needles and the leaves that are going to rest on top of those. Water in a rainstorm is going to sheet right over those. Completely missing your gutter and, free falling all around the foundation of your home.
Then we have all-in-one gutter systems. And although there are several of them out there, they have an inferior bracket system attaching it to the home. And the weight of that system can actually cause the gutter to pull away from the home, rendering them less effective and, in most cases, not doing what they were originally designed to do.
Then, at AquaGuard, we use our GutterShutter system. It’s the largest, patented, covered gutter system on the market. It features the strongest bracket on the market. Guaranteed to support our entire gutter system and never pull away from the home. It also comes with a lifetime no-clog warranty, which means you’re never going to have to worry about cleaning your gutters again.
So if your gutters are clogged, leaking or overflowing give us a call. We’ll be happy to come out for a completely free, no obligation inspection of your gutter system and show you why GutterShutter is the best gutter system for your home.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. As you know, Atlanta weather can change on the fly, and often times when it rains-it pours. And when it pours, our waterproofing division gets thousands of calls from homeowners in anguish over damp or wet basements or crawlspaces. Many times homeowners will ask us “Why do we have to wait weeks to get our work installed? Can’t you get out here any quicker?” My answer is always the same. Beware of any company that is not busy when the rain is heavy. You see, we use only trained, certified employees. No subcontractors and no day labor. And it takes time to properly train these installers before we are willing to put them in your home. After all, you wouldn’t want some temporary worker getting “on the job” training in your house, would you?

Remember, you only pay for the job once, but you live with the results forever. There’s a reason your favorite restaurant has a waiting list down the street, and the one next to it doesn’t. At AquaGuard we are definitely worth the wait, so hang in there, and until next time, have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. You ever lose focus on what’s important in your business? It’s usually caused by running in too many directions at the same time. You’ve heard the old saying, Jack of all trades, master of none. That’s why at AquaGuard we’re zeroed in on our own core focus. Think of core focus as sort of an elevator speech if somebody asks you what you do for a living. What would you say in just one or two sentences? At AquaGuard, our core focus is simple. We provide sensible solutions for waterproofing, concrete, and structural support. If a service doesn’t fit into that wheelhouse, we simply don’t pursue it. And a clear core focus ensures that we are all rowing in the same direction here at AquaGuard. So let me ask you a question. What are you focusing on, in your business?

Until next time, have a great day from all of us, at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. And today, I want to take just a few minutes to talk about the importance of instilling core values into your company. Let’s start with the definition of core values. “Fundamental beliefs of a person or organization- guiding values.” At AquaGuard, we’ve determined that we have five core values.
#1 – We are a service company, with integrity. We do the right things, for the right reasons.
#2 – We are driven to make the extraordinary, ordinary. We’ve decided to set the bar for customer experience much higher, and we are driven to do so.
#3 – We are accountable to our customers, to our employees, and to our community. Look, we work hard here at AquaGuard, but we’re human. We make mistakes. When we do, we own them, we fix them, and we learn from them.
#4 – We are selfless in our pursuit to serve others. Whether we’re serving a customer in the home, or we’re serving a fellow employee at the office, or whether we’re serving our community, we are selfless in our pursuit to serve others. And last but not least,
#5 – We have fun! That’s right, fun is one of our core values. You see, we believe that joy and laughter are essential ingredients to a fulfilling life. Not just outside the office, but inside the office as well. So, we have fun.
Core values make hard decisions easy to make. You see, if any action, employee, or business opportunity does not line up with your company’s core values, you simply stop going down that road. So I have a question for you: What are your core values?
Until next time, have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. You know, at AquaGuard we’ve been serving Atlanta for 24 years and we’re still growing with over 200 employees. People often ask us, “What sets you guys apart? What makes you so unique?”

You know what my answer is? With us, everything matters.

It matters that we are honest with our messaging to our customers. It matters how we sound when we answer the phone when the customer calls. It matters that we send out information with the name and photo of our inspector prior to them showing up to your home so you know who to expect. It matters that we call the night before, and when we’re on our way, so that you can prepare for our visit. It matters that we properly diagnose and educate each and every customer, and it matters that we show up on time, and we do the work that we said we would do for you. It matters that the home looks cleaner when we’re done than it did when we got there. And it matters that we are there for each customer, years down the road should they ever need further service.

