LicensedWaterproof - Thanks for your persistance on these boards. Over the past 4 years my neighbor and me have been struggling with water in our basements. My neighbor's problems have been much worse than mine. However there are differences in her scenario and mine. Regardless, we both talked to a very popular inside waterproofer here in Massachusetts. My neighbor had the whole deal inside perimeter drain installed last summer. I decided to wait and study the problem further (your posts imparticular directed me to think more critically). The point that these companies don't offer any other suggestions except their approach, is right on. I have been studying my situation for 8 months now and have determined some possible fixes that do not involve any interior sump pump. Now that I have educated myself on many of these issues, I can see now that this very slick and dogmatic owner/expert from this company didn't even suggest obvious procedures that may have greatly reduced my neighbor's problem or maybe solved it. When I expressed what I thought might be an option for me besides his indoor perimeter system, he sugessted I just go with his system. Plumbers and others agreed that I should give my theory a try but the interior drain guy didn't. Well...in the past 2 months part of neighbors basement floor has sunk. There is basically so much water being moved by her interior pumps, the flow must have washed away part of the material/fill/dirt under her foundation. The company's response to this was to suggest she call a foundation company, install an addtional pump to handle the excessive water around her foundation and advise her to stay dry as long as possible and sell the house. I can't believe he didn't advise her to have the water/sewer/catch basins in front of her house checked out for cracks etc...Our neighborhood is 60 year old and their has not been new contruction in at least 20 years any where near us. I don't think the water level has only increase around her house. My guess is there must be some city water or sewer or city catch basin leak that is helping her get such vast quantities of water (and thoughts?) Last summer another neighbor of ours found the water pipe from the street to his house was cracked and therefore saturated the soil against her foundation with water. I would like to explain my situation and my theories on how to fix it. I would love to hear your opinion/critisms on my approach. I will post them later today since I am a little tired of typing right now. Since my neighbors problem might end up hurting me in the future, any suggestions for her too would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mrphilip
If I may butt in, the company that installed your neighbor's system completely skipped, as they all do, step ONE, which is to determine the cause before selecting a solution. Obviously, your neighbor's "solution" didn't solve anything. I now yield to LWP, who will probably start by saying the same thing. The man is a master...worth listening to.
Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA)
Posts: 2487 | Location: Tobyhanna, PA | Registered: 24 October 2005
thanks for kinds words man, you `n others here try to honestly help folks in search of.You are MUCH appreciated by all of us Richard! Hey, ya think hgtv will offer contracts? lol
Mr Phil,
thanks,we try. as Richard stated,always/always/always best to diagnose problem(s) first. Quite a few leaky bsmts are easy/quick to determine-correctly,cracks..tuckpointing needs,openings around bsmt windows/doors and some others.
But unfortunately there will be some folks every year where it`ll be a bit tougher,take a bit longer to diagnose any-all problems/sources, just the way it is when it comes to leaky basements.
We just try and warn folks not to jump-the-gun and hire some company who comes over and automatically tell ya you need inside system/sump when they can`t/don`t want to SEE the wall(s),or run a water/hose test when necessary to help determine likely problems, and always say HO`s problem is under the floor.
Moving/flowing water under floor could affect some things,some of these co`s don`t pour but 2" or so back, that alone may turn out to be a problem.Just like it could under a sidewalk or drive slab,garage...just sayin its possible. In fact, we`ve seen those underground drain tile `n gravel trench/french drains cause differential settlement of soil on top, have seen alot of them CLOG up, yeah some from roots but also from soil/other debris.
Have seen drain tile laid underneath brick- pavers help-cause pavers to settle and so on.If basement floor or,parts of bsmt floor were poured on thin side then parts of floor could crack,settle etc...just sayin its possible, not that it happens all the time.
You say the company who did inside system for neighbors bsmt told her to NOW call a foundation company? they should have noticed if there was some sort of settling problem to begin with, if all of floor was visible. Just sounds like an 'out' for them. I mean,was there or wasn`t there any signs of floor problems when they gave estimate? Should be able to see if part of floor was heaved up or settled here `n there or, if floor had chtt load of cracks etc.
'IF' there was any sign, or doubt, that there was a potential-back-up under floor then, company should have first recommended to TRY and snake, not much to lose with that and everything to gain AND, its often part or the only thing/remedy many homeowners need. If these folks/Co. call themselves 'experts' then, that should have been first recommendation,imo.
