Any basement water problem experts here?

[SvilleKid]

OK Larry.... This is not a problem that can be fixed from the inside. Hydrostatic pressure is one of the strongest pressures around, and can actually push a wall in and collapse it, even a poured concrete wall. You have two possible problems (or both). Surface water running down the wall due to poor drainage AWAY from the foundation wall, and/or sub-surface water finding cracks below the surface.

Install gutters (if not existing), and drain away from the foundation. If the lot overall flows to the foundation, you need to add dirt to the house edge, sloping away from the house. If there is NO obvious areas where surface water is running to the foundation, then you are in for an expensive repair.

The foundation should have a "french drain system:, where the exterior wall has been waterproofed, with perforated drain pipe at the bottom with a gravel base over the pipe. If this wasn't done to start with, or was done improperly at the original construction, the only way to correct (and the best way) is to dig the outer foundation back down to the footings, clean off the foundation, install a waterproofing barrier on the outer wall, install the drainpipe, cover with a layer of gravel and then back-fill the trench. This is a job probably best left to a contractor, and most that specialize in this will give you a warranty.

Good luck. Maybe the problem is surface related and fixable with gutters and re-landscaping to keep the water away from the foundation. But...... Chances are, since the water has already found a path to the mentioned cracks, it will keep coming into the cracks. Meaning you will probably end up needing to expose the outside wall and do a proper waterproofing and french-drain job.

Sure, you can punch a hole thru the concrete slab, make a sump pit and install a pump. This DOES NOT fix the problem of pressure against the foundation. It is also a negative when it comes to marketing the house. And if it is a subsurface problem, punching a hole thru the floor just gives the water another route into the house. And the pressure on the wall is still an issue. AND, you absolutely do not want to put any finished walls over a wall with leaks in it! That leads to only one thing.... Major mold/mildew problems that will be really expensive to remedy down the road!!

[larryinlc]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

OK Larry.... This is not a problem that can be fixed from the inside.

Thanks. This is what I suspected all along would need doing. What I failed to mention earlier....all the homes on my block have now or in the past, suffered from the same issue as me. Apparently there might be a water table or drainage problem in my area. The village in which I live, dug sort of a fenced off drainage pit near our houses to collect runoff? Doesn't seem to help me. I kept hoping that this might be a simple inexpensive fix, but in the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't going to be. I cringe at what this might cost around a 1700 sq ft house.

Larry

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by larryinlc

Thanks. This is what I suspected all along would need doing. What I failed to mention earlier....all the homes on my block have now or in the past, suffered from the same issue as me. Apparently there might be a water table or drainage problem in my area. The village in which I live, dug sort of a fenced off drainage pit near our houses to collect runoff? Doesn't seem to help me. I kept hoping that this might be a simple inexpensive fix, but in the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't going to be. I cringe at what this might cost around a 1700 sq ft house.

Larry

I would say "rent a small backhoe and do it yourself"....... But I know a couple of people that did that, and ended up knocking a wall in with the machine digging or backfilling afterwards! It can be a DIY project, but it's labor intensive, and if the basement is deep underground, there is always a possibility of the trench falling in on you while you are in it.

Is the basement 100% below ground? No garage area or access to the outside from the basement?

If ALL the homes have had similar issues, I'd say you are looking at sub-surface issues that will require exterior wall waterproofing. If, however, the basement is 100% below ground (no side with ground level at or near the slab area), then you are looking at trying to seal an area from water with no other place to go. Ans, given the fact that you have to have a seam between the walls and the slab floor, you just might not be able to seal it, because you have to have somewhere for the french drain to dump the water!