Licensedwaterproofer, I have been reading some of your articals just today 11/22/2006, and I have a question that I didn't find answered. I live in a 1940's townhouse with a real wet basement the houses were built on former marshy land and when it rains it come up throu the floor and the walls. Now from what I have read throu your advise fixing the problem should be easy, except I can't get to the sides of the home because it's in the middle of the row. I also have a large concrete patio out back that was here when I bought the home. It goes from the back door and goes around to the bilco doors which also allows water in. Now there is a block wall that splits the basement into two parts where the stairs come down from the kitchen,which would be the back wall of the kitchen leading to the back yard, water is coming in mostly there under the stepsand flows away from sump pump,plus it leaks at the front of the house wall. Here's the kicker, I get water leaking in from side walls connecting my house to both neighbor's. Any suggestions? I can figure out how to do the front from your advise to others, but the other three walls have me stumped,And the bottom block on stair wall is startin to crumble. Sorry this is so long. Please if you have any advise to help I'll listen. Thank you, and Have a Happy Thanksgiving
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
It sounds like you have a lot of hydrostic water pressure under the slab. First things first, check the sump pump to make sure it works properly, then make sure the pump kicks on before the water gets to the drain tile in the pit. If its not that. Dose the water seam like it’s mostly coming through the
Nationally Certified Waterproofer by the NAWSRC.com
Posts: 96 | Location: Columbus | Registered: 30 December 2005
Originally posted by Basementguy: It sounds like you have a lot of hydrostic water pressure under the slab. First things first, check the sump pump to make sure it works properly, then make sure the pump kicks on before the water gets to the drain tile in the pit. If its not that. Dose the water seam like it’s mostly coming through the
sorry,but through the what?
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
sounds like you have possibility of...... a blockage Under the bsmt floor, thats ONE thing. Has anyone tried to snake through storm trap/CLEANOUT(s) to determine that? THAT,imo, needs to be done FIRST. Find an honest/experienced plumber for that.
IF you/plumber finds that there is/was a blockage under floor--may be in the lateral line then, that ALONE can cause a TON of water to back up,and accumulate and rise UP from under the floor THROUGH ANY--Opening(s) IN the Floor, see what i mean? By any openings i mean, any gap-spcae along the COVE, the cold-joint...where the bottom of bsmt wall meets the floor OR, any cracks in floor, from under the furnace OR, any part of the bsmt floor that, sometimes, is NOT poured 4"+ thick, yeah, some floors are 1,2 or so inches thick. So if/when water backs up under floor the THIN parts of floor can get wet/damp/sweat etc.
And FF....where ya get that "fixing the problem is EASY?"......what i redundantly say is....DEFINE what the problem IS....First.
In some instances, trying to determine any and ALL the causes/problems can be challenging and.....may take a lil time. Yeah...time, some folks don`t want to hear that, right? lolol See, when basements are finished(drywall-paneling-carpet-tile) etc it could take a tad longer to...Determine the problem(s)...yes, sometimes MORE than 1 thing/opening etc is allowing water to enter.
Quite a few get in TROUBLE-still LEAK next rain or 2 when Assuming what problem is. They call and want leak/problem solved same day,thats not always possible. So yet again, define any-all causes BEFORE spending 2 cents.That, is my advise.
FF.....let me ask you, how LONG has this leakage/seepage been occurring? Is this first time? has it happened for 1-2 years, 20-30 years? Or....since building(s) where....Built? Please answer those and we`ll go from there
Oh...and bilco doors are often part of problem so, anytime they are then address `em
Thank you for the input about snaking the drain, I'm so frustrated with this place, I didn't even think about that. I have been fighting social security for disability for 3 and a half years and trying to strech money as far as we can. I will try snake option first then let you know how that went. Thank you again and have a great holiday
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
sounds like you have possibility of...... a blockage Under the bsmt floor, thats ONE thing. Has anyone tried to snake through storm trap/CLEANOUT(s) to determine that? THAT,imo, needs to be done FIRST. Find an honest/experienced plumber for that.
