Tremco Barrier Solutions, North America’s leading provider of residential new construction waterproofing, is taking basement waterproofing performance to a new level by protecting below-grade foundation walls from up to eight feet of water pressure!

New TUFF-N-DRI® H8 is the industry’s first and only national brand of polymer-modified asphalt emulsion membrane with the ability to withstand up to eight feet of hydrostatic pressure. That’s more than eight times greater than comparable waterproofing membranes.

Additionally, new WATCHDOG WATERPROOFING® H3 offers up to three feet of hydrostatic resistance – more than triple the ability of other polymer-modified asphalt emulsion waterproofing products.

“It’s about better waterproofing performance under hydrostatic head pressure, and a clear opportunity for contractors to increase value to their builder customers,” says Mark Patterson, vice president and general manager for Tremco Barrier Solutions. “By applying our expertise to the re-formulation of the TUFF-N-DRI and WATCHDOG WATERPROOFING brands, we’re again leading the industry with innovative and effective products that provide our customers with clearly superior products and a sustained competitive advantage.”

Residential building codes define waterproofing as the ability of a membrane to prevent the passage of water under hydrostatic pressure. Triggered by periods of heavy rain or ineffective or failed drainage systems, this condition can occur against a foundation wall when water accumulates at the base of the wall and rises as moisture continues to drain through the soil. Significant hydrostatic pressure can develop, potentially pushing moisture through an inferior waterproofing membrane and into the basement through naturally occurring cracks in an improperly protected foundation wall.

Most waterproofing products available today are designed to withstand only 12 inches or less of hydrostatic pressure. A single heavy downpour could lead to a failed waterproofing membrane and a wet basement, which can result in a costly callback for the contractor.

“To be effective, it’s critical that a waterproofing membrane provide a uniform thickness of 40 mils cured,” says James R. Wells, Ph.D., technical director for Tremco Barrier Solutions. “TUFF-N-DRI H8 and WATCHDOG H3 offer exceptional hang strength, so they’re able to build easily and efficiently to the proper thickness. With this consistent 40-mil thickness, the membranes are able to provide up to eight feet of hydrostatic head resistance. That’s especially important when the membrane has to span a shrinkage crack in the foundation wall. It’s over these cracks that weaker membranes will fail.”

A waterproofing membrane that lacks the ability to hang on a foundation wall and build to a consistent thickness can leave large portions of the wall with even less than 12 inches of hydrostatic resistance. “A membrane’s ability to stop water under pressure declines drastically as the cured thickness decreases. For example, a 40-mil cured membrane that tests at 12 inches of hydrostatic head resistance will provide only about seven inches of resistance at 30 mils – a performance decline of over 40 percent with a thickness decrease of only 25 percent.”