So we are new homeowners...and in our first month of being homeowners we have been away for two weeks.

Last week I had heard we got hit with heavy heavy rain, and although we have a finished basement, we found upon our return that we do indeed have a small leak that seems to only be coming from one spot near the wall from under the carpet.

We are currently addressing drying out the carpet, and preventing any smell. But what do I do to fix this...we don' even know what a sump pump is let alone if we have one or not.

Is there anyone out there who can help us learn what our options are and teach us a little bit about our new home?

Search this forum for posts by LicensedWaterproofer and read them carefully, and you'll have a pretty clear and very entertaining picture of how to deal with basement water problems.

Basically, the approach is: DETERMINE THE CAUSE before you start spending money on "solutions" that may not solve anything at all.

I would GUESS that you have a small crack or other small opening in your foundation wall, that can be repaired and waterproofed ON THE OUTSIDE for very little money. If so, you won't need a sump pump or anything else.

LicensedWaterproofer outlines a few test procedures that you can do with a garden hose and a little time. If you do them properly, they will probably pinpoint your problem, and lead you in the right direction toward the solution that will end the problem simply and cheaply.

Good luck, and feel free to ask questions here. There are lots of helpful people.

Richard,

Thanks for the advice! I am working to read through and understand as much of LiscensedWaterproofer's posts as I can.

Its clear that fixing the problem from the outside is the way to go, but I have to say that being as young and inexperienced with this stuff as we are, I am not sure we're ready for the challenge of doing it ourselves.

Can you help me understand what I would be getting myself into both ways?

What would the rough financial hit be to hire someone to dig up and tar the outside wall versus doing it ourselves?

and what is your advice, to someone who is as novice as us, to actually try this on our own?

Thanks in advance for your help!

One more question...

If the hose test does indeed confirm the leak, does this mean that I can def. rule out that it is a blockage from under the basement floor?

I can say for sure that it is one contained location that seems to start where the base of the wall meets the carpet. I do not see any sign of damage to the painted wall.

Whether you do it yourself, I think, is a question of how deep you'll have to dig to get to the footings, which lie just below the basement floor, probably. If it's like seven feet of digging, I think that's best left to professionals. The risk of a cave-in which could be dangerous is great at such a height. If it's four feet or less, then maybe you could try it.

LicensedWaterproofer discusses cost in many of his posts. I think I will defer to him, and I'm sure we'll hear from him when he gets back from his daily rounds of waterproofing.

It's possible that there could be a crack in one place, and the water runs down through the foundation and comes out at the bottom. It's also possible that there is some kind of opening above ground outside which allows water entry. LicensedWaterproofer's hose tests will confirm the source of the water entry in most cases, and also rule out other possibilities in most cases, too.

Is the "painted wall" the actual foundation wall (block or concrete) or is it a gypsum board wall? If it's a gypsum board wall, then there is likely a space behind it before you get to the actual foundation wall, so the water could be coming in through a crack or other opening in the actual foundation, and running down the foundation wall until it comes out where you see it.

Have patience, I'm sure LicensedWaterproofer will be here soon, and supply some informative answers.

new,

blockage under floor, if you like, FIND an exp`d/honest plumber and have them snake through storm trap-cleanouts/floor drains etc. Will usually cost $125-175 may be a tad more, just depends

as usual, Mr Richard providing you with the 'most likely' problem, as do i and others here TRYING to be helpful and honest.We are not pulling a check here folks

Poured or block walls???

one leak, one location... so, the only kind of pain in da butt is you cannot SEE the bsmt wall `n floor. If ya have poured walls,there MIGHT--maybe only be a leaky rod hole or 2+ BEHIND the drywall, OR with poured or block there may be a crack(s) in bsmt wall BEHIND drywall, OR on outside there might be opening(s) ABOVE ground level and during the heavy rain water FIRST-entered THROUGH those and COULD HAVE then ran down the bsmt wall behind drywall and onto bsmt floor soaking carpet OR, a combination of these incl`g a blockage under the floor.

Most likely-most often BUT...NOT ALWAYS, as Rich says is, the problem will be crack in wall,rod hole or direct opening above ground. A few times with cheap-porous bricks on outside above ground, when those long-soaking-heavy rains hits the bricks, water could enter through em, may NOT be a crack in mortar joint(s) etc etc.

Other Possible pathways/openings above ground are seams in siding, loose siding,ANY small++ opening around a window or door, where a hose for a central air unit enters the house,where any service line enters,and chimneys....could be ANY opening(s) from grade UP on those chimneys and yes, may also be a crack below ground on one or more of chimney walls.

If you run a hose, first at ground level and begin to get water in basement, on floor lol, then there IS a crack/rod hole etc etc in basement wall. If you don`t then, most likely, there will be an opening(s) Above ground on the outside of where water enters onto floor inside basement. There is a certain way to do the water test and not take all day in doing so and if you run the hose do NOT let any water soak anything Above ground level....bricks, a window, a window sill etc. It could screw up-- not correctly define the problem.

Would be BEST to view the bsmt wall in this area. No, i`m not telling ya to take the drywall/paneling down but, HO`s may have to eventually take part of it down anyway if there is MOLD growing on some of it or on part of basement wall. To clean possible mold on bsmt wall you`ll have to be able to... get-to the wall

This is all very helpful and overwhelming at the same time. I would like to say that I am not a complete idiot on the subject, but I am not even sure that I can answer your question about whether we have poured or block walls. I am going to guess block (we have block lines on the outside?)

We are expecting rain all weekend, which is a huge bummer. Our next step I suppose is to hire a contractor since this will involve removing carpeting and walls...do you have any suggestions on a company/person and or what the exact professional title is that I should be looking to hire?

One more question- this problem (clearly a recurring problem) was not in the disclosures for the house. Do you have any suggestions on how much money we should be going after from the sellers?

Ask around for the name of a carpenter/handyman who is reliable and reasonable...ask at church, at work, at school functions, neighbors, wherever you encounter some people who will steer you straight...and be patient, it's worth waiting for the right person.

As far as any recovery of costs is concerned, it depends on the laws in your state, and the best source of information is a good lawyer. Again, ask around before you select one. The lawyer will guide you about how much to seek, and will probably ask you to get estimates on which to base the amount. Meanwhile, get receipts for absolutely everything you do that is related to the water problem, and keep them all together. Even the little things add up.