We’ve always been upfront about what kind of dirty, dusty mess is created when we waterproof a basement. The jackhammers and drills put a lot of dust into the air. That’s changing now that the new OSHA mandated silica rules have been adopted and the tool industry has responded with equipment that greatly reduces dust. This is good for our employees health, considering they work in this environment every day. It’s also a good thing for homeowners because there’s less clean up involved. And who doesn’t appreciate that? This is why we’re happy to embrace the changes and make the investment in new vacuums, hepa filters, jackhammers, and drills.
This is what it looked like before the new equipment was deployed. Notice how the dust spreads out quickly, filling the air. In some basements it could look like a dust storm rolled in. Now, with the new jackhammers, you can see the dust being sucked up by the vacuum attachment. The new drill bits are especially clever. They’re hollow and the dust is drawn through the bit to the vacuum bag.
In a 100 linear foot job the new system captures two bags full of cement dust. At about 25lbs each, we’re removing nearly 50lbs of dust from the air.
We also deploy hepa filters to scrub the air of dust not captured by the jackhammers and drills.
Waterproofing your basement is still a big job, but now, it’s a lot less dusty.