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June 17, 2009
Water Seeping From Foundation
I've been having some problems with the considerable amount of rain these last 2 weeks. The other night, while it was still raining, I noticed some water pooling on the tile in my basement. It was confined to one corner and I could barely tell where it was coming from - until I noticed water seeping in from what seems to be the foundation. The water was going under the tiles and came up through the cracks in one corner, and extended into the next room where it stayed under the floor & tiles. I'm really worried about what this means and intend to have someone loot into it - I believe I may need french drains since we often have problems when it rains. Has anyone experienced something like this? I would really love to get some advice.
Comments
I also noticed this last week in my basement. This is the first time in 9 years in this house.
Just too much rain.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at June 16, 2009 4:05 PM
I assume by "basement" you mean cellar, or lowest floor level. Getting water in your cellar after heavy rain is not unusual. The only real remedy is to apply waterproofing membranes to the outside of the walls, which is not always possible and can be a huge mess. You can try re-pointing the cracks and fissures from the inside, but they will probably pop again after a lot of rain. You did not mention what wall the water was entering. If it is the rear wall, you could re-grade the rear yard to pitch away from the house. You also need to check your gutters and leaders to make sure they are not overflowing and creating waterfalls down the back of your house, which will result in water in the cellar. So check your "water shedding systems", the grade at the rear of the house, and if any drains are clogged in the front or back of the house. Sometimes no matter what you do a little water will get in. I'm not sure about French drains, I don't think they really work as advertised. But the theory behind them is good.
Posted by: sam at June 17, 2009 11:10 AM
What is a French drain, anyway?
Posted by: Park Sloper at June 17, 2009 11:44 AM
you can have someone put in a sub-pump. we had lots of water in our basement upstate and we had to re-cement the floor so it was graded and water flowed into ditches around the parameter and then towards the sub-pump. Can't remember how much it cost, but it kept our basement very dry
Posted by: gkw at June 17, 2009 12:23 PM
A sump pump is good if you get a lot of water, this sounds like only a little water.
A French drain is a submerged pipe, sloped away from the foundation into the yard, or towards a drainpipe. It is usually set in a gravel trench and has holes on the upper part of the pipe but is solid on the bottom. The idea is that excess surface water will get into the pipe through the holes and be carried away from the house or to a drainpipe. IN reality the little holes get clogged no matter how much gravel you try to put in. Done really well, and in certain conditions, they probably do work.
Posted by: sam at June 17, 2009 12:35 PM
We used to have the same problem over the past few years - water coming through the floor and wall - in one corner of our basement. So we constructed a small 1'x1' dam from brick and concrete - on top of a 1 foot deep well. We also made the holes in the foundation a little bigger to relieve some of the outside water pressure. The water filled the little well, but never flowed over the top. The bottom was dirt, so the water just filtered back into the ground over time or evaporated. So far this year, our little well has been totally dry for some reason - knock on wood.
Posted by: joshdreier at June 17, 2009 1:26 PM
It's a finished basement, so the concern is mainly surrounding the fact that we actually do use the space, so I don't want problems with mold & dampness. We have a sump pump on the opposite side of where the water is coming in, though I do think it does its job on the side of the house that it's installed (bordering the backyard, there there is an obvious gradient)
The water is coming in from a front wall, though the wall where the water is seeping in from is partially below ground.
Posted by: tater at June 17, 2009 2:46 PM
Im a general contractor and i have expierence in this field of work i might be able to help my # is 607 621-0330 i can give estimate
Posted by: Nuwave Construction at July 13, 2009 7:14 PM
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