Whenever we have a rain (since it has been so dry this year it happens each time)there is a small crack in my basement wall that water seeps in and drips down the wall. I had two contractors here to look into finishing my basement. One told me I needed to remove the mulch from around my foundation in that area and see how the dirt is sloping and make sure my gutters weren't clogged and that should take care of my problem. (Fixing the grade, of course, if needed.) The second guy told me to use some kind of paint on the inside that would seal the crack and that would take care of it. Both guys told me that a poured concrete wall shouldn't have cracks in it. There are shrubs around the area. Could the roots be pushing that hard on the foundation? Help!
Questions....How wide/thin is this crack? is it a Vertical crack or more of a Diagonal crack? Do you see the water come in through the crack....up high on the wall, or in middle-lower part of wall? Newer house or 10+ yrs old? If possible...post couple Pic`s.
IMO, the reason you or any homeowner is getting water/moisture from-through a bsmt wall(not from cracks in bsmt floor) is because there is/are direct opening(S)on the outside of where you see the water inside. And yes, usually it is because there is a crack in the bsmt wall BUT about 20% of the time, the opening(S) which allow water to Enter from the Outside are ABOVE ground level incl`g open mortar joints/small cracks in bricks/porous-cheaper bricks/caulking needs around windows `n doors `n around central a/c hose etc.
With a poured wall, if you see water up high-at top of wall from the inside then the opening that is allowing water to enter will be Above ground level....Not as easily Defined with a Block wall! While keeping the grade around a house sloped away will...help divert some surface water, it is NOT why you have a problem, you have a problem cuz there IS an opening(S) on the outside which needs to be sealed/fixed Correctly.And imo, any kind of Paint isnt going to seal Whatever the point of entry is, i posted at least one 'link' in earlier post with a more defined answer about using any kind of paint.
It is possible for a poured wall to have a very very thin(thinner than a hairline crack,if that makes sense!)show-be visible on the inside but Not go all the way through the wall,or at That point in Time, Not allowing water in.
Here`s what i would do if i were you.....on a dry day get a hose and run it full blast toward the wall at ground level..do NOT soak-wet anything above ground(bricks-bsmt window etc)and have someone in the basement watching for any sign of water. Run the water up to an hour, if-when you get water in the basement then Yes, the crack or whatever opening in the wall below ground needs to be fixed correctly.
If you do NOT get water in after running the hose for an hour, then the entryway is Not below ground..is not the wall, and will be Above ground level. You can run the water agst 1 small section of the house above ground,from ground level up to the roof if necessary, until you find the opening(S) that is allowing water in. And YES, quite a few times a homeowner Will have a 2+ part problem, they may have a crack in the basement wall that leaks & needs to be repaired AND may need some tuckpointing/caulking etc above ground.
Posts: 710 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 24 August 2005
I have a similar problem in a poured foundation that is 25 yrs. old. Had an engineer come in and he said that the wall got a slight crack in it [1/8" at the largest opening to hairline] because of the draught. He claims that the dirt pulls away from the foundation during years of draught and permits water to run down between the foundation and the dirt. [note; my area was in its 5th season of draught when the crack happened.] He also said clay further down tends to expand and contract, sometimes pressuring the foundation wall to give into a slight crack. He also recommended changing the grade away from the foundation to a steeper slant to stop small amounts of water from coming in.
Next, he gave me the worst possible scenario: The whole house may be sinking on one corner. The cheapest way to decipher a corner sinking is to tape a metric ruler across the widest part of the crack and mark both sides of the crack. If the house is sinking on one corner, the crack will move from its pre-marked position. How soon anyone would see something like that is questionable. It could take 3 years or 3 months, but if there is shifting, it will surely show on the ruler. I'm on two years now and have not seen any movement on the ruler.
Since your note does not reveal anything about the crack, I will only say that the cause of the crack needs to be investigated and remedied.