"IF' she has a sump pump w/pit, snake the tile(s) that empty into pit.
And snaking of course has nothing to do if she had any water coming through/from wall(s).Best to SEE the wall where any water/seepage is along cold joint,cove.
Company advised to add another sump? Most inside co`s install sumps, whats a matter w/them? Sounds like another 'out'. If she were to hire another co. then this may give first company a chance to put some/all blame of 2nd company. I/we could go on `n on guessing.
Questions... 1) did company see/inspect wall(s) 2) what did neighbor say her problems actually were? Water along 1 wall, water in 2 different places? Water coming UP through crack(s) in floor? Does she have sump pump-pit? If so, did they check it out? Did she have water puddling ONLY in one area of floor,like in a low spot of floor, like where a floor drain would be? Was floor,part of floor tiled? 3) back to walls, does she have any efflorescence,mildew etc on wall(s)? 4) walls block,poured,brick etc?
Call if you like, will try to help, its easier on phone, least for me it is. let me know, will post number
Thanks LWP. I will prepare another more comprehensive email in a day or two to help document the scenarios (mine and my neighbors)and then we can talk on the phone if you prefer. I greatly appreciate your time. FYI-I don't think my neighbor's foundation moved until 6 months after the interior perimeter drain was installed (last summer).
LWP I will attempt to document my scenario first and then my neighbors. Keep in mind both our houses are of identical style and built in the 1940’s. The grade of our houses/driveways are identical. My home has a poured concrete foundation. It is a cape style house with a built in garage under the house (basement level) which leads to my basement. The driveway descends around 3 to 5 ft. The backyard also descends into the driveway creating a depression in grade like a big basin type effect. I have lived here 10 years. My first problem with the basement occurred around the fourth or fifth year. All in all my basement got water around 3 or 4 times in the past 6 years but I feel it would have happened more over the past 8 months if I had not take the precautions described later in this post. My neighbor who has live here for around 20 years claimed that she or my houses former owners never had the problems we are now having until around 6 years ago. Up until last spring, I was convinced the only source of the water flooding my basement was from the driveway surface water. Basically when the 2 drains (call them A and B) in the driveway couldn’t keep up with extreme downpours, the driveway fill up and flowed in the garage and then in my basement (same level). I used to believe the driveway surface water overload caused all of my basement water but when I conducted the “sandbag experiment” last spring during a very heavy extended time of rain, I learned that water was also coming up through my foundation floor (although not in nearly the quantity entering via driveway surface water). The sandbag experiment consisted of preventing the water in the driveway from entering the garage by barricading the garage entrance with sandbags. I stayed up all night watching the rain come down. I knew my driveway might not be able to keep up with the rain since it was the last day of 3 day long marathon of hard rain. At around 3:00AM of the 3rd day of rain, the driveway drains stopped working. The sandbags prevented the driveway overflow but I noiticed water seeping in from the basement floor. I also noticed the timing of the seepage coincided (about a 5 or 10 minute delay) with the overflow of the drain (A) in my driveway in front of my garage. That’s what led me to my first theory as to an immediate defense against the water. The driveway drain in front of my garage is an approximately 16”by 16” 3 to 4 ft deep basin covered with a metal grate. Water flows into the basin from the driveway surface (via metal grate) AND a 4” diameter hole under my foundation (the basin is right next to my foundation and the foundation drain hole is imbedded in the side of the basin below foundation grade). The water drains out via a pipe to the city sanitary sewer line in the street. This drain was put in when the house was built and is on the city records. I had the hole that goes under the foundation video scoped. The camera could only go around 8 inches deep because it ran into small/crushed rocks. Our guess is the builder intended the foundation to drain in this manner. During heavy rains water flows (at a good rate) out from under the foundation into the basin. I believe the foundation drain in the basin is working as intended (even after 60 years). The water that builds up (after extended rain) under the foundation flows in the basin and out the city sewer. The only time I see water flowing out of the foundation drain is after extended rain. When the basin is overwhelmed and can not keep up is when the water seeps through my basement floor. My guess is the hydrostatic