You see, to redefine an industry, we must redefine the customer experience from beginning to end. That is what makes us unique. You see, with us, everything matters. Until next time, have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hi, I’m Joe Rusk, co-owner of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions, and today I want to take just a minute or two to talk about purpose.

Let’s start with the definition of purpose, the reason for which something is done or created; the reason for which something exists. At AquaGuard, we’ve determined our own purpose, and that is to provide peace of mind to our customers, our employees and our community.

You see, our customers contact us because they have a problem with their home, their largest investment. And it’s our job to give them back their peace of mind. Our employees come to work each day looking for stability and growth opportunities so they can support their families. It’s our job to give them that peace of mind. And lastly, I think it’s all of our responsibility to provide some level of peace of mind to our communities. Whether it’s supporting a local charity or maybe working at a local food bank. You see, purpose provides clarity and meaning to every single job here at AquaGuard.

I guess you could say purpose is the light that shines down the path that we walk together here, as one team. At AquaGuard, our purpose is peace of mind. Do you know yours?

Until next time, have a great day from all of us at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hey folks! Were standing in our brand-new 46 thousand square foot, state-of-the-art facility and, behind me represents 30,000 square feet of warehouse space alone. And why is that important to you and to us? Well, first of all we can now inventory all of our products and systems right here at our disposal. Which includes, as many as, 30 different patented products and systems, all on the cutting edge of technology, all here to serve you when you need them. Now, you know a lot of companies have certain products and systems for a specific problem. And you’ve probably heard the old expression when all you have is a hammer everything becomes a nail. Well, we have various products and systems for the same type problem based on the construction of the home. So, we may have a foundation repair problem that requires a helical pier versus a push pier, a bending wall failure that may use a wall anchor versus a power brace, or carbon fiber technology. So, we’re not a one-size-fits-all. And we want our customers at the end of the day to know that when we do a job for them that the job is done right the first time, that they have a warranty that they can count on, and in our case, in most cases it’s the life of the structure transferable warranty. And, you know, that’s only as good as the company and the paper that it’s provided on. So, when it comes to AquaGuard you know you’re getting the job done right and, a company that’s going to be there for the life of the structure. When you need us, we’re there!

Today folks we’re dealing with a very common problem we run into all the time. It’s called a settling front stoop. And if you look behind me, we’ve got a little stoop here that goes into the front door. It just has two steps. But over the years, based on erosion and poorly compacted soil, to begin with, it has actually settled as much as three inches. So, this homeowner, when he walks out his front door actually feels like he’s walking downhill. So, what’s caused this problem is the soil all in front of this foundation is nothing more than fill dirt. This is a basement foundation and, when they originally dug it out, they dug down deep. But the dirt they pushed back up against the wall is just filled dirt. And over the years it has actually settled. Now, our repair method for this is a very simple one that we do. We put in some steel helical piers and our PolyLevel process. We have two of our light-duty piers on either edge of the stoop. And that lifts it back up to the position we want it, backfill, and then we are going to fill the void underneath the stoop and a small section of the sidewalk. And fill that void with our PolyLevel, which will raise that slab a little bit and put this back into a really solid position. So if you walk out your front door and you feel like you’re walking downhill on your stoop, give us a call. Have us come out and give you a free evaluation. We’ll take a look at things and, let you know what your options are for putting you back on solid ground.

Today folks were going to talk about roof water and the impact it has on our foundations. You know, most people don’t realize that the number one reason why basements and crawlspaces the leak and foundations crack, settle, and bow are due to improperly channeled roof water. Now this home here is a great example of that. We’ve got this roofline that has no gutter on it. I’m not sure it ever had a gutter on it. And the impact of that over the years is we’ve had hundreds of thousands of gallons of water all located right in this area with no place for it to go. So as you can see a result of all that water over the years has literally created this massive sinkhole. And the type of soils we have here in Georgia are expansive soils and, what’s important about that is that means that they expand when they get wet and they contract when they dry. And that constant expansion and contraction ultimately allows the soil underneath this footing, which is what’s supporting this section of the house, to shrinking contract and pull away from the bottom of the footing which is what that footing is counting on to support this house. That’s the reason why over a number of years this foundation is actually settled and, we’re here today doing a repair job to stabilize this foundation from any further settlement. All a result of improperly channeled roof water.

