Water in the cellar... solved? But now the fun starts...

Hello again. You may remember me from such hit posts as “Why is all this water in my basement?” and “Where is all this water coming from?!” and “What am I going to do about all this ^&$^%* water?!?” Thank you all for the thoughts and suggestions. This spring we had the wall patched up and sealed, and then during that hard, fast storm on June 8, I come downstairs to this happening in about half a dozen spots along the shared wall: https://vimeo.com/564345117/dd2c7d0e0a For reference, in this video, I am looking at the shared foundation wall, about 7 feet underground, about 10 feet from the front of the building, and about 30 feet from the street.

Not a trickle. Like a faucet. Like multiple faucets. Over 100 gallons pumped out in about half an hour. My immediate thought is, my neighbor’s cellar is full of water and it’s just pouring in. I had asked the super next door about this waaaay back a long time ago before I had contractors in to repair and he brushed me off. Then I asked the guy who sweeps up sometimes and handles the trash, just casually one day I said, “Hey is t here ever water in the basement down there?” and he looks at me like I asked him if the sky was still blue nowadays. “Inches” he says. “When it rains hard you can’t even go down there.” So I bring this up again with the super and he says, “Well we snaked the drain and didn’t find anything.” And I say, let’s go look together. And he says okay. And then ghosts me for 4 separate appointments this week. We’re supposed to meet tomorrow “for sure.” I am willing to bet there’s a leak in their sewer line (which runs right along that wall) that only shows up under high pressure/flow conditions. So if I ever do get access down there, I’m not even sure I would find anything conclusive unless it also happens to be pouring.

Sooo… what would you do at this point?

kevrob

in General Discussion 4 years and 2 months ago

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kevrob | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Update: Thank you for the commiseration and good ideas all around. Super next door showed today (I legit lost a bet that he wouldn’t). His first stance was “I’ve never seen any water problem.” Then reminded him of the complaints I have text records of for months. His second stance was, “How do I know it’s not water from your building coming into my building.” Then I showed him video. His third stance was, “Must’ve been a one-off backup. I had the line snaked Tuesday.” I reminded him the storm was Tuesday night. “I mean Friday.” I got a tenant from his building to come out and repeat what he told me–that after every big rain there’s a wet, musty stank that floats up from the basement and fills the hall. Then he said he’d “Have someone come out and take a look next week.” I said let’s go take a look now, he said, “Oh I cannot let you down there without permission.”

In the end, I said, “Look, you’re treating me like I am trying to make your life harder, and what you don’t realize is I am trying to make it easier. You and me are just supers. The guy who owns my building is a lawyer, with a bunch of lawyers working for him. The guy who owns your building is a lawyer. What do you imagine this will be like once a bunch of lawyers start arguing and you and me are stuck in the middle?” And I guess that’s the way we’re going to go now.

JohnHancock | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Ask the tenants to put a complaint in for mold, that may stir up some action. DOB just get dismissed

kevrob | 4 years and 2 months ago

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@Urbandad — I’m friends with all the tenants (and have often help them fix simple things when their no-show super is MIA for weeks on end) and they’ve all got my back on this, but alas, the cellar access doors are locked.

hkapstein | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Can you give a tenant 100 bucks to let you in and take some photos?

ceci | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Praying for a resolution to this nightmare!!!! Sump sounds like a real good idea!!!

Guest User | 4 years and 2 months ago

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https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01509

JohnHancock | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Been there done that ;(

kevrob | 4 years and 2 months ago

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@ JohnHancock This is the most reluctant like I have ever given a post.

JohnHancock | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Having dealt with a similar situation there’s not a whole lot you can do if they don’t want to cooperate. You can complain to 311 and DOB but if they dont care and wont give access there’s absolutely nothing you can do except for tackling the problem from your end. If they will let you in and you can see where the problem is you can offer to pay for it to make it stop. Often when landlords or owners have these problems they know about them but just don’t care. This may seem very odd to you but lots of folks just don’t want to deal with these things. Dig a channel and install a sump pump to keep your place dry. Protect your mechanicals in the basement bc when it really floods you may ruin them. Good luck

Guest User | 4 years and 2 months ago

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Wow what a terrible situation. Video link not working btw. I believe this is something you can report on 311. Perhaps you’ll find out more details at your appointment. If they ghost then you have a right to complain.