If you are one of the millions every year who are plagued by basement flooding during rain or snow, a dry basement system helps to prevent the moisture from damaging your basement. Sometimes water collects outside the house, near foundation walls and can seep into foundation walls through hydrostatic pressure. Making sure your gutters are properly regulating water away from your foundation is a good first step in combatting encroaching water. Also, make sure any cracks in the foundation wall are expeditiously repaired, as these give water an access point into your structure. If water is still flowing into your basement after you’ve taken the proper preventative measures then you need a dry basement system. There are two types of dry basement systems, waterproofing and sump pump systems. Waterproofing is the simplest solution as well as the least expensive. All you must do is reinforce the foundation and floor with waterproof cement, then assure any water under the slab is collected and not allowed to seep through the basement floor. Sump pumps automatically expel water that comes into the basement before it can collect into pools. This system uses specialized tiles and rocks to reinforce the floor and fence the foundation so that water that is collected is drained immediately to a basin located a distance away from the structure, usually buried at a lower point than the basement floor. The pump automatically turns on when water fills its basin, and discharges the water through a hose into a sewer. These systems are designed to ensure that water never collects to such levels as would allow hydrostatic pressure to build up, causing basement damage. These systems prevent further flooding and allow for a dry basement environment into the future.