I have a brick veneer house (first floor brick) with an English basement. I am getting water in between the foundation and sill plate in 2 areas of my basement (one of which is directly under a window, the other is about 8 feet below a window). The grade of the land is below the foundation. I am having no luck tracking down the source of the leak. I do know for one of the leaks, when I ran a sprinker in that area (below the window), water was getting in.

The caulking around the windows above the leaks appears to be ok.

I just had a basement waterproofer over and he indicated water was getting in through the brick, and that he would use Chem-trete BM40 on the brick, but would then also seal the sill plate to the foundation on the inside. My concern is that this will seal water in between the brick and the wood frame (inside the flashing) and will rot the wood. He claims this will not happen since the brick will not let water in, but then why seal the sill plate? Should the sill plate be sealed to the foundation?

Could the problem be that the weep holes in the brick are not draining the water correctly, or the flashing wasn't installed correctly? I just can't figure out how water is getting behind that flashing...

I have pix if that would help.

Thanks!

very well could be the flashing if not installed properly... and yes trapped water in not good mold, rot... etc.

Thanks! So you would agree the sill plate should not be sealed to the foundation, at least until it's proven there is no longer water penetration?

The top inch of the plywood (?) piece that is attached to the studs is wet, so I know water is penetrating up to that point.

Thanks!

What is an "English basement"?

If the problem were water penetrating the brick, you would have water all over the place and not in the same two spots repeatedly. Therefore, "sealing" the brick is putting the cart before the horse...in other words, curing a problem before the cause is found.

Try "Licensed Waterproofer's" simple and logical method: train a water hose on small areas of the outside wall, and discover where the water is entering. Then you'll have a clear idea of what the cause is, and exactly how to fix it.

Also, look to see if water comes out of the weep holes, at the same time. This will also tell you whether water is penetrating the brick.

Depending on the exact type of brick you have, it may be quite impervious to water entry, or very pervious. Often "common" brick is used for veneer, but this brick is intended for use in inner wythes of a wall where it will not be subject to water intrusion. Common brick can be very sponge-like, compared to most face brick.

Another question is: how FAST does the water from the hose penetrate the brick? If it's almost immediate, there's a gap or leak somewhere. If it takes a long time (hours), then it suggests that the brick is absorbing water and discharging it inside the wall.

Weep holes are oftern clogged by mortar droppings when the wall is built, if the mason is not careful. However, if this were the problem, it would have appeared as soon as the house was built. You do not say how old the house is, or how old the problem is.

As usual here, the more information we are given, the better our responses can be.

Thanks for the reply!

The house is 8 years old. I've lived in it since Nov 2004. The previous owners indicated there was never water in the basement (we'd specifically asked during the 5 day post-inspection process). I've had water in several times since we moved in (first noticed spring 2005).

It has been raining a lot here so I haven't been able to do any hose test, but hopefully will be able to this weekend. I know when I ran the sprinker in the corner last summer (to water sod), water did penetrate pretty quickly and water was running down right by the chimney corner. However, I think I may have multiple points of entry since during a rain situation, the water runs down closer to the corner of the house (a few feet away).

If the weep holes are plugged with mortar, what would it take to fix that? Could water be entering through the weep holes? One company suggested I caulk the weep holes to see if that fixes it (and remove the caulk if not).

Thanks!

I forgot to clarify - an English basement is where the windows are above ground (i.e. lookout basement).

Thanks!

Water is not likely to be entering through the weep holes. They are there so that IF some water gets behind the brick, it will run down in the cavity (if there is a cavity) and be directed by flashing (usually flexible flashing) to the weep holes and out. But water ideally should NOT penetrate the brick!

Could it be that the previous owners told a little fib?

This is one of the hardest leaks to pinpoint. If seal plate is a foot above grade level, then the leak is obviously above grade.