pressure is not relieved and therefore the problem. Regarding drain B: Drain B is another drain in my driveway but it is not on any city plans. Around 4 houses next to me all have a drain at the end of their driveways which I am told by another neighbor leads to a clay pipe under all of our back yards and into the city surface water catch basin 100 yards down the road. Although drain B functions, it can not keep up under heavy extended rain. It has been the same story for the other neighbors that have this drain B. My drain B seems to had some work on it since it is PVC. My neighbor’s drain B shows terra cotta. I had my drain B scoped but they could only get the scope around 6 ft down. It looked like the pvc pipe went into an old clay/terra cotta pipe and it either turned in a direction the scope couldn’t follow or there was a major obstruction. The scope was also under water when it got a few feet down the line. Since there are many more unknown-undocumented variables with drain B, I feel it is wise to first attack/solve the issue of drain A. My experiment with drain A: For the past 8 months I have been using a sump pump in the drain A basin. My theory was if the foundation drain in the drain A basin keeps flowing, the hydrostatic pressure would not build up under my floor and therefore no water will enter my basement. We have had several periods of prolonged heavy rain over the past 8 months and I have not had any water in my basement. With this apparent success in mind, I need to make sure drain A never fails. Since the line to the sewer is as old as the house, my guess is it is partially blocked or damaged. I tried to have the pipe to the sewer video scoped this past Fall but there is some kind of check valve (located just inches beyond the basin under my driveway asphalt) which prevented the camera from passing. My plan for this Spring is to remove the small patch of asphalt covering the check valve and video the pipe to see what is going on. I must make sure this pipe is working at maximum efficiency as it is my only gravity driven drainage available (besides the unchartered drain B). The problem I may have is that even if the line to the sewer is functioning properly, I’m not sure it will keep up in extreme situations (extreme situation are more common now since drain B is not as effective). My thought is to enlarge the basin and hardwire a pump that will turn on if the water can’t drain fast enough through the sewer line and gets too high. The pump can lead to the front yard to flow in the street via pvc underground pipe. The existing basin never freezes and it is only around 3ft deep. I know a non-gravity electrical system is optimal but it seems I have no other option for a back up since the grade of my situation does not lend itself to a gravity solution (except the sewer line). I am also concerned about the foundation drain. What if it stops working? It still flows after 60 years but what is your opinion on it? Should I think about installing a partial trench drain that starts in the front of my house and hooks around to the driveway and into the drain A basin or tie right into sewer line from drain A to street? Regarding the sewer drainage pipe in drain A. I am told I need to be careful with any changes to the line since the city is very sensitive to surface water drainage to sanitary sewers. I am planning on talking to a drain guy shortly to find out exactly what I can or can not do to that line. I have read about trenchless drain technology and that could be an option if the pipe is in real bad condition and the risk of city interference with pipe replacement is a risk. The 69 ft from drain A to the street is pretty clear (mainly just grass in my front yard). I have never notice any water coming in from my basement walls except one section where the water came in from a basement window a couple of years ago then rolled down the wall. However, that same section of the wall (faces the front of my house) appears to have some efflorescence maybe some mold and it looks like the joint between the wall and the floor was once repaired with a strip of hydraulic cement. On another note, I have a huge oak tree in my back yard only around 30ft from my house. Since this can only be a problem for my issues, do you think I should remove it ASAP? What do you think the priorty should be, before my drain work, after my drain work or wait? There is a small extention to my kitchen in the back of my house. It is concrete and has a dirt floor crawl space under it. It was added before I bought the house around 11 years ago. I notice a vertical crack on the outside of the wall facing my backyard. I must investigate this further. There are also some spaces between the garage walls and the finshed part of my basement I must get to and look at. They are small spaces and from what I can see don’t contain any water or wetness but a more thorough inspection is needed. I am also planning on adding some asphalt to the top of my driveway to prevent any overflow from road water.