Your first line of defense against a wet basement is as the contractor says: make sure the earth slopes away from the house and is diverted away.
The second line of defense is to have a drain installed completely around the house, draining to a dry well or to daylight. The high point of the drainline should be no higher than the wall footing. The earth above the drain should be replaced with gravel and the gravel separated from the earth with a pervious fabric to keep the earth out of the gravel.
The third line of defense is a waterproofing system applied to the concrete wall and protected from the gravel with suitable material.
The three conditions above are not multiple choice. All three systems must be installed to minimize the seepage of water into your basement.
I have noticed in one particular neighborhood, phase #1 was built in non draught time and phase #2 was built in draught time- we are in phase 3 now. I know of at least 5 homes in phase 2 which had one or more hairline cracks in poured walls in less than a year after build. Hydraulic concrete was used to fill- however, at least one homeowner continues to have water only at times of extreme rainfall. The water would not be called a "leak" as much as "seepage" at the sight of the diagonal crack. The hydraulic concrete has failed. The top of the crack is directly below the site where the water line comes into the house. Since there is no seepage unless it rains- would you agree the water line in not the issue? thanks
Originally posted by tbd1: I have noticed in one particular neighborhood, phase #1 was built in non draught time and phase #2 was built in draught time- we are in phase 3 now. I know of at least 5 homes in phase 2 which had one or more hairline cracks in poured walls in less than a year after build. Hydraulic concrete was used to fill- however, at least one homeowner continues to have water only at times of extreme rainfall." If draught includes low humidity, rapid moisture loss could very well be the cause of the cracking. The cracking is caused the the excessive shrinkage resulting from the rapid moisture loss.
The water would not be called a "leak" as much as "seepage" at the sight of the diagonal crack. The hydraulic concrete has failed. The top of the crack is directly below the site where the water line comes into the house. Since there is no seepage unless it rains- would you agree the water line in not the issue? thanks"
I am purchasing a newly built townhome that is built with a poured concrete foundation. Does the basement need to be painted with a drylock paint? I think it is suggested with cinder block construction but I am not sure about concrete and the builder does not offer that service. Can you help me?
My son has a poured concrete basement. The house is about 2 years old. Our summer has been very dry and fianlly we are getting a week of rain. His basement walls are leaking in about 10 different places. The builder put insulation against the walls, But I think it was to hide the crappy work more than insulate. We cut a piece of the insulation away to see where the water was coming from. The area where it is wet appears to have a gravel consisancy rather than the smooth concrete finish of the other areas. I looks like a bad mix of concrete. Whats the best way to seal these up, And is there any legal recouse against the builder and county inspector? Thanks Bob
IF it just a poor finish, there is not much of a structural issue. However, if it is honey coming, then there is a structural issue. I would get an inspector or structural engineer to take a look at it and proceed from there.
My house is about 1 year old now. It has a poured concrete foundarion. I am leaking water at the top of the basement wall where it meets the wood frame baseboard for the 1st floor. This did not happen right away but after a dry summer and a lot of watering with the garden hose on the outside, now every time the garden hose sprays onto the brick exterior wall for about 1/2 hour, water seepage begins to show at top of basement wall. It is bad enough that will eventually create a narrow stream that runs down the wall to the basement floor.
When it rains, I don't have this problem but when sprinkler hose hits the wall I have the problem. The builder tried first to put more mortar in some area, then tried caulking the bottom of the black moisture barrier and the foundation wall on the outside. None of this has worked so far.
The question I have is could this be caused by a breakage of the black moisture barrier between the brick and the foundation wall, or could it be a poorly leveled top of foundation wall creating accessive gap between brick and foundation wall or is it not enough weep holes to keep up with the amount of water penetrating through the brick and mortar?
Please give me some advise because my builder is either dragging their foot to do the right thing $$$ or they are clueless what to do and needs some guidance. BTW another house same age and moel as mine also has same leaking problem in my neighborhood built by same builder.
