Water Seeping Through Metal Gates on the Ground for Access Into Basement

Anyone has solved this issue? I have metal gates/doors that allow access into the basement from outside. When it rains heavily the water seeps through into my basement. I noticed some people put rubber mats over it but looks ugly. Any other way to avoid water going in?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you!

deva

in General Discussion 1 year and 10 months ago

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justinromeu26 | 1 year and 10 months ago

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so if you can get an insulation to sit in the gap around the hatch (and it can even be something placed temporarily), the insulation itself that is nearest the hinge will prevent the hatch (or door, i work on doors and encounter this with them) from closing all the way and that will leave a massive gap on the latch side. You will then have to press the hatch down on to it or pull it down from inside to form a seal. the insulation must be a little thicker than the gap but no so thick that the hatch cannot be pressed down.

when working on wood doors, I use vinyl held in place with wood door stop. Any time i attempt to seal a door, it does create some issue for customers because for the seal to work, the door must be pressed slightly against the seal (no more slam and run). that will be your issue here only keeping water out will take a tighter seal than air. place the insulation jeremy speaks of and place a pile of bricks on the hatch to press it down. if the insulation is too thick it will take a lot of bricks and you risk bending or damaging the hinges (so disperse the bricks equally, not only on the latch side) (forcing wood doors this way can crack them in half or pull the hinges out).

Guest User | 1 year and 10 months ago

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I used the tubular adhesive kind of weatherstripping as a temporary fix. This held up fairly well with heavy foot traffic in a commercial cellar hatch

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 10 months ago

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it is going to be hard to install a weather strip in a tight fashion so that it remains. People try this on doors (wood) all the time with limited success. it will only be more difficult on an exterior piece of metal.

i am watching this myself to see what others say. most often, if these hatches are flush, i see a sort of large, heavy, commercial rubber entry matt placed over them.

laloland | 1 year and 10 months ago

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Could you install weatherstripping or a sealant around the edges of the gates? I had a similar issue with a garage door and placed a super strong weatherstripping adhesive where the leaks were coming in. I don’t know how big the gap is, but you should be able to find a size to suit at your nearest hardware store.

laloland | 1 year and 10 months ago

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Could you install weatherstripping or a sealant around the edges of the gates? I had a similar issue with a garage door and placed a super strong weatherstripping adhesive where the leaks were coming in. I don’t know how big the gap is, but you should be able to find a size to suit at your nearest hardware store.

jrs84o | 1 year and 10 months ago

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Small amounts of water seeping through the hatch should not cause a problem… And may point to deeper trouble.

There should be a drain at the foot of your outside steps (under the hatch) which leads into the basement. This will be the LOWEST, ACCESSABLE drain point for your main sewer line (outside of the p-trap near the city hook-up.)

There should also be one at the top of the steps outside the hatch cover.

Use a hose to keep the drains and main sewer pipe free of debris like pine needles/cones, leaves rocks etc– This will prevent the water when heavy rainfall– +1″/hr– from backing up, filling, and overflowing the cement around the bottom of your basement door.

deva | 1 year and 10 months ago

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Yes I mean that hatch into the cellar. This is helpful. Thank you!

rd684 | 1 year and 10 months ago

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If you’re referring to a metal sidewalk hatch, water seeping thru during heavy rain is unfortunately the norm. Taping a strip of waterproof tape around the meatal frame frame will help. I use Gorilla tape and it sticks to the sidewalk just enough. When serious rain is in the forecast I tape two rubber doormats (from Home Depot) over the entire hatch with Gorilla tape. It’s a bit of a hassle but in reality only takes 5 minutes. You could leave them out permanently but after awhile the tape starts to lose it’s grip.

justinromeu26 | 1 year and 10 months ago

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are you talking about a hatch into a cellar? or gates and doors that allow access to an english basement?

i see rubber matts over the hatches on many of my customers houses but have never really asked how well they work. the next time i see one i will ask.