waterproofing a basement

[E5RANGER375]

anyone have experience waterproofing a basement??

I might have to use a jackhammer and dig a trench around the whole concrete floor and put in a drainage system hooked to a sump pump. anyone done this or do it for a living? Already sunk about $3k in, trying to make this basement watertight like it should be. Its causing me big delays in projects I have lined up. any help is much appreciated. I WILL prevail, just not sure which is the best or most cost effective way

 

[Mr. Habib]

Attacking the water after it is already inside would be my last resort. I would try to find out why the water is getting in. Have you checked out your guttering and footer drains? That is where I would start.

 

[88GT]

Attacking the water after it is already inside would be my last resort. I would try to find out why the water is getting in. Have you checked out your guttering and footer drains? That is where I would start.

That was my first thought as well. Seepage from "leaky" blocks in the wall is one thing (and for that slap on some of the Dry-Lock or similar and be done).

What kind of water intrusion issue do you have? Is it come up a floor drain? Seeping in through cracks in the floor/wall interface? When does it do it--only in heavy rain events or even when it just gets cloudy? Do you have wet spots or standing water?

ETA: oh, in Indiana there's no such thing as a watertight basement unless you sit at the top of hill. NO home is impervious to water intrusion. It's not a question of if someone is going to have water in his basement but when he's going to have water in his basement.

 

[irishfan]

anyone have experience waterproofing a basement??

I might have to use a jackhammer and dig a trench around the whole concrete floor and put in a drainage system hooked to a sump pump. anyone done this or do it for a living? Already sunk about $3k in, trying to make this basement watertight like it should be. Its causing me big delays in projects I have lined up. any help is much appreciated. I WILL prevail, just not sure which is the best or most cost effective way

You can use quikcrete if you have cracks and that will fill them. Also, Drylok paint works great to seal minor things in block wall. If you have checked your gutters and drainage and that is good to go then you may have to call a contractor to put in a drainage system outside your basement wall.

 

[E5RANGER375]

That was my first thought as well. Seepage from "leaky" blocks in the wall is one thing (and for that slap on some of the Dry-Lock or similar and be done).

What kind of water intrusion issue do you have? Is it come up a floor drain? Seeping in through cracks in the floor/wall interface? When does it do it--only in heavy rain events or even when it just gets cloudy? Do you have wet spots or standing water?

i think its just seapage through a few blocks. not in the whole basement. The fireplace down there doesnt leak so I know the roof area is good around the chimney. it can gather in small puddles against the outer wall, but nothing a shopvac cant handle. yeah happens mostly when it rains. used quikcrete already but still seaps in. also used many gallons of an expensive paint water sealer. I will again check outside to see if I cant divert the water away better, but Im pretty sure its being done properly now.
the shower and laundry sink and sewage in the basement drain fine and do not back up. also the floor drain has never backed up. its just ground water

 

[Marc]

rhino line the floors and walls it doesnt matter if you have cracks the rhino liner is some tough stuff and is being used to bombproof buildings and instantly resealing tanker trucks after they have been shot. if it can take a bomb then it can take water

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLzWIa-Rs7E&feature=related[/ame]

 

[E5RANGER375]

If you have checked your gutters and drainage and that is good to go then you may have to call a contractor to put in a drainage system outside your basement wall.

thats what im thinking too. i just wanna be done with it and move on. i just dont wanna pay another contractor for a supposed fix and blow a couple more thousand dollars if that wont fix it. but if it will then fine.

 

[irishfan]

i think its just seapage through a few blocks. not in the whole basement. The fireplace down there doesnt leak so I know the roof area is good around the chimney. it can gather in small puddles against the outer wall, but nothing a shopvac cant handle. yeah happens mostly when it rains. used quikcrete already but still seaps in. also used many gallons of an expensive paint water sealer. I will again check outside to see if I cant divert the water away better, but Im pretty sure its being done properly now.
the shower and laundry sink and sewage in the basement drain fine and do not back up. also the floor drain has never backed up. its just ground water

I have the same issue around the edges of my basement so I have a small wall/dam built around the entire basement about 6" off the wall. It makes the water all drain into my sump pit instead of out on the floor.