My neighbor’s situation (concerning since it could effect my situation): Differences between her facts and mine: 1. her house had a small sump pit that was not turning on 7 years ago (no water) but none the less was there when she bought the house 20years ago. After her first flood 6 years ago, she had a larger interior sump pit installed. I do not have any interior sumps of any kind. 2. She has a drain A like mine. I’m not sure how effective the foundation drain there works since I don’t watch it during storms (I know mine works). Someone also tied her basement washing machine drain into drain A indicating more holes were punched into her foundation besides the sump pump. She can see soap suds in her drain A when she washes clothes. My basement washer is tied into the same sewer line as my interior plumbing. 3. Her flooding over the past 6 years has been way worse than mine which lead her to an interior perimeter drain installation last summer. She has experience flooding depths of at least 4 or 5 inches in her basement. She said it was coming in through the floor, her sump pump pit and her driveway surface water. It is impossible to tell at this point what caused the most water. 4. Over the past 40 days we have had a lot of rain. Her pumps have been pumping for days after the rain has stopped. I also had a big argument with her since one of her pumps discharged in her front yard and was flowing straight into my driveway. Her company has since come and extended the line so that it flows into the street and doesn’t have a chance to roll back into my driveway. The company just added another pump which is connected a line to her backyard. This also concerns my since the water can end up coming into my driveway if the line is not extended far enough in her back yard. Her interior drain company came a week ago to extend her line that was effecting my driveway and they were amazed at how much water was flowing through her pumps. This is when I think they noticed her foundation sunk in the corner of her house closest to me. I am also puzzled what could be causing this amount of water in her pumps. If it were just the level of ground water I would expect to see my foundation drain A also continuously flowing but it has not. Could this amount of water be coming from in front of her house via a cracked city water line or catch water basin? If she was not pumping out into the street wouldn’t that ground water effect me? 5. There is a city street water catch basin located right in front of her house. She has a tree in front of her house and I don’t. 6. Her drain B and the other neighbor’s drain B appears to be as originally installed (terra cotta pipe). My drain B seem to had some work on it since it is PVC. I had my drain B scoped but they could only get the scope around 6 ft down. It looked like the pvc pipe went into an old clay/terra cotta pipe and it either turned in a direction the scope couldn’t follow or there was a major obstruction. I am not surprise our drain B’s are getting worse with time since we think the lines are terry cotta/clay and there are numerous trees and such right along the path.
what was 1 of Marvin Gaye`s songs? Oh yeah, 'Mercy Mercy Me'.
and cool lookin house
Ok, first off, lemme say it`s always best to see THESE-types of bsmt problems in person/on site.Remmeber,we are trying' to help you, you can call if you like.Once we get rolling/digging here in Mi, i`ll be Doggone- loooong gone.(Marvin tune too)
Kkk, UGH...lol...This drain A, are you saying that on heavy-long rains this drain backs-up? Too much surface/rainwater getting in therefore,you`ve SEEN this drain full,overflow?And when this happens you get water in basement?
If i have most of that right then in last X months,you`ve hooked up some sorta gas or elec.powered pump to this drain A so it doesn`t-hasn`t oveflowed? And since, no water in bsmt..right/wrong?
Lets stay here fer second...this drain is connected to sewer and goes from house to street? And apparently there is some sorta blockage..crushed rocks but who know what else beyond these rocks as you say camera went about 8" deep.
ANY blockage needs to be freed,whether drain A or B or any CLEAN OUT in bsmt floor an Exp`d plumber should be able to help ya here.
Do you have a 4" clean out in bsmt? If so, have someone/yourself take cap off, look down there, see if water level is up high,you`ll see if it is. We`ll assume for now your bsmt floor is 4" thick and any visible cracks in bsmt floor? Water come UP through crack(s) in floor?
If there is a problem/blockage in drains how would an inside drain tile or baseboard system unclog this? It won`t. Big tree in backyard? Sooner or later may mean roots get in,cause a back up. http://picasaweb.google.com/nate.hinz/TheRootOfAllEvil ....he says he was getting water backing up in basement, some will call it hydrostatic pressure, i call it water backing up.Backs up and accumualtes and can then rise up through floor crack(s) or other openings in floor.
Sometimes just snaking chtt out is all ya need, long as Tree isn`t causing 'other' problems like bsmt wall pushing in or any other possible costly headaches then many decide to keep it.
Roots may/could enter in several parts/areas...or might just be 1 area, might be inside under floor AND/OR, outside.If 2+ areas then snaking/clearing out 1 will prolly help short term but another back up is likely untill other blockage/roots-whatever is freed.
On the sandbags, while you apparently saw less surface water go in garage on driveway on heavy-long rain..this does NOT mean no SUB-surface water got under drive,got under garage floor and continue to travel/percolate sideways through sub-surface soil towards bsmt wall,under G floor. Have seen quite a bit of water get under drives,under G floor and enter through cracks,rod hole,any other opening in wall.Understood that ya just trying to keep water outta garage,no prob but again...water can travel sideways through sub-soil under G floor,driveways etc.
