Waterproofing warranties

We will not describe any specific company's warranty terms, because those are the company's to state and they change. What we can give you is the list of questions that separate a meaningful warranty from a marketing line.

What exactly is warranted? A warranty against 'water entering through the walls in the area of the installed system' is much narrower than it sounds — it may exclude the floor, exclude areas outside the treated run, and exclude water from any source the company defines as a flood or an act of nature. Ask for the definition of the covered event in writing.

What is the remedy? Some warranties promise to come back and fix the system. Very few promise to compensate you for damaged property or finished space. Ask directly: if water comes in again, what do you actually do, and what do you pay for?

Who stands behind it? A company warranty is worth exactly as much as the company's continued existence. Ask how long they have operated under the current legal entity, and whether any part of the warranty is backed by a third party or by a manufacturer rather than by the installer alone.

What voids it? Common conditions include required annual servicing, restrictions on modifying the system, and requirements to maintain grading and gutters. Some warranties are voided by having another contractor touch the system. Find these out before you sign, not when you claim. And check whether it transfers on sale, and whether a transfer fee or notification deadline applies.

How to choose

Get the full warranty document before signing the contract

Not the brochure summary. The actual document with the exclusions. A company unwilling to provide it before signing is telling you something.

Read the exclusions first

Start at the exclusions section and work backwards. That is where the real scope of a 'lifetime' warranty lives.

Ask what the remedy is, in dollars

Repair of the system, or repair of your damaged property? These are very different promises.

Check the maintenance conditions

If the warranty requires paid annual servicing, that is a recurring cost you should price into the decision.

Confirm transferability and the process

Transferable warranties help at resale, but often only if you follow a notification procedure and pay a fee. Get the procedure in writing.

Separate the pump warranty from the system warranty

The sump pump is a manufactured product with its own manufacturer warranty. Keep the model number and the manufacturer's documentation.