What are people using for a capillary break between their footer and foundation wall?
I am getting ready to break ground and of course their are a few minor details I am figuring last minute. One is the capillary break for the footer. I am building in a heavy clay soil that will most certainly have water. I am torn between painting on dry-loc extreme which is most likely cheaper but not really designed for the purpose, and corsella dorken’s product delta-footing barrier which is more expensive and has to be ordered. Are there any other low cost alternatives that function well?
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Dillon,
This question has come up before. Here is my standard list of products you might use:
1. Asphalt-based dampproofing.
2. Latex-based low-permeability paint (elastomeric paint) -- for example, UGL DryLock latex masonry paint.
3. Delta Footing Barrier.
4. Cementitious coatings (cement-based waterproofing) -- for example, Thoroseal.
5. A fluid-applied product like Tremco TREMproof 250GC, Henry CM100 Cold Fluid-Applied High Building Waterproofing, ePro ECOLINE-R Liquid Applied Membrane, or BASF MasterSeal HLM 5000 (formerly SonoShield HLM 5000).
6. Some builders have used 6-mil poly, although poly isn't easy to work with in this location. (Then again, asphaltic dampproofing isn't easy to work with either.)
Here is a link to a relevant video: Installing a capillary break on top of concrete footings.
Martin -
Elsewhere on a GBA thread, people strongly recommended against asphalt-based dampproofing as the capillary break. Do you share this view / have you seen any evidence to support it?
Cody