Yoy say city knows about drain A and NOT drain B...right? Is this drain B illegal? What did city say about it?
You went about 5 years with no water in basement so, a blockage(s) has occurred and/or crack(s) etc since. Have you or someone else played around w/either drain
I dunno about adding asphalt till you figure this prob(s) out, just my 2 cents.
Are your lines separate..out to street OR, does yours and the NEIGHBORS TIE in together FIRST and then go out to street?
-Hope all realize running/moving/flowing water under bsmt floors,along inside perimter footing,and pumping the chtt out..during heavy-long rains,days of rain/thaws can cause soil EROSION in tose areas where inside-gang runs drain tile inside. And pumping water back outside in same areas, over and over,tons of water isn`t an ideal situation for exterior soil,lateral hydrostatic soil pressure/differential soil settlement etc. http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2165904...1847456/t_=122238283
See Pics? 1) pvc,200lbs standing on it no problem 2,3) see what can happen to black plastic PERFORATED drain tile(not always but does happen).THIS is what alot of INSIDE Co`s use/used under bsmt floors.See SLOTS? Will prolly lose about 1/2 the water that 'MIGHT' enter it.Not all water under floors enters drain tile,nonsense.
So, some water stays inside and flows/travels through pipe,moving water. Some of this moving water comes out under bsmt floor,along footings and, towards the sump.Some goes in and some moving water comes out.
And yes, most/prolly all used the slotted/perforated drain tile, uh huh.Because they need water to enter to cheap slotted pipe and go towards sump.
Other point on pic`s 2,3 is, quite a few BUILDERS/sub`s have used this cheap-O thin,WEAK crap outside,along footings at 5,6,7' DEEP.Not good for homeowners,good for builder/sub contractor as its light,cheap and quick to place along footings versus other drain tiles,espcially clay tiles.
Clay tiles are much thicker,heavier,cost more and takes quite a bit longer to place them along footing,builder/sub`s don`t like dat chtt. But, imo...clay and then pvc much better,last much longer etc.ANY tile can get clogged,roots,other debris.Not saying clay tiles never get screwed up, they can. But the EXTERIOR clay tiles we`ve seen, 90%++ of them are FINE.
Pic 4,5 clay tiles we see all the time on older homes, this house built around 1945,no prob w/tiles. Problem-water FIRST entering hollow blocks through CRACKS as is most often the case
6-9 Cracks on exterior corner 10,11 INSIDE corner, NO crack VISIBLE. Just because someone says they see no cracks on Interior block walls means NOTHING.does not mean thre aren`t cracks on exterior
sorry off course a bit but wanted to make points on drain tile and chtt.
When i was 18 ish,worked for couple Inside waterdiverting Co`s, buncha chtt.Since...30 years have NEVER done 1 inside system. Every estimate except 1 (if i remeber,long time) needed EXTERIOR Waterprf`g and/or,HO had openings ABOVE ground,tuckpointing,basement window replacement etc and/or....needed storm trap cleanout,floor drains etc s***** correctly and/or needed better sump/new sump or sump repair/adjustment.
NO inside drain tile or baseboard system was needed, period.Now, did some HO`s have 'other' estimates from Inside Co`s who BS`d them into an inside system to keep water off floor? Yes, of course.
Wasn`t what they truly needed, didn`t stop/prevent water from entering exterior cracks etc, didn`t stop/prevent mold,mildew,efflorescence of parts of walls, didn`t stop/relieve/lessen lateral soil pressure or remove roots off exterior wall,didn`t keep termites-other insects from getting in etc.
grrr, story no longer available. -Here`s what they said.. 'Evidence shows a tremendous amount of rainwater got into city sanitary sewer system....the sewer system is supposed to be a closed-system...rainwater got in and CAUSED the system to OVERRUN which LED TO BACK UPS in at least 106 homes.
'Water got into sewers through leaky manholes,cracked pipes or IMPROPERLY connected private drains....any pipes can crack,be infiltrated by ROOTS or DEVELOP leaky joints that grow and admit water
Kkk, UGH...lol...This drain A, are you saying that on heavy-long rains this drain backs-up? Too much surface/rainwater getting in therefore,you`ve SEEN this drain full,overflow?And when this happens you get water in basement?
