Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sparky_2007

Wet Basements

sparky-2007
16 years ago

I live in the country and have a gravity fed drainage line into a deep ditch. Last fall and this spring was very wet. I had water coming in at three places where the poured wall meets the footing. A friend and myself dug it all up and found the drainage tile ( big O ) all plugged with silt . I put in new big O , tarred the walls and put in lots of stone. Two days ago it rained very heavy for two days and guess what, water back in basement . It took 9 days to do the work and I have to landscape. Seems I wasted my time and money.Would it help to put in a sump hole somewhere in floor toi try and get access water? It would be too much work to put the new line into sump. I was thinking of just putting im a sump hole with a pump. If so where would I dig sump hole. Hope someone can help.

Comments (3)

  • worthy
    16 years ago

    All that work digging and all you put on was ineffective dampproofing?

    The ideal in such a situation would be to: seal the cove with a waterproofing sealant; use rubberized spray or peel and stick on the rest of the foundation; then cover it all with Delta membrane or equivalent. Plus be sure the new weepers are properly attached to a drain line taking the water away.

    In addition, check all the usual things: eaves, downspouts, grading near the foundation.

    In my jurisdiction, all new homes are required to have an internal sump pump which the weepers connect to. That water is then pumped out onto the property again to be (hopefully) absorbed by the soil.

  • sparky-2007
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Worthy, Thanks for your message. I not only put on waterproofed tar all over wall and joint where footing meets wall I put in new drain tile which is covered with a sock to prevent silt from getting in. I put crushed rock under the perforated drain and at least a foot on top. There is aterrific slope to the ditch where the tile drains. I laid the tile about two inches below the footing. Every contactor I talked to said i did a good job and all are astonished that it is still leaking.

  • worthy
    16 years ago

    Unless the tar was polymer modified, it was damp proofing not waterproofing you applied; damp proofing is ineffective against standing liquid water and I'm not surprised it still leaked.

    As well, the cove (where the wall meets the footing) should have been built up with a waterproofing mortar, such as Permaquik 200 or 300 or similar products.

    Besides the method I described in my first post, I have also successfully used several layers of glass fibre mesh impregnated with fibrated asphalt followed by fibreglass drainage/insulation mats.

    To ensure that your weepers, which were done properly, work effectively, the fill beside your foundation should be freeflowing material, such as sand, capped by clay. The clay channels water away, the sand directs the balance of the water to the weepers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Waterproofing Options for Concrete Foundations