New to this forum... Basement leak

18 years ago

Hello, GW neighbors, I usually hang out in the Decorator's Forum. I have a two or maybe three fold problem in my basement. We bought the house knowing it was a mess down there (behind the wall), from previous water damage. We and our realtor believed the previous owner when she said she invested a lot in drainage repairs. I think she likely did... they improved matters (evidently), but didn't solve all the problems.

Here's the problem, it appears that there's some water coming in from the foundation (footer drains are good and have been redone, but I think the roofing people tied the guttering into the foundation drains - real smart).

However, there's a crack in the area where the gas line is coming into the house and, following the water pattern on the wall, it seems very compelling that that's the main source of the water... if you look at the picture, the water damage is only on that side (other sides of the room are dry as a whistle).

So, it could be one or the other or both.

I'm trying to figure out how to proceed.

I want to re-do the gutters so that the water runs off above ground. We want to do rain barrels and don't mind black hose running around while we dry out the basement, anyway.

#2, we're going to have the gas company look at the meter and see what they say (I think since it's their line coming in, they ought to fix that and save me the frightening job of dealing with a big gas line).

#3 Drylock the whole bloody basement (I'm in the process of ripping down all the drywall - taking pictures as I go), Level and epoxy the floor, leave the walls open (instead of drywalling again).

Am I missing something?

The water proofing guys and the city water folks said that they didn't think I had enough water to warrant a sump pump or even a channel system.

Wanna see the ugly pictures? (the black stuff is not mold, it is old toxic black adhesive - nice, huh? - don't worry I'm wearing goggles and a respirator and the room is sealed off and ventilated.

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Comments (5)

User
18 years ago
Fix the outside drainage problems and the inside one will disappear---because if no water gets to the crack---no water gets through the crack.

I had a house where the backyard was higher than the foundation. There was landscaping done---called swales---which directed most of the rain/snow melt to either side of the foundation. That worked well. Then the foundationwall cracked from the hole for hte gray water septic system drain to the foundation top.

I had to dig down to the drain pipe, widen the crack and fill it with silicon sealer designed for concrete. I then covered than with qiuck drying cement and back filled.

I know the couple that bouight that house over 20 years ago and they never had any water from that area.

Treating a water problem from the inside is useless---the hydraulic pressure of the water is measured in hundreds of puonds per square inch---no paint/sealer will withstand that force.
chicoryflower
Original Author
18 years ago
Hi, Mac.

According to the previous owner the swales were redone as were the foundation drains. It's likely they weren't done exactly right (I don't think she's lying about it and it looks like all the drains have new fittings).

Do you think that if the rain spouts are emptying into the foundation drain area that this could be causing the problem?

The thing is, the ground outside is bone dry - we have a big overhang and a large, very thirsty maple nearby (we have to have the roots cut out of the drain system routinely).

I was thinking of installing a bunch of rainbarrels and then doing hoses at the tops to divert overflow away from the house.

What do you make of that?

The drylock is just for ambient moisture (because the concrete is so gross now).

Does it look to you like the water is coming from that gas pipe?

AND thank you so much for responding.

I was hoping to avoid digging up all the soil around the foundation, but it seems like we might not have a choice. That kind of sucks. : (
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User
18 years ago
Yes, diverting rain gutter discharge out above ground may be all that is needed---especially if the discharge is directed underground now---french drain/sump/etc. Those are fine when done right---that is to say when there is ample drainage from those units.

If you use rain barrels, use that water for watering plants/garden---instead of draining it away.
chien tiing nn
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I think that probably need to fix the outside drainage problems first.

BTW I have one product to share with you.

https://www.saking.com/en/product-series/grouting-machine

Maybe it can help you n get through it.
PRO
Office Furniture Warehouse
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
After fixing the problems with external drainage, be sure to remove the cracks in the concrete, because over time, the crack will only increase. Useful tips for repairing cracks in concrete read here.