LWP - Drain A - let me clarify- Drain A fills with water from two sources- surface run off and water released from under the foundation via that clay looking pipe sticking out that protrudes from under the foundation. It is not really a pipe it is only about a ft long and I think it was only meant help direct the water flowing out from under my foundation. Drain A gets the water out via a direct tie into the sewer line (can't see it in the picture but it is under the lead cap). The water under the foundation seems to be draining out into the basin but the problem arises when the line to sewer can't keep up with volume going into the basin. When the water can't flow out as fast as it is going in, that when the water under my foundation has no place to go and starts pushing through my floor.
If i have most of that right then in last X months,you`ve hooked up some sorta gas or elec.powered pump to this drain A so it doesn`t-hasn`t oveflowed? And since, no water in bsmt..right/wrong?
Right!
Lets stay here fer second...this drain is connected to sewer and goes from house to street? And apparently there is some sorta blockage..crushed rocks but who know what else beyond these rocks as you say camera went about 8" deep.
This is where I need to clarify. The crused rocks are not blocking anything. I think it is just the layer of stuff under the foundation. The ft long clay pipe was meant to give the foundation an opening to escape into the Drain A basin.
ANY blockage needs to be freed,whether drain A or B or any CLEAN OUT in bsmt floor an Exp`d plumber should be able to help ya here.
Do you have a 4" clean out in bsmt? NO. There are not any access areas for any foundation or basement drains
We`ll assume for now your bsmt floor is 4" thick and any visible cracks in bsmt floor?
Yes there are some very small cracks here and there.
Water come UP through crack(s) in floor?
Yes, only when Drain A basin overflows
Big tree in backyard? Sooner or later may mean roots get in,cause a back up.
So I think you agree taking this big oak down should be a priority. Do you think I should be careful with allowing any big tree removal vehicles on my driveway?
Yoy say city knows about drain A and NOT drain B...right? Is this drain B illegal? What did city say about it?
The city has it listed as a drain but it is called a private drain and has no indications of where the drain leads to (unlike drain A)
You went about 5 years with no water in basement so, a blockage(s) has occurred and/or crack(s) etc since. Have you or someone else played around w/either drain
I have not played with anything. But Drain A seems to only be over taxed when Drain B get overwhelmed. Drain B never got over whelmed until about 5 years after I moved in. My guess is that drain B line has begun to fall apart. However since it is around 100 yd long and travels through at least 5 peoples back yards, I thought I would try to focus on drain A.
no,i said most HO`s don`t take tree down, they remedy whatever the problem(s) were. waterproofing/snaking etc.taking any tree down is your decision of course.Taking it down doesn`t snake out possible roots in any lines etc.Sometimes taking a tree down can cause soil settling, settling atop possible lines.just saying could cause problems lol always something
read that 'postbulletin' link'...well, read whats under it,thats what they said.Read Improperly connected drains etc.
Is anyone familiar with this type of foundation drain? I live in Massachusetts. Again, there isn't a pipe that channels the sub-foundation water, it is merely a a hole below the foundation (scope indicated the there was crushed rocks under the foundation) that allows the water to escape into a pit. It was only possible since my garage is under the house and therefore the basin could be put in the driveway in front of the garage. See below section of my prior post.
The driveway drain in front of my garage is an approximately 16”by 16” 3 to 4 ft deep basin covered with a metal grate. Water flows into the basin from the driveway surface (via metal grate) AND a 4” diameter hole under my foundation (the basin is right next to my foundation and the foundation drain hole is imbedded in the side of the basin below foundation grade). The water entering the basin from these two sources drains out via an exit hole in the basin connected to a 69 ft pipe that leads to city sanitary sewer in the street. This drain was put in when the house was built and is on the city records. I had the hole that goes under the foundation video scoped. The camera could only go around 8 inches deep because it ran into small/crushed rocks. Our guess is the builder intended the foundation to drain in this manner. During heavy rains water flows (at a good rate) out from under the foundation into the basin. I believe the foundation drain in the basin is working as intended (even after 60 years). The water that builds up (after extended rain) under the foundation flows in the basin and out the city sewer. The only time I see water flowing out of the foundation drain is after extended rain. When the basin is overwhelmed and can not keep up is when the water seeps through my basement floor. My guess is the hydrostatic pressure is not relieved and therefore the problem.