 

[E5RANGER375]

rhino line the floors and walls it doesnt matter if you have cracks the rhino liner is some tough stuff and is being used to bombproof buildings and instantly resealing tanker trucks after they have been shot. if it can take a bomb then it can take water

YouTube - Rhino Linings - Premium Protection

looks good to me. does anyone do this around here in houses?

or can i purchase it to do myself?

 

[88GT]

i think its just seapage through a few blocks. not in the whole basement. The fireplace down there doesnt leak so I know the roof area is good around the chimney. it can gather in small puddles against the outer wall, but nothing a shopvac cant handle. yeah happens mostly when it rains. used quikcrete already but still seaps in. also used many gallons of an expensive paint water sealer. I will again check outside to see if I cant divert the water away better, but Im pretty sure its being done properly now.
the shower and laundry sink and sewage in the basement drain fine and do not back up. also the floor drain has never backed up. its just ground water

If it's just one area, I'd bet money it's a a grading issue with the ground outside. Whatcha got up-top at the intrusion point?

 

[E5RANGER375]

If it's just one area, I'd bet money it's a a grading issue with the ground outside. Whatcha got up-top at the intrusion point?

dirt, grass

 

[cosermann]

Is it graded, sloping downward from the house 1/4" per foot for at least 5 feet?

I had a basement w/water issues in Indy some years ago. I simply regraded around the house with some dirt and a rake and shovel, and the difference was amazing.

 

[historybuff]

If it's just one area, I'd bet money it's a a grading issue with the ground outside. Whatcha got up-top at the intrusion point?

This ^^^

 

[historybuff]

Is it graded, sloping downward from the house 1/4" per foot for at least 5 feet?

I had a basement w/water issues in Indy some years ago. I simply regraded around the house with some dirt and a rake and shovel, and the difference was amazing.

And this ^^^

 

[Rookie]

Do not rely on drylok to waterproof your basement. All you are doing is masking the problem. Water will still be in your foundation which will cause major issues down the road. Start with grading outside. If that doesn't work, install perimeter drain. If that doesn't work then it's time to break concrete...

 

[fordmanchris]

When I was younger and living with my parents our basement leaked and they painted it with some kind of sealer paint and after a few thick coats it has never leaked since even with hard rains. Dont think he got any perticular brand because my dad always buys the cheapest stuff, but it worked in this case. We had a few minor cracks in the brick walls though so it might have just sealed up the cracks.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Is it graded, sloping downward from the house 1/4" per foot for at least 5 feet?

I had a basement w/water issues in Indy some years ago. I simply regraded around the house with some dirt and a rake and shovel, and the difference was amazing.

ok I will try this first. its probly not graded properly. I have some landscaping to be done this year anyways, so this will be easily fixed.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I will let you know how it goes after its graded properly.

 

[Ricnzak]

Attacking the water after it is already inside would be my last resort. I would try to find out why the water is getting in. Have you checked out your guttering and footer drains? That is where I would start.

Very sound advice.

In my situation I had no good way to drain away from the exterior. I dug french drains and piped into them. Then I dug out around the basement and applied tar with 5mil visqueen then tared over that. Still leaks. The sump idea always made me wonder that am I creating a exit for water that may be under the basement floor and now I have a sump that runs all of the time?

 

[printcraft]

We updated my wifes office with a basement perimeter system.
It's a block foundation wall type, drylock will not work the bottom blocks
were always filled with water.
It has a cistern under the house and the basement had a floor drain already
but the walls would seep water and cause a mold issue.
A crew came in an cut a trench around the entire floor, added the drains
and tied it into a sump pump that they put in as well.

Dry as a bone now. No musty moldy thing going on either.
I can't remember the company name off hand, I'll need to look it up later.

Make sure your downspouts are not channeling water along your foundation.
You might also get some spout extenders to run out into the yard away from your house.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Sounds like you need to install some tile and/or French drain system on the exterior of the wall in question...

-J-