Basement waterproofing in Johnstown, PA

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us where you live and what the basement is doing.

2. We connect you

   We pass your call to an independent waterproofing company that serves the Johnstown area.

3. They call you back

   That company inspects, explains the fix and gives you a written quote.

Who is this site for?

Homeowners, landlords and home buyers in Johnstown and the communities around it: Westmont and Southmont on the hill, Richland and Geistown to the east, Upper Yoder to the southwest, and the river-valley neighborhoods in between. Whether your house sits in Moxham or Cambria City with a century-old stone foundation, or in a newer Richland subdivision with poured walls and a finished rec room, water can get in. This site exists to help you reach someone who can tell you why, and what it takes to stop it.

Why do Johnstown basements take on so much water?

Start with the landscape. Johnstown sits where the Stonycreek River and the Little Conemaugh River join to form the Conemaugh, at about 1,161 feet above sea level, with steep hillsides rising on almost every side. Just downriver, the Conemaugh Gorge has roughly 1,400 feet of relief, which a Pittsburgh Geological Society field guide calls the greatest local relief in Pennsylvania. Rain that lands on those slopes heads downhill toward houses built on benches, terraces and valley floors.

Then there's the rock. The same field guide describes the local bedrock as Conemaugh Group and Allegheny Group layers: sandstone, siltstone and shale, with coal seams running through them. Shale and clay-rich soil don't drain quickly, so water tends to sit against foundation walls instead of soaking away. And it rains a lot here. The 1991 to 2020 normals for the Cambria County airport show about 41 inches of precipitation a year, with June the wettest month.

A few house-level factors pile on top of that:

• Old foundations. Many city homes date to the steel-mill era and sit on stone or brick walls whose mortar has been washing out for decades.
• Hillside lots. On a sloped lot, the uphill wall can carry a lot of soil and runoff while the downhill wall stays dry.
• Tight spacing. Rowhouses and closely set homes leave little room to regrade or dig outside.
• Roof water. A single short downspout at a corner can soak the soil against that wall every time it rains.

What signs mean it's time for an inspection?

• Water seeping in where the wall meets the floor during or after rain
• A crack in a poured wall that turns dark or drips
• White, chalky deposits (efflorescence) or flaking on block, brick or stone
• A sump pump that cycles nonstop, hums without moving water, or is of unknown age
• A musty odor, mildew on stored boxes, or sweating cold-water pipes
• Paint or sealer peeling off the lower part of the walls

How do I know which repair I need?

Match the fix to the way water is getting in. Seepage along the floor edge on more than one wall usually calls for an interior drain feeding a sump pump. One leaking crack in a poured wall is often a job for crack injection. If the wall itself is saturated from the outside, or you want a finished basement with dry walls, exterior waterproofing stops the water before it reaches the foundation. And when the basement is damp rather than wet, a properly sized dehumidifier plus better gutters may be all it takes. Ask any company you talk to which problem its proposal solves and why it picked that approach.

Is my basement at risk because of old coal mines?

Possibly, and it's worth knowing before you spend money on wall repairs. Coal has been mined under and around Johnstown for generations. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says damage from mine subsidence is usually not covered by a standard homeowners policy, and it offers separate Mine Subsidence Insurance. DEP lists foundation cracks, cracked concrete floors, unlevel windows and depressions in the yard among the signs of subsidence damage, though settling, frost and poor construction can look similar. DEP has an online map where you can check whether your address is over mined ground. If cracks keep growing or the floor is shifting, a waterproofing fix alone may not be the answer. See the Johnstown basement water guide for details.

What can I check myself before calling?

Go outside during the next heavy rain with an umbrella and a flashlight. Look for gutters spilling over, downspouts that drop water at the foundation, soil or concrete that tilts toward the house, and window wells that fill up. Inside, note which wall leaks and whether water comes through the wall, at the floor joint or up through the floor. Those notes help the company diagnose the problem faster, and sometimes moving the downspouts is enough.

Buying a house in the Johnstown area?

Look past fresh paint. New drywall on the bottom of finished basement walls, a dehumidifier running hard in summer, stains on stored items, and a pump discharge line in the yard all hint at past water. Ask the sellers about water history in writing. Consider having a waterproofing company look before your inspection contingency expires, and check DEP's mine map for the address.

Are you a waterproofing company?

No. Johnstown Basement Waterproofing is a referral service. We connect you with an independent waterproofing company that serves your address, and that company handles the inspection, quote, work and warranty. Before you sign anything, read our hiring tips and the Johnstown basement water guide.

Areas we cover

• Johnstown
• Westmont
• Richland Township
• Upper Yoder Township

Planning ahead? Read our Johnstown basement water guide.