Basement waterproofing in Mankato

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us your town and what you're seeing in the basement.

2. We connect you

   Your call goes to an independent waterproofing or foundation repair company that serves Blue Earth and Nicollet counties.

3. They call you back

   They come out, find the source and quote the fix directly.

Who uses this service?

Homeowners, landlords and home buyers in Mankato, North Mankato, St. Peter, Eagle Lake and the smaller towns of Blue Earth and Nicollet counties. Nearly every house in the area has a basement, whether it's an older home in Lincoln Park or Old Town, a rental near Minnesota State University, or a newer split-level up on the hilltop neighborhoods. If water, cracks or damp walls are making you think twice about storing anything on the basement floor, start here.

What makes basements in the Mankato area wet?

Answer first: rain and snowmelt with nowhere to go, plus a landscape that funnels water downhill toward the river valley.

• A deep valley and steep bluffs. Mankato sits on a big bend of the Minnesota River where the Blue Earth River comes in. The valley was cut by Glacial River Warren between roughly 11,700 and 9,400 years ago and is up to 5 miles wide and 250 feet deep. Homes on the bluffs and side slopes get runoff from uphill lots and streets.
• Steady precipitation and real winters. Mankato averages about 34 inches of precipitation a year, with January's average daily temperature under 15°F and somewhere around 35 to 39 inches of snow. Spring melt and early-summer storms send a lot of water at foundations in a short time.
• Frost and saturated soil. When wet soil freezes against a basement wall, it pushes on it. That repeated pressure is behind most of the horizontal cracks and bowing block walls contractors see here.

Signs it's time to call someone

• Water along the bottom of a wall or seeping up at the floor joint after rain
• A crack in a poured wall that drips, or one that's getting wider
• A horizontal crack in a block wall, or a wall that bulges inward
• White mineral crust, flaking paint or dark staining low on the walls
• A sump that runs for days, or one that has quit
• Water coming in around a basement window or through a window well
• Persistent musty odor, high humidity or mold on stored items

What fixes do local companies offer?

• Drain tile and sump systems. An interior drain along the footing, a sealed sump basin and a reliable pump. Drain tile and sump pumps.
• Crack repair. Resin injection for poured walls; joint repair and drainage for block. Foundation crack repair.
• Bowing wall repair. Steel braces, anchors or carbon fiber to stop a wall from moving. Bowing wall repair.
• Egress windows and wells. Code-sized windows for basement bedrooms and wells that drain. Egress windows and window wells.
• Whole-basement waterproofing. Interior or exterior systems matched to the problem. Waterproofing options.

What should I check myself first?

Go outside during the next heavy rain. Downspouts that dump at the corner of the house, gutters overflowing, a driveway or patio sloping toward the foundation, and soil that has settled into a trough along the wall are all common, and all cheap to fix. On hillside lots, watch where water from uphill neighbors and the street goes. If water still gets in after those fixes, or there's a structural crack, bring in a professional.

What about river flooding?

River flooding is a different problem from everyday seepage. Mankato and North Mankato are protected by flood walls and levees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built in phases from 1971 into the late 1980s, after record floods in 1965 and high water again in 1969. Those barriers held in June 1993, when the Minnesota River crested at 30.1 feet at Mankato. Waterproofing a basement won't stop a river overtopping a levee; it's aimed at groundwater, rain and snowmelt.

Is this a contractor?

No. Mankato Basement Waterproofing is a referral service. We connect you with an independent company that serves your address, and that company inspects, quotes, does and warranties the work. Before you sign, read our hiring tips and the Mankato basement waterproofing guide.

Areas we cover

• Mankato
• North Mankato
• St. Peter
• Eagle Lake

Planning ahead? Read our Mankato basement waterproofing guide.