Okay, folks. Here we are just another day at the office. Well, not really. If you look behind me we’ve got a very very interesting job we’re doing here today. We’ve got a beautiful home that is actually built on a slab foundation. And the dirt underneath it is being supported by this retaining wall. And what has happened over the years is that the soil has become compromised. So our job is to come in here and to stabilize this with our helical pier system. Now that’s gonna be a real challenge because we have to get these piers on the backside of this retaining wall, but underneath the slab of the home. So one of the real challenges here that we’re running into and ready to rise to the challenge is installing conventional repair methods with very unconventional construction. So, what our plan here is to install our helical piers one at a time, starting on that end of the house, stabilizing that section of this slab. Then move over and dig another hole. We’ll end up having to remove some of this retaining wall, so we can actually get behind it because it gets much tighter to the house. So, once we remove a section of the wall, we will then install a second helical pier, support that slab and then move over and continue right down this corner here. So we will install a total of five helical piers. So as you can see this is not a job for the faint of heart or just anybody who claims they do foundation repair. When it comes to your home and what amounts to your biggest investment that you may make in your life, you want to have a company that you know is going to do it right, the first time, with a warranty you can count on. And that’s the advantage you get when you’re doing business with AquaGuard Foundation Solutions.

Hey folks, we’re here in Sandy Springs in an older home that has what we call a dug-out crawlspace. They dig a small area out that we’re in right now that we can barely stand up in, and this is designed to put in the HVAC for the heating and cooling of the house. We’ve got a leaker here. It’s leaking all around the crawlspace as well as this area here, which would be considered the basement area. And you can see obvious signs of leakage. We’ve got damp spots in the block wall behind me. And we have some white powdery stuff on the wall here as well called efflorescence; which is the calcium deposits left from the water once it evaporates. Laymans terms, we’ve got water in the wall. And when there’s water in this wall, we’re gonna have water in this basement and crawlspace. So once we put in our full drainage system, we’re going to step it down from the crawlspace area down to this lower level here. And there’s an area that we pay very close attention to which is very important. When the footing steps down from about 4 feet up down to this basement level, there is dirt underneath that footing that steps from up here down here. And when the drainage we installed comes through, it will have a tendency to accelerate the amount of erosion that’s going on underneath that footing. As a result, what we do, standard procedure, is put in what we call bulkhead stabilizers; which is a block wall that runs in an “L” form and basically we fill it full of gravel. And that eliminates and minimizes the amount of erosion that will take place from that footing. And that’s important because if that’s not done, and that’s a step that’s skipped in many cases with a lot of other companies, you will ultimately undermine that footing; which will drop that side of the house. So this is a step we don’t want to skip. So when we’re wrapped up, we’ll have a complete full-perimeter drainage system in the crawlspace area stepping down to this basement area. It’ll go outside via one of our patented super sump pump systems. And this crawlspace and basement will be dried out and ready for use.

Good morning folks we’re here on this beautiful Monday morning here in Midtown Atlanta, and we’ve got a gorgeous historic home built in the 1920s. And there are some things on this home we want you to look out for that kind of typify what it is we look for when there could be potential foundation problems. Now if you look over here, you’ll notice on this brick veneer that you’ll see that there’s some horizontal cracking where it’s actually separated right at the motor joint. And there’s some more of it up there as well. And that is the symptom that this foundation is actually settling vertically, and of course, this brick being is rigid as it has no choice but to crack with it. So if you see cracks like this in your brick veneer, give us a call. These are symptoms you really want to be proactive with. Better safe than sorry. Have us come out to a completely free inspection of your foundation, and if there’s an issue we’ll let you know and if it’s something you need to just monitor we’re going to let you know that as well.

Folks, we’re here today dealing with a very common problem. We have a settling stoop and a settling sidewalk. Now, these are very common problems that most people run into every day. And the big reason for the problem is the fact that this home, in particular, is built on a foundation. It’s built on a basement. And when they over-excavated this lot to put this foundation in, they put all that filler back up against the foundation. They didn’t compact it very well. So this concrete is built on really incompetent soil, and with time, it settles with expansion and contraction of the soil based on moisture and drought. So what we do to repair this problem is our patented PolyLevel System. We drill about a dime-size hole into the concrete, and we inject a polyurethane foam, which fills that void directly under the slab. And then it lifts and levels that concrete. Ideally, back into its original position, eliminating that very costly full replacement and repair. So if you think you’re dealing with some settling concrete or have some questions, give us a call. We’re here to help.