There is a 1/2 inch air gap all the way up behind brick which allows mason to lay brick. 50% of the time weep holes do the opposite of design. They typically get buried by the landscaping trapping water in.

Although water will penetrate brick, this scenario is usually a flashing problem. Sometimes from the roof itself. Possibly in your case when the brick stops halfway up.

Try to recreate the leak under controlled conditions. Use a garden hose and soak the side of the house at brick level. Wait several hours to see if water enters basement. Then move up the wall, wait, then move to the roof line.

If you are unable to recreate leak you may need to move over side to side. Water travels. Sealing seal plate only hides the problem.

Good luck. I hope this was helpful.

Yes, this definitely was helpful!! Thanks for the info!!

The weep holes are definitely several inches above ground, but I worry that the water is not escaping out as it should.

Thanks!

Water really should not be getting into your wall in any quantity. Once in, it can follow any path. Do the hose testing, take your time and be patient, just hose down small bits at a time. Good luck.

Help please. I have the same problem w/ 3 yr old 3BR 2 BA divided floorplan Ranch in MO; 10/12 pitch, full basement (poured wall) & brick veneer front elevation, asphalt shingles.

The 2nd/3rd bedroom (left to right) are on front northeast corner of home w/ ajoining wall. Both have a front elevation window. The 2nd bedroom extends ~+4ft than 3rd bedroom (in corner). There is a smaller roof truss (4 ft roof w/asphalt shingles over this 2nd BR). Brick veneer goes to truss peak on BR 2 and stops at top of window BR 3. The BR 3 window has aluminum cap across on top row of brick and window. This aluminum cap is secure and caulked. Large gabel area is vinyl w/ aluminum trim. The vinyl J channel in place where 1/2 gabel shingles and vinyl meet. I cannot confirm flashing under J channel. Can see flashing present on dormers nearby.

Rain water trickles into basement in 1 front location most every rain where these two rooms meet (internal corner foundation seal plate) Basement is typical retangle with 8x16 offset at mid length for 2nd/3rd main floor bedrooms. There is a metal I beam to support the main floor joists above this 8x16 extension. The water is visibly entering from the sill plate/foundation wall seam above this beam pocket. Pink sill foam seal is in place along walls but placement appears slightly compromised in this corner.

I have been tring to solve leak problem for 3+ months. Have internal and external photos. have waterproofed brick veneer. Please help smell mold behind drywall in BR 3 corner near window above basement leak.

o'tool: If I understood the end of your post, you seem to think that the source of leakage is showing up in the vicinity of the beam/beam pocket. From the way you described the house construction above grade, you appear to have suspicions that the water may not be entering from grade level, but the source may be well above grade.

LicensedWaterproofer has posted valuable information regarding basement leakage and I would encourage you to view some of his posts, as his information lays to rest many myths, and his remedies make a lot of sense.

Addtional information would be helpful. What are the slopes like around the house, particularly in the vicinity of the leak? Are there any mature deciduous trees near the leak exterior? What kind of waterproofing did you apply to the brick veneer?

I would suggest that you create a separate post for your situation rather than try to continue in this post area to minimize confusion. If you don't mind, you might send some pictures of the interior of the basement and exterior grade-level shots as well as the exterior and interior shots of the two bedrooms in the vicinity of the leak. My email address is available in my public profile.

HSIGene

I was the original poster and just wanted to state I have not resolved the problem. I have not had a chance to do the water testing though (spicket just fixed today). I hope to do the water testing soon. Note that I have recaulked the windows above the leaks though and the leaks still occur. I also have a leak in my fireplace and just had someone out today to check it out. They said that the flashing is coming away from the chimney on the roof, and also I have these cement blocks (called "shoulders") which they said are coming away from the house -- these are about 1/3 way up the chimney where the chimney gets more narrow. So they said they need to bond these. Now I'm not sure if this will have any effect on the leak in my basement (he didn't think so).

Please keep me posted if you resolve your issue!!!

Thanks!