water on basement floor

14 years ago

Everytime we have a lot of rain (today being one of those days) I get water in my basement. Not water running down the walls, but puddles of water on the floor (seem to be seeping up from below?) and water coming out from where the walls (cinderblocks) meet the wall. I did have one of those basement waterproofing companies come out a few years ago shortly after I bought the house. They put in a drain and sump pump along the outside wall where the problem was. That helped some, but not enough and now I have water coming in from another wall area. Any suggestions as to what can be done to prevent the water seeping up from below?? Anything I should look out for when I try to find a contractor? I appreciate any suggestions! It is a finished, walk out basement, so not all walls are exposed, but luckily (I suppose) the problem appears to be with the walls that are somewhat exposed

Thanks

Abbey

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Comments (4)

brickeyee
14 years ago
"I did have one of those basement waterproofing companies come out a few years ago shortly after I bought the house. They put in a drain and sump pump along the outside wall where the problem was."

You got ripped off.

All internal drains and sump pups can do is re-direct the water that has already entered.

Find a company to actually assess the problem, including the source of the water.

It could be as simple as gutters, or down spout water not being moved far enough away before being dumped or grading allowing surface water to flow towards the house to then soak into the flower beds near the foundation.

Folks that own concrete saws like to cut concrete, not adjust grading. They do not own a Bobcat.
pamghatten
14 years ago
I have problems, as stated above, if my gutters are not clean. I just cleaned the gutters of all the fall elaves and accumulated junk, and then it poured the next day ... basement stayed dry.

It's really been as simple as directing the downspouts away from the house a good bit, and cleaning the gutters.
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sherylstewart
14 years ago
I had water in my home that was built in 1897 and the basement has a cobbled floor. I thought the water line was just below the surface of the floor but it turned out I had a hole in the roof and it was seeping inside the walls and then coming up through a hole in the cobble that had been concreted over. Once the hole was repaired and the roof reshingled there has been no problems since.
drywall_diy_guy
14 years ago
Start with the simple and cheap solutions.

1. Have gutters in working order with extra long drain spouts at the bottom to direct water at least 6 ft away from the house.

2. Make sure the grade around your house slopes away. This is a BIG factor. To correct a low grade, wheelbarrow in some fill and pack it around your foundation. What my father-in-law did was put in some fill with a good slope, put heavy plastic over this, and then covered with crushed rock. This not only directed water away but gave him a nice weed barrier around the perimeter of the house.

Numbers 1 and 2 can take care of a lot of water problems and can be accomplished with minimal cost.