Basement waterproofing in Elizabethtown
Help for the borough on Lancaster County's northwest edge, halfway between Lancaster and Harrisburg.
Elizabethtown dates its founding to 1753, when Captain Barnabas Hughes laid out a town and named it for his wife. The borough had 11,639 residents and 4,665 housing units at the 2020 census. It sits at about 463 feet in the northwest corner of Lancaster County, roughly 18 miles from Harrisburg and about the same distance from Lancaster along PA 283, and it is drained mainly by Conoy Creek, which runs southwest to the Susquehanna River at Bainbridge.
What kind of houses are here?
The borough grew in layers. There's an older core of brick and frame houses around the square, neighborhoods that filled in around Elizabethtown College (founded 1899) and the Masonic Village (established 1910), and newer subdivisions in the surrounding townships. That means basement walls of stone, brick, block and poured concrete within a short drive, and fixes that vary as much as the walls do.
Where does water come from?
Low ground near Conoy Creek and its tributaries can stay wet after long rains, and lots that slope toward a house send runoff straight at the uphill wall. Settled backfill along newer foundations is another common source. A good inspection follows the water from the roof and yard to where it enters, then explains whether the answer is grading and gutters, an interior drain and sump, crack repair, or masonry work.
Jobs that come up most
- Interior drains and sumps on lots that slope toward the house
- Crack sealing in poured walls in newer neighborhoods
- Mortar repair in older brick and stone cellars near the center of town
- Dehumidifiers for rentals and student housing near the college
Common questions
Do you cover Mount Joy, Rheems and Bainbridge?
Yes. Call with your address and we'll look for a company that serves it.
Is a creek-side house harder to waterproof?
It can be. A higher water table near a creek can keep a sump busy and push water up through the floor, so drainage and pump capacity matter more there.
Services in Elizabethtown
- Stone foundation repairRepointing, parging and rebuilding loose sections of fieldstone and rubble-stone cellar walls with mortar that suits old masonry.
- Interior perimeter drainsA drain channel set in the floor along the walls that collects seepage before it spreads and sends it to a sump.
- Sump pump systemsPits, pumps, check valves, battery backups and discharge lines routed so the water does not come straight back.
- Exterior excavation waterproofingDigging down the outside of the wall to add a membrane, footing drain and better backfill where the yard allows it.
- Basement moisture and mold controlDehumidifiers, vapor barriers in dirt-floor cellars and crawl spaces, and cleanup advice for musty basements.
Nearby areas
Stone walls weeping, a wet floor edge, or a pump that never rests?
Call and a Lancaster County waterproofing company will come find where the water gets in.