Forum: Waterproofing
November 2, 2009
Water Leak in Basement
In the last few months, during the heavy rains, water came pouring though our electrical panel in the basement. We called Con-Ed and after many go rounds, they plugged up the pipe on the inside, and in the street. However, water still leaks around the patch when it rains. Con Ed says it's a customer issue, even though clearly the water is still coming in from the pipe. Any recommendations?
We're not sure where the water is entering the pipe...from the street, or from some nearby tree roots...any recommendations on how to proceed? should we call a plumber? a waterproofing basement company? a general contractor?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
October 27, 2009
French Drain, etc.
Can anyone out there recommend a company you used to install a sump pump and a french drain and in general advised you correctly about completely waterproofing your basement? Thanks!
August 26, 2009
Dry Sewer?
I haven't heard anything on my post from this morning about my garden floor, rain pooling on the step, seeping in and causing damage cuz no drain. Any thoughts on whether a "dry sewer" is necessary? About $1400 for the whole job, installing "sewer" and cosmetic work, new drywall, etc. Thanks.
Garden Floor Flooding Issue
We own a 3-story 2-family frame house. The steps leading into the garden level of the house(the access for our tenant) tend to collect water during heavy rainfall. Rain pools on the bottom step, which has a flat metal lip all around, and then leaks around the doorframe on both sides. There is no drain on the inside so, this summer, with heavy rains and then high temps, mold arrived, sheetrock on interior wall is damaged, etc. We want to repair the cosmetics but also solve this draining issue. One contractor suggested a "dry sewer" where he would install a drain that would carry water into the soil under the street, rather than hooking up with the main sewer line, which is a much bigger job. Another contractor suggested adding a taller lip on the bottom step to prevent water from leaking into the house before we vacumn it out (we need to buy a dry-vac). But a lip might cause our tenant to trip and fall! Any suggestions? Thanks!
July 28, 2009
Waterproofing Expert Needed
We have a recurring leak coming from the back wall of our condo (the wall is all windows). There's no obvious place where the leak is coming from and it leaks into the subfloor, not onto the floor itself. Anyway, we're in desperate need to find a waterproofing expert to diagnose the issue. Can anyone recommend somebody? Thanks.
June 18, 2009
Cellar Flooding from Neighbor?
While working on my cellar the past few weeks, my contractor told me that whenever it rains heavily (which it has been, obviously) there is a puddle of water that forms on the side of my cellar. My building sits slightly below the neighboring property and he thought that the water was coming in from a broken sewer pipe or something. I stood outside today in the rain in front of the neighbor's property and I don't see any flooding in the area where the puddle is forming. (His house is set back about 15 feet from mine, so the sewer pipe would be underground in his yard(?). I would assume the pipe is my neighbor's responsibility? Is there any way of checking to be sure?
May 10, 2009
basement water despite pumps
hello,
We are in the South Slope. Our basement has 3 sump pumps which were installed 6 years ago when we bought the house. Up until now we have had occasional minor flooding after heavy rains or when one of the pumps isn't working. For the past month or so we have had water coming in every day. The flooding is consistent with what happens when the pumps aren't working. Problem is, all the pumps are working, and the water level in the sumps is well below the floor level in the basement. It is turning into more than just an annoyance as we have to mop it up every day, and presumably would make a pretty bad flood if left alone for several days. Also, the water is coming in towards the front of the house- we have party walls- and not from the back where the garden is.
Anyone have any ideas how to troubleshoot this? Can the water table change this drastically? Do we need even more pumps?
Thanks for any advice.
April 22, 2009
Gutters and more
This is a long one, so get comfy folks. We own a three story brownstone in BK. Like many of you, when we had tremendous amounts of rain, storm water used to back up through the main trap of the building and into our basement. I'm talking a LOT of water. Disgusting. We were told that the location of our building at the intersection of several storm drains was to blame. Our neighbors have similar problems. At the advice of several plumbers, we installed a check valve in the waste line. Thankfully, no more storm water in the basement. However, where am I supposed to send the roof water? Currently, the downspout is improperly rigged to direct all the water from the roof onto the back patio from where it drains, slowly, into the waste line that runs under the building. When we get a lot of rain, the patio floods and water leaks in through the basement door. There is also a small extension off the first floor and honestly. I'm not sure where that roof water goes. There is a small drain on this roof that I suspect hooks up to the waste line somewhere inside the building. The real dilemma is, if the check valve is engaged, temporarily blocking water from coming in or out of the building, what is the best way to deal with the volume of water coming off the roof? Is it possible to create a system where it drains into the waste line but can be diverted into the yard if that line is full? I know a few other people on the forum have confronted this problem. What was your ultimate solution?
We'd appreciate your advice.
March 11, 2009
cold air through dryer vent
We get a lot of cold air coming in through our dryer vent. The dryer is located in our cellar, and it vents to the outside through a flexible metallic tube.
Is there a way to properly vent the dryer while also keeping out the cold?
Thanks.
December 9, 2008
Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing of NY
Does anyone have any experience waterproofing their brownstone,or with Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing of NY (who does this kind of work). If so I could really use some advice. Thanks, Steve