Aqua…Guard! Ok, folks, we’re here in Old Town Marietta. And with Old Town Marietta comes some very old homes like we’re in here. And with that comes a lot of unusual and unconventional construction.

And that’s exactly when you need a company like AquaGuard in here, because we’ve got all kinds of systems and products that may do the same thing, but are designed for the different type of construction we can run into. And that’s important because there are a lot of companies out there that have their one or two products they go to. And when they run into construction like this, they’re gonna have to try to figure out how they can manipulate what they do. And what it boils down to is the old adage when all you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail.

Well, that’s just the case when you’re dealing with AquaGuard. We’ve got multiple products and systems in place on this job alone. We’ve got a perimeter system in place that’s leading over to our Triple-Safe sump pump system.

And to my left here, we’re replacing these old two to two and half inch steel columns that are not adjustable to our Smart Jack system.
This is a three-inch thick-walled pipe that based on the point load that can handle, pounds on this piece right here alone. And we’re going to be putting three in here. So we’re going to be replacing these with this on brand new footings, putting a drainage system in here, getting our wall system on the walls.

So the combination of all these products and systems are going to give this customer the peace of mind that they have a dry, healthy, stable foundation right here in their basement. Aqua – Guard!!

For homes with a crawl space, the importance of knowing the signs of improper water drainage can’t be overstated. Your family’s health and your investment could be at risk. Watch and learn, as AquaGuard CEO Tom DiGregorio shows you how to recognize crawl space issues from improper drainage. Know when you should call us for crawl space refurbishing and protect your loved ones and your investment.

Our full perimeter system surrounds your entire crawl space. We lay down a tough, durable covering that encapsulates your crawl space. And we install a powerful sump pump system to drain water away from your home. Plus, we seal all the leaks into the crawl space. The Clean Space crawl space encapsulation also includes a commercial-grade dehumidification and air filtration system that ensures mold-free air flows through all areas of your home.

Today, folks, I want to talk about some featured products that go into every one of our basement and crawlspace drainage systems. I want to talk about, well, first of all, this old system here. This is a -inch perforated pipe and this is designed to be put in the ground and then covered with gravel. But the problem with this, and you can see this… You see how this is all silted up? And what happens is, with time, the silty water not only gets into this pipe, but it allows some of the silt to get to it too, and then it clogs this pipe and renders it useless. What we use is a product called Easy Flow. And it’s similar in that it still has this perforated pipe, as you can see. It still has the slits or the perforations in it, but it is encased in a engineered aggregate, which is basically made of high-density styrofoam. And it is wrapped in this sock, if you will, and this is a geotextile filter fabric which is designed to not only keep all of this in place, but when you bury this in dirt it allows the water to get in here but this is kind of like a filter fabric which will allow the water through, but not so much the silt, which creates this clogging situation. So this is used standard operating procedure on all of our crawl space systems. Once this is installed in a pre-slope trench, then we will cover it again with gravel, and we will have the ultimate one-two punch when it comes to drainage. When it comes to basements, we have our flagship WaterGuard system. There’s more footage of this system in the ground than any other system on the planet.

This is installed just underneath the basement slab, on the footing, and out of the dirt. And then, of course, once we take the concrete out, install our system, put in some drainage stone in front of it, and re-pour the concrete, it fits flush up against the basement wall. So when we’re done, all you see is about a clean, six to eight inch strip of concrete. And this tiny little flange will be sticking up from the top of the basement floor. And then we’ll have a wall system that will go right on up the wall and encapsulate the wall to take any moisture that comes through the wall or any water that comes through the wall, direct it behind our vapor barrier, into our system. Now all of these drainage systems ultimately have to go someplace. And that brings us to our patented Triple-Safe sump pump system. There’s nothing like it on the market. And it’s called Triple-Safe because we have three separate pumps in here. We have two primary pumps at half horsepower and a third horsepower that’ll go in here. And then there’s a third pump which is a battery backup pump in the event you lose power.

