French Drains
French DrainsThe ideal scenario would be no water ever entering the basement or crawl space at all. However, the nature of the basement and crawl space makes that difficult. The basement and crawl space are below ground and made of concrete, a naturally porous material. Being below grade you have to deal with the natural elements, water in the soil and science. Water from the soil is pulled toward the foundation through capillary action. There has to be a waterproofing system to prevent the water from entering the foundation wall even if there aren’t any foundation cracks. That’s why French drains must be installed too.
Waterproofing System
Even if you choose an exterior waterproofing system, the water that may get into your basement needs to have a way to get out. That is why you need French drains in your basement or crawl space. The interior French drains line the perimeter of the basement or crawl space and filter any water out that may come in. Interior French drains are designed as a trench with a perforated pipe embedded into the floor. The perforated pipes are usually lined with a filter fabric or something to prevent sediment build-up. Then rock or pea gravel is set around the pipe. This gives the water somewhere to go and this in combination with a sump pump system keeps the basement dry.
Dealing with water problems is the number one step if you are finishing your basement or lining your crawl space. If you don’t deal with the water problems first and make sure it will stay dry, you will end up with mold, mildew, rot, and pest problems. Not to mention indoor air quality problems just from having high humidity in your basement or crawl space. French drains help keep the space dry.
John Fahmy, President of Everdry of North Georgia / Atlanta region started at Everdry’s corporate headquarters (Ohio State Waterproofing) in 1991 as a part time customer service rep.
While working part time, John pursued his Bachelors degree in Marketing and Business Management at Cleveland State University. It was John’s mission to become the best in this industry after seeing his grandparents get scammed by a fly by night waterproofing contractor, and lose lots of money, that was not there anymore when they needed service. After only one year, John was promoted to Customer Service Manager.
After a total of 8 years in the Customer Service Department, John branched out, holding his Customer Service Manager position, while taking on new responsibilities as Assistant Marketing Director and becoming an EZ Breathe Sales rep.
In 2003, John was named Director of Shows, a job that gave him the opportunity to work directly with all of the national Everdry franchise locations nationwide, providing each office with support for their marketing efforts at trade shows.
In 2004, after 13 years with the company, John and his wife Connie took on a new challenge and took over the North Georgia / Atlanta Everdry franchise. Our goal is to provide a healthy and safe living environment in homes for the families in the North Georgia / Atlanta region.
