Hydrostatic Pressure
The pressure exerted by standing water against a structure, increasing with depth below the water level.
On an actual building
It is what makes below-grade work fundamentally different from a roof. Rain falls on a roof and drains away; groundwater presses against a basement continuously, and it pushes any internally applied coating off the wall rather than onto it.
What we most often have to correct
That a good coating will hold it back from inside. Under a real head, positive-side or fully wrapped systems are the reliable answer.
Where this comes up in our work
Terms that come up alongside this one
- Water Table
The level below ground at which the soil is saturated with water.
- Negative Side Waterproofing
Waterproofing applied to the dry face of a structure — the inside of a basement wall — rather than the face the water arrives from..
- Box Type Waterproofing
A continuous barrier wrapping an entire below-grade structure — beneath the raft, up every retaining wall and sealed above ground level — so the structure effectively sits inside a sealed box..
More below grade terms
Hydrostatic Pressure — questions we get asked
What does hydrostatic pressure mean in waterproofing?
The pressure exerted by standing water against a structure, increasing with depth below the water level.
Why does hydrostatic pressure matter on a real project?
It is what makes below-grade work fundamentally different from a roof. Rain falls on a roof and drains away; groundwater presses against a basement continuously, and it pushes any internally applied coating off the wall rather than onto it.
What do people commonly get wrong about hydrostatic pressure?
That a good coating will hold it back from inside. Under a real head, positive-side or fully wrapped systems are the reliable answer.
Have a building showing this?
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