IF you/plumber finds that there is/was a blockage under floor--may be in the lateral line then, that ALONE can cause a TON of water to back up,and accumulate and rise UP from under the floor THROUGH ANY--Opening(s) IN the Floor, see what i mean? By any openings i mean, any gap-spcae along the COVE, the cold-joint...where the bottom of bsmt wall meets the floor OR, any cracks in floor, from under the furnace OR, any part of the bsmt floor that, sometimes, is NOT poured 4"+ thick, yeah, some floors are 1,2 or so inches thick. So if/when water backs up under floor the THIN parts of floor can get wet/damp/sweat etc.
And FF....where ya get that "fixing the problem is EASY?"......what i redundantly say is....DEFINE what the problem IS....First.
In some instances, trying to determine any and ALL the causes/problems can be challenging and.....may take a lil time. Yeah...time, some folks don`t want to hear that, right? lolol See, when basements are finished(drywall-paneling-carpet-tile) etc it could take a tad longer to...Determine the problem(s)...yes, sometimes MORE than 1 thing/opening etc is allowing water to enter.
Quite a few get in TROUBLE-still LEAK next rain or 2 when Assuming what problem is. They call and want leak/problem solved same day,thats not always possible. So yet again, define any-all causes BEFORE spending 2 cents.That, is my advise.
FF.....let me ask you, how LONG has this leakage/seepage been occurring? Is this first time? has it happened for 1-2 years, 20-30 years? Or....since building(s) where....Built? Please answer those and we`ll go from there
Oh...and bilco doors are often part of problem so, anytime they are then address `em
This problem has been here since before I bought this house 9 years ago, my wife tells me that it has been a problem for quite awhile, see I bought the place from my mother-inlaw lol, you can beleave that I'm paying for it now and she even likes me lol.but I got it for a real good price only 35,900.00they sell for around 95,000.00 to 125,000.00 like I said earlier the townhouses were built in the 1940's and on marshy land like most of Delaware is.
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
If water is coning in through the side walls, and I assume your neighbors have basements also, then they are also having water problems. If that is the case, nothing you can do alone will stop the problems. It must be a joint effort.
If the problem stems from building basements in an area with a high water table, probably the only thing that will stop water intrusion is to WATERPROOF (not dampproof) the entire xeterior foundation of all units at the same time.
Is there a property owners' association? It seems that it is a common problem, not an individual problem, and it should be dealt with that way.
Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA)
Posts: 2544 | Location: Tobyhanna, PA | Registered: 24 October 2005
Originally posted by Richard Hetzel: If water is coning in through the side walls, and I assume your neighbors have basements also, then they are also having water problems. If that is the case, nothing you can do alone will stop the problems. It must be a joint effort.
If the problem stems from building basements in an area with a high water table, probably the only thing that will stop water intrusion is to WATERPROOF (not dampproof) the entire xeterior foundation of all units at the same time.
Is there a property owners' association? It seems that it is a common problem, not an individual problem, and it should be dealt with that way.
No we are on our own,and the neighbor's arn't the type that care unfurtunetly.
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
Originally posted by Richard Hetzel: If water is coning in through the side walls, and I assume your neighbors have basements also, then they are also having water problems. If that is the case, nothing you can do alone will stop the problems. It must be a joint effort.
If the problem stems from building basements in an area with a high water table, probably the only thing that will stop water intrusion is to WATERPROOF (not dampproof) the entire xeterior foundation of all units at the same time.
Is there a property owners' association? It seems that it is a common problem, not an individual problem, and it should be dealt with that way.
No we are on our own,and the neighbor's arn't the type that care unfurtunetly.
FF, Richard is right that, IF....there is a problem in neigbors wall(s) etc etc then, it MOST likely will have to be joint effort, ya still need to know, whether or NOT, there is a blockage under the floor. BUT, lol, sure sounds like that`ll be part 1...define define define problems/where water is coming from, NOT where it winds up
Posts: 710 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 24 August 2005
I would like to thank the both of you for your assistance in this matter and wish the both of you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving, and will let you know if snaking the drain helps. Then I'll pick your brains somemore about the best way to handle the side walls.Thanks again andrew
Posts: 6 | Location: Wilmington,De. | Registered: 22 November 2006
