Concrete/foundation/drainage experts please

[roc_on_the_rocks]

I bought this 1969 split-level house in Oct/2012. Past owners haven’t maintained it very well and I’m slowly catching up as time and budget allows.

The basement gets some water under very heavy rain, about once or twice a year. Not deep water, but it gets to soak the carpet or a little more. Water comes from multiple directions. It has been raining pretty bad recently here in Southern Indiana and the basement is wet again.

I suspect that at least part of the problem could be clogged downspout (underground) drains. I have an ongoing thread here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=339049

It puzzles me that the water seeps into the basement from all sides, regardless if that’s the wall facing a good slope towards the house, or the walls near downspout drains.

Here’s something I suspect to be another contributor:

On the back of the house there this concrete block that is clearly settling. Facing west, the basement starts right behind that concrete block wall with the garden hose spigot. And ends on the wall facing the yard slope. To make matters worse, that garden faucet had a chronic leak when I bought the house, who knows for how many years.

Because the concrete is settling there, the rain water doesn’t have where to go, stays standing (one to two inch deep) against the walls. The ground is pretty flat at that point, no downward slopes to help drainage.

I’m looking for ideas to address this potential contributor to my occasional wet basement.

I don't know anything about this. Please critic this list:

1. Power washing the joint between concrete floor and walls and apply heavy doses of mastic type sealant, at least as immediate measure. (I think this option has questionable effectiveness, but maybe wound help until I find a contractor).

2. Power washing the concrete as much as possible (maybe scarring it with a chisel) and pouring a self-leveling concrete on top of the existing one?

3. Breaking the sinking concrete block and pouring a new one?

Any better idea? I think for ideas #2/#3 the joint between the concrete and the walls are very critical.

Thanks as always for all the help folks!

 

[Radix2]

That slab has dropped several inches and is tilted toward the house. Doing anything other than removing it is a waste of time and money. If money is tight, removing it and properly grading and putting down some gravel would be the cheapest option.

There is no way you are going to seal that edge, and if you did somehow the pool of stagnant water that would sit there in the wet seasons would make you wish you hadn't. That little slab is a major problem.

 

[Orionrising]

concrete is cheap

 

[gregtwojeeps]

What is the piping/ tank ? And does that rock under the stairs exit out onto a yard that is level, higher or lower than the rock ? If a concrete pad was poured higher, can the water that it gets, be naturally drained out onto the yard and away from the house ?

 

[couch67]

+1 on removal and regrade, you have options to put pavers down or pour again later. Anything else would be a band-aid solution and will eventually fail.

On the bright side this gives you an opportunity to rethink the area and do what you want.

couch

 

[ForceFed70]

It's sunk enough that perhaps you could get away with a thin coat on top of existing slab rather than a full rip and replace?

Regarding the water in the basement. If you've already got your downspouts feeding into the foundation drainage (French drain) then the water from that slab only represents a fraction of the water you're seeing in the basement. The downspouts will dump in way more than what's draining off of that slab.

Your foundation should have a French drain around it. Since you say water is coming in from all sides, it's highly likely that your drain isn't actually draining (or isn't draining fast enough). Under heavy rainfall the French drain trench fills up to the point where the water level is higher than the slab and then starts entering the house.

good solution: Sounds like your downspouts feed directly into your French drain. Consider changing that with downspouts that place the water on the surface a good 4 or 5 feet from the house (ensure ground slopes away from house).

better solution: add drainage to your French drain system. Usually this involves digging the trench out of the downhill slope and extending it out (or even better - eventually connect to city storm sewer).

Best solution: Dig up the whole French drain system and redo it. Especially if you had downspouts connected - a home that age the drain system will be filled with silt washed down from the roof.

 

[wssix99]

That slab has dropped several inches and is tilted toward the house. Doing anything other than removing it is a waste of time and money. If money is tight, removing it and properly grading and putting down some gravel would be the cheapest option.

There is no way you are going to seal that edge, and if you did somehow the pool of stagnant water that would sit there in the wet seasons would make you wish you hadn't. That little slab is a major problem.

+1 The angle of the slab is directing water towards the house, but it could also indicate that you have a crack in the wall below. Dirt may be flowing in to the wall cavity, which caused some settlement towards the wall side of the slab.

In addition to removing and replacing the slab, I'd also dig/expose that section of wall and waterproof it.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Houses built in the 60's with CMU's were usually just "damp-proofed"; just a tar coating. After 45+yrs it's failed- cracked, deteriorated, broken down.

And the backfill from the original construction has compacted to the point that you have a reverse grade.

The best way to stop water infiltration is to stop it from its source. Not gimmicky BS fillers and paints. Clearly, a regrade around the house is needed. However, with the extent of infiltration you have you would be better off excavating the entire subterranean portion of your foundation and have it "waterproofed", and a new perimeter drain installed. If you want piped downspouts now would be the time to do that also- I highly recommend PVC. Re-establish a correct and compacted grade, plant foundation shrubs/grass or sod, ensure the gutters are of adequate size, clean, and have a positive pitch to the downspout.

Is it cheap- NO. Do you want the house to stand for another 20yrs worry-free? Or do you want to continuously battle water infiltration with half-*** repairs and gimmicks?

*note- you could sell the house and that would also relieve you of the water wars!