Basement Flooding
Which wall, front, back or party wall?
JohnHancock
in General Discussion 5 years and 6 months ago
12
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12 replies
JohnHancock | 5 years and 3 months ago
Same issue on our block, during heavy rains people’s basements flood thru the foundation wall, eventually the water from a massive leak in the sewer line will find a way out by carving channels along conduits etc, could be your water line, electric or just holes underneath your street and sidewalk. We kept calling the DEP to investigate but all they do is lift the manhole cover and tell us that all is well!. We show them video but they claim it’s impossible even though the evidence is on video. This affects half of our block and it’s been a fight trying to get them to come out and take us seriously
adam | 5 years and 3 months ago
Several years back, we had water coming in through the masonry front wall of our basement. After a big rain, we’d have 3 or 4 inches of water on the basement floor. Turned out that it was coming from the Con Ed manhole, flowing to the house along the cable conduit, abd running down the wall from our electrical panel. It took several phone calls, but we did get Con Ed to come. (Had to be on alternate side parking day, so they could get to the manhole.) They pump out the manhole, then go down and seal up the head of the conduit with wax. It took them 2 tries to get it right, but ultimately it worked — not a drop of water in the basement since then.
No saying that your problem is the same, but it sounds possible and is worth a try. One word of advice: when you call them, don’t betray even a hint of doubt. This is definitely the problem, and they urgently have to come out and fix it ASAP! Any doubt gives them an excuse to delay and deny.
Good luck!
salcovarrubias | 5 years and 3 months ago
Hello. Last summer we had a water main break 4 blocks away. No biggie, I thought, my water service was not disrupted. Well, DEP came out and drilled all over the neighborhood. They drilled at the top of our block and fixed something, didn’t tell us what was going on and it took several weeks. Long story short: when they finished up their repair, they ran the fire hydrants for 4 hours and my basement flooded. I had to call 311 to get the FDNY to shut them off. DEP came out twice to look around my basement and offered absolutely no advice or explanation. Since then, the basement will flood when there is extremely heavy rain or if DEP runs the hydrants. The water is coming off the street, directly under my stoop and into the front wall; electrical panel is also there and I’m concerned about electrocution. I recently noticed the ground under the stoop has become to break apart because it is undermined by the water coming in. I spoke to one person who said the water might be coming from a break in one of the ConEd holes on my block. Anybody ever experience this? The short-te rm solution will be to build a wall at the front of the house to contain future floods, install a sump pump and fix the ground under the stoop. But how to find the source of the leak?
2345bcde | 5 years and 6 months ago
I recently did work for a client and her basement was flooding because her neighbors basement flooded every time there was a hard rain. I think it would be worth your time to ask your neighbor if they’re having problems..
BKALLDAY | 5 years and 6 months ago
You should seal up the exterior which is fairly straightforward if you know a good concrete guy who can use a sealant and patch the perimeter. If it is your party wall or gutters then that will take a bit more time and working collectively with your neighbors. Do a patch to get you through the winter and when the weather warms try running a hose to see if its something you can do or investigate further. If you do need a concrete patch wait it out since freeze and thaw cycles may crack the work if it’s done in deep winter.
panda10 | 5 years and 6 months ago
This is common and I don’t think it has anything to do with your neighbor. I just finished my reno (but is anyone ever actually done?) and I had a similar problem. After a heavy rain water would come up through the slab and pool. I doesn’t happen uniformly and in my case it was near the center of my basement- close to the party wall. We had to break the slab for other reasons (to reinforce some of the interior posts) and of course there is no vapor barrier under the slab and the slab thickness was less than what a builder would do today. If you want to confirm that moisture is seeping in through your slab you can find a different area and cover it with a plastic square and tape all the sides to create a seal. Next time you encounter water, if the slab is indeed the problem, you will be able to see condensation (lots of it) under that plastic. That just means the ground underneath is saturated and water is not moving up through the weakest part of your slab. I would not use a waterproof paint or anything similar. If it is very little water, you can lay down underlay that sits on tiny pockets the size of a penny which creates channels for water to travel. You leave space along the edge of the walls, install flooring on top (something waterproof like vinyl tile) and again- leave space along the edge. Install base trim (PVC- NOT WOOD) but you have to leave a 1-2mm gap between the floor base trim and do not caulk. This system allows water to come up your slab and not damage the flooring above it and allows it to evaporate naturally over time. This only works if the amount of water is manageable. Good luck.
JohnHancock | 5 years and 6 months ago
Sounds like your neighbor is flooded, water seeps through your walls and seeps into his floor, eventually it will find its way underneath your concrete floor and hydrostacic pressure will force the water into your basement. Have you spoken to your neighbor? It will get worse in the summer
Guest User | 5 years and 6 months ago
The water is coming up from the concrete footer along the floor of the party wall.
resident2 | 5 years and 6 months ago
Where on the party wall? Do you have interior leaders? (the pipe that drains the water from the roof into your sewer line)
It could also be bad flashing on the roof; water can run between the actual party wall & your sheet-rock finish wall by-passing each floor all the way to the basement.
Get a roofer to check all your flashings & leaders.
JohnHancock | 5 years and 6 months ago
Yes, it’s worse. If it’s the front or back you can fix it yourself. If it’s the party wall then it is your neighbor who most likely is aware of it and may not want to fix it then there’s not much you can do. Try talking to your neighbor, they may deny it bc it means they have to fix it but maybe they’re helpful and will do something about it.
Guest User | 5 years and 6 months ago
It’s actually one of the party walls. Is that worse?
cate | 5 years and 6 months ago
Yes which wall? If it’s front or rear, first standard advice is to make sure the ground outside is pitched so water rolls away from the house. We had a leak for years and couldn’t find the source. Turned out the issue was mortar was missing from the brick outside on the first story and the problem was concealed by PermaStone. When we removed the PermaStone and repointed, the problem went away. Another potential issue is the foundation underground needs waterproofing/repointing, requiring digging out (need a permit and engineer for this so you don’t cause the foundation to move and tilt your floors/walls). You can do your best to test the problem using a hose on a sunny day.