swohiodave Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Who has ever had a water leak when it rains really hard in their basement? Did you fix it? How? Debating what i should do. It is not that bad but at some point i will have to fix it i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Get yourself a tub of hydro plug. It will cure even under water and sets up extremely fast. Most likely your leak will just pop up somewhere further down the line though. It's great for a quick fix that's permanent, but not much help if you've got bigger problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 you got it, i plug on and another spot leaked... i patched over a known spot and the water soaked through, that was after we had 24 hours of rain though, not bad. If i can make it until tax time next year i may hire someone to come in and do something more permanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We had some dampness in the old house. I think, for the most part, you have to get to the foundation and fix that weeping tile. We were only getting it at the base of the foundation. I don't think that cinder block does as good a job as concrete, it's pretty porous, and sooner or later you'll have to put in a new tile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We put a 4 inch drain around our house with gravel before backfilling. Dirtwork is not completely finished, still have to put a retaining wall at the egress end. Have had a few issues with our drain getting plugged from it getting covered up, when that happens have had a few leaks. Bought 10 gallons of drylokt, pricey but supposed to be good stuff. Already painted areas where plumbing and where washer and dryer are and where the water heater and water filter are located. Planning on putting drylokt around the entire basement at least up to grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We put a 4 inch drain around our house with gravel before backfilling. Dirtwork is not completely finished, still have to put a retaining wall at the egress end. Have had a few issues with our drain getting plugged from it getting covered up, when that happens have had a few leaks. Bought 10 gallons of drylokt, pricey but supposed to be good stuff. Already painted areas where plumbing and where washer and dryer are and where the water heater and water filter are located. Planning on putting drylokt around the entire basement at least up to grade level. Used Drylokt in the old house. It works to an extent. The problem with that stuff is that it's installed on the inside, so if you're getting water, drylokt won't stop the water at its source. I used it basically to brighten our old basement, with the hopes that it would hide the water stains, and stop the water at the base. It hid the water stains, but the water still seeped at the base. But, we sold the house, so I guess it's all water under the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 yea not sure what they did around my new house. it's a poured foundation but at the seem of the foundation and wall in one little spot i had a small leak this spring's thaw. i may dryloc the whole thing but use more of an epoxy where the leak was. i'd tile around the house but it's not really bad at all, the spot is under the back deck, and i'd assume there's something already there. they say you can never assume though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 Our ground out here holds so much water it is insane! i do not expect to use this basement for much more than a hang out for kids and to thow darts. Most of the area that leaks is contained to my storage room but there is a little area on each side on the outisde of the storage room that leaked with that last big rain. I may just have someone install a drain with a pump around the base of the storage room wall. Someone else i know just had that done and it cost 6500....ouch. I have 2 neighbors who leaked as well and those are the only ones i know of. It is really flat around here and we dont have storm sewers so i learned what I dont want in my next house after buying my first house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 A few things to check, make sure your gutters are running clear and you have extensions on your down spouts to get that water away from the foundation. Next make sure the grade of your land is sloping away from the foundation, may have to bring in some dirt if not and get the water running away from ya. If these small steps don't work I am afraid you are down to digging out around your foundation to the footing, putting a perimiter tile and stubbing it in under your basement floor so you can dig a sump pit and pump inside. Then backfill with plenty of gravel, a couple feet is preferred. then dirt the rest of the way up and grading the top away from the foundation. They also have a system they can put over the foundation before you backfill, like a membrane of sorts to water proof it. Unfortunately there is no quick fixes, nothing you can do from the inside will help much, once the water has made it that far into the house it hard to stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 All i see are $$$$$$$$$. I cut the gutters off that went into the ground and found one of the clay pipes was backed up with water so put extensions on both pipes that went into the ground. I have a crack between my steps and walkway that funnels water right down by one leak so the concrete company is being called in the mornng. I will keep trying different things before I have someone come in and dig up around my foundation in the basement with a new pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 A few things