Now listen, we’ve been in this town close to years installing lots of systems and we’ve had some heavy rains where the water came in faster than a single pump could handle. End result Flooded basement. So, this, with two pumps will get that water out faster than it could ever dream about coming in and in the event you lose power, which happens a good bit, folks, let’s face it. This is the entire heart of the system. If this doesn’t have power, then you’re going to end up with a flooded basement or crawlspace. While we’re on the subject of this pump, I want to talk about our liner and our liner lid. This is an airtight lid. It’s designed to fit flush with the basement floor or the crawlspace floor. And you’ll notice that on top has this floor drain. So if you should ever have a domestic water leak or broken water pipe, this drain allows water to get in this drain here into our system and pump it out before you have a flooded basement. And if you’ll notice, the bottom of this has a little ball in here. And the way this works is when water gets in here, the ball floats and allows the water to enter into the sump pump liner. And then when the water has drained, it will lock itself back on top of the drain and keep this whole area airtight. So these are just a few of the great products and systems that are installed every day in our crawlspace and waterproofing systems. All on the cutting edge of technology, giving you that top performance you need to keep your basement and crawlspace dry… permanently!

Hey folks, we’re here at this beautiful stucco home in South Atlanta and I want to talk to you about something that is very important to the health of your foundation and happens to do with your roof water and properly channeled roof water. It’s the number one reason why basements and crawl spaces leak, foundation settle, crack and bow, and we’ve got a lot of other situations going on here as well. If you look behind me, we’ve got three different levels of rooflines. Now each one of these rooflines have their own separate gutter that drops it down to the next roofline, and drops it down to the next roofline. And all of that water, in a heavy rainstorm can be thousands of gallons of water, is all supposed to come out of this one down spot here on my right. The reality of it is it’s not really working that way. Number one, we’re in a heavily wooded area. This customer went ahead and put gutter caps on their gutters, which is a really good system, typically, but in this case, it may be restricting the amount of water that’s coming off of this steep pitched roof and into these gutters. And if any water, which we think is happening here, is cascading over the top of that gutter, it’s just completely loading this area up with water in a heavy rainstorm. What’s the downside of that? Well, there’s multiple things going on here. First of all, we know that this water not only is not getting into the gutter, but it’s running down the side of the stucco. And that stucco is absorbing this into the home and on the other side of this stucco, especially in the crawlspace, there’s particle board. And that particle board, over the years, is literally completely rotted away. Secondly, this land right behind me, as you notice, has no grass here and there’s never going to be grass here under these circumstances. Because there’s so much water that is cascading over the gutters and just landing in this area here that this area is never going to really grow grass. Which isn’t the end of the world. But because this stays so soft over the course of the year and then dries up when we have these drought conditions, we get this expansion and contraction reaction, and ultimately what’s now happening is this stoop to my left is actually settling. And the only thing supporting those steps is the soil that were standing on. These gutters are actually causing a lot of problems. Rotten wood on the other side of the stucco; we’ve got settlement going on here under these steps. And the crawl space on the other side here has had a lot of ground water saturation and a lot of ground water seepage coming in from the outside. So it required, obviously, a drainage system as well. This is important for you to understand. These are situations and circumstances that you can do on your own. Look around your house, look at your gutters, look at your downspouts. Make sure they’re properly piped off away from your home and prevent what could be thousands of dollars of damage and repair to your home. If you have any more questions or concerns about your gutters or downspouts, feel free to give us a call. We’re here to help.

https://www.aquaguard.net/ | 1-888-479-1203 Meet Tom DiGregorio, owner of Aquaguard Foundation Solutions, and Atlanta’s most reputable expert in “All Things Foundations!”™. AquaGuard Foundation Solutions has been providing foundation repair, basement waterproofing, and crawl space encapsulation services in North Georgia, serving the entire Atlanta Metro area, Marietta, Decatur, Alpharetta and Norcross. In this video, Tom and Joe address one of the most frequently asked questions concerning basement waterproofing. Why do previously dry basements suddenly start to leak? Joe explains that in order for a basement to be built, a hole must be dug in the ground and after the basement walls are built or poured, the gap around the exterior is backfilled. That backfill soil is loose and will never be as compact as the undisturbed portion of the terrain around it. As a result, it absorbs more water, which tends to pool next to the foundation walls, creating a high false water table. In industry, this is called the “clay bowl effect”. In order to address that problem, builders install what is commonly known as French Drain, or Weeping Tile: lines of perforated PVC or corrugated pipes next to the footing. They are meant to collect ground water and divert it away from the foundation, usually using a sump pump, thus keeping the water from building up and entering your basement. When mixed with the ground water, silt, mud and debris also get into the pipes, and overtime, the drain tiles clog, rendering the system useless. That is the main reason why most basements that have been historically dry will suddenly start to leak. To learn more about wet basement problems and solutions, watch our other videos, visit our website, or contact us for a free, in-home inspection and quote.