to check, make sure your gutters are running clear and you have extensions on your down spouts to get that water away from the foundation. Next make sure the grade of your land is sloping away from the foundation, may have to bring in some dirt if not and get the water running away from ya. If these small steps don't work I am afraid you are down to digging out around your foundation to the footing, putting a perimiter tile and stubbing it in under your basement floor so you can dig a sump pit and pump inside. Then backfill with plenty of gravel, a couple feet is preferred. then dirt the rest of the way up and grading the top away from the foundation. They also have a system they can put over the foundation before you backfill, like a membrane of sorts to water proof it. Unfortunately there is no quick fixes, nothing you can do from the inside will help much, once the water has made it that far into the house it hard to stop. Yep. Real good advice here. Definitely want a slope away from the house. Any low spots up around the walls need filled and gutters directed away from the house. Was told by our gutter guy to use hard pipe for underground runs rather than the corrugated pipe, said the corrugated pipe even 4 inch will clog up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 Was told by our gutter guy to use hard pipe for underground runs rather than the corrugated pipe, said the corrugated pipe even 4 inch will clog up. Same here. They ran straight wall all around our house and out to the field tiles. Big headache/worry removed when they did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) I hear that about the pipe, I think i am going to have to bite the bullet and have someone come and look at the basement. We are getting unusally high amounts of water but even if i get it to stop for any amount of time i know in the back of my head it could always leak! Edited April 20, 2011 by swohiodave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 first, there should be NO vegatation within 5 feet of the basement, anywhere. next, entend your downspouts 5-10 feet away from the basement. the first thing i'd do next is to cut a 3' x 3' hole in the basement floor, close to the floor drain. dig down 2' and put in a 5 gallon plastic pail with small holes in the bottom. put a sump pump in the pail, draining into your floor drain and fill around the plastic pail with small gravel/stones. that should relieve the pressure coming up and is pretty inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 That is good advice Steve, but i already have a sump pump in the floor in the basement in another room. Im going to bite the bullet and have a professional come and evaluate my situation. I emailed my credit union at work today to see about getting a loan. When i got home i was telling my mom what is going on and she offered to loan us the money interest free! Next step is to get estimates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Yep. Real good advice here. Definitely want a slope away from the house. Any low spots up around the walls need filled and gutters directed away from the house. Was told by our gutter guy to use hard pipe for underground runs rather than the corrugated pipe, said the corrugated pipe even 4 inch will clog up. Same here. They ran straight wall all around our house and out to the field tiles. Big headache/worry removed when they did that. I wish we had put hard pipe. Never even gave it a thought. We put corrugated pipe and stone around the house with the screen material that you can buy to keep it from plugging up. But being 6 feet down I now fear that the weight of the soil has crushed the pipe. :bummed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 What you need to remember is that water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. It's heavy and will break and move objects it builds up behind. If you plug leaks it just increases the pressure. I had a house in Vermont years ago and cut a swale behind it (uphill side) and filled in enough below the swale so the cellar was 1/2 way level with it. Then gravel and drainage under and around the cellar. I put hand land stone retaning walls (the water runs through them) at the terraces around it. You can't stop it. All you can do is divert it. My neighbor there put a big concrete wall (T shaped with part below the ground and a big patio) behind his house to stop the water. It tipped it up about 6 feet and pushed the patio into the side of the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 I see you mentioned you already have a sump pump. Where is the discharge going too? Most cities won't let you dump it in the sanitary sewer but many have a storm sewer at the street you can hook it up to, if not get it discharging as far away from the house as possible to keep from just cycling the water. One way we do it is to dig a big hole as far away on your lot as possble and trench the sump line to it, fill the hole with gravel to about a foot from the top, then put rosin paper on top of that, then top off with soil. Makes a french drain so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted April 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Mike, the pump is currently pumping out into my side yard. we do not have storm sewers out here but a burried pipe runs all of the way from the street to the woods behind my house and I believe the pipe dumps into that. Everyone around me is leaking... it is not too bad tonight. I am putting on the new garage door seal on Easter along with my back up sump pump! happy easter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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