I hate plumbing. It's the one skill I will pay someone to do almost every time. I do the simple stuff like hooking up a sink or replacing a toilet. I guess I should say I hate Rough Plumbing. Especially the drain side. So that leads to my problem. The pipe that leads through my concrete basement wall for my septic system is leaking. Not the pipe itself, but the hole around it. The gap between the PVC and concrete. I've paid to have it sealed twice. It lasts a couple years then fails again. So rain water starts leaking into my basement, 40 feet from my sump pump pit and 20 feet from a floor drain that feeds a sewage pit that hasn't been hooked up yet.(The basement is currently unfinished, but plumbed for a bathroom, kitchenette and laundry) So the water just kind of pools in the low spots till it evaporates. I make sure to not store anything on the floor in that corner, but it is just frustrating. But I want to find an actual permanent fix. I've thought about adding a second sump pit in that corner, but have no good options on where to pump the water. My current sump pumps totally underground for about 150 feet to a farm tile that leads to a creek. Adding a second line to this sounds problematic to me. I could dump the new pump into the existing pit, but is that an okay thing to do? I'm probably only dealing with a gallon or two every heavy rain, but it covers a bunch of my basement floor and is annoying. Anyone have any better suggestions?
Plumbing/concrete question
- Thread starter Skooterj
- Start date
larry4406
Well-known member
What type of foundation - poured concrete or block?
Have both prior failed attempts been from the inside? If so it’s time to look for an external repair.
Check your gutters and your grading.
Dig down to the wall penetration.
Mine did the same. I have poured concrete foundation. They put a square hole thru the foundation when poured via 2x_ blocking in the forms. Guess what? They left the 2x in the hole and just parged from the inside. WTF!
So I removed all the wood, found the pipe was damaged from settling. Dug down to the exterior drain tile and installed a tee with riser. Rain this up to the wall penetration.
Filled the wall gap with hydraulic cement. Took several applications due to the ~8x8” square hole and 4.5” OD pipe. After cement cured, I liberally applied water proofing tar.
I backfilled the drain tile riser in gravel. It has a filter sock on it. Brought the gravel above the wall penetration, then covered with filter fabric and backfilled.
Have both prior failed attempts been from the inside? If so it’s time to look for an external repair.
Check your gutters and your grading.
Dig down to the wall penetration.
Mine did the same. I have poured concrete foundation. They put a square hole thru the foundation when poured via 2x_ blocking in the forms. Guess what? They left the 2x in the hole and just parged from the inside. WTF!
So I removed all the wood, found the pipe was damaged from settling. Dug down to the exterior drain tile and installed a tee with riser. Rain this up to the wall penetration.
Filled the wall gap with hydraulic cement. Took several applications due to the ~8x8” square hole and 4.5” OD pipe. After cement cured, I liberally applied water proofing tar.
I backfilled the drain tile riser in gravel. It has a filter sock on it. Brought the gravel above the wall penetration, then covered with filter fabric and backfilled.
Stelzer
Well-known member
I don't have any idea as far as the plumbing aspect, sorry. My first move would be to check all gutters & downspouts outside to ensure rain water is being routed away from the home. Next would be to confirm you've got some kind of slope moving away from the home. Those 2 factors alone could help mitigate many basement leaks. I only know this from having dealt with it on my own home for the last 26 years. I also installed a French drain, but hopefully others will have better advice. You might want to mention what repair was done the last few times that only seems to last a few years.
Gutters are in good shape. There is a downspout about a foot away that I've been planning on fixing the slope of, but it has a slight slope the pushes the water about 2 feet away. It could have a much better slope. I have a sidewalk 4-5 feet from the house and the area between the house and sidewalk is 3 or so inches deep of landscape stone. The eaves overhang about 2 feet, so most of the water should never get to the penatration, but it does. Both the original waterproofing and the fix happened from the outside. Even the pipe slopes downward, so water shouldn't find it's way in, but it does.
The walls are pre-cast concrete Superior Walls. Last plumber dug down, repacked it all with hydraulic cement, tarred it and it was dry for 2 years. But the pipe must move/vibrate just enough to break the seal after about 2 years.
The walls are pre-cast concrete Superior Walls. Last plumber dug down, repacked it all with hydraulic cement, tarred it and it was dry for 2 years. But the pipe must move/vibrate just enough to break the seal after about 2 years.
I have heard of systems where you core drill a hole say 6" in the wall , insert a doughnut around the 4" pipe and it tightens with bolts that then squishes the rubber doughnut to the wall & the pipe. then parge that .
LS-200-CPVC | LINK-SEAL® Model C-PVC Wall Penetration Pipe Seal | Garlock
LINK-SEAL® Modular Pipe Sealing System, Model C-PVC, Size 200, Silicone (Grey), with Glass Reinforced Nylon Pressure Plate, 316 Stainless Steel Hardware
www.garlock.com
housewolf
Well-known member
I’m from down south so not familiar with below grade residential structure. I have used a lot of link seals on commercial below grade structure and never seen one fail. Gonna be tough to install one after the fact though. If you do go that route make sure you know the correct size hole to core. There is a designated hole size for each pipe size/type. It’s one of a handful products I’ve used that I can say has worked as it should 100% of the time. We’ve installed the wrong size sleeve before so had to use different links than we should have. A ***** to install but it still held drip tightLS-200-CPVC | LINK-SEAL® Model C-PVC Wall Penetration Pipe Seal | Garlock
LINK-SEAL® Modular Pipe Sealing System, Model C-PVC, Size 200, Silicone (Grey), with Glass Reinforced Nylon Pressure Plate, 316 Stainless Steel Hardware
ETA: just read post #4. Sounds like this would work for you but you’ll have to core a smooth hole (the correct size). There should be a hole/annular space chart on their website. Read it closely before coring
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Drilling a larger hole would only be possible if the original pipe was removed first though, right? That sounds messy when dealing with my septic system. Maybe I need to talk with my plumber about this though.
housewolf
Well-known member
@Skooterj
Yes, you’d have to remove the existing pipe, core a hole, insert new pipe, put LS around it, and tighten it. You (or a plumber) could caulk the annular space with lead and oakum without removing the pipe and I’m sure it would work for a while but the LS is the only 100%/forever solution I’m aware of.
Yes, you’d have to remove the existing pipe, core a hole, insert new pipe, put LS around it, and tighten it. You (or a plumber) could caulk the annular space with lead and oakum without removing the pipe and I’m sure it would work for a while but the LS is the only 100%/forever solution I’m aware of.
it seems an extreme way to fix it. I was just mentioning it . probably I would put that as an absolute last resort.
I would probably dig it up and try to seal it again with hydraulic cement & tar .
I would probably dig it up and try to seal it again with hydraulic cement & tar .
The Superior Walls skin is only like 2 inches thick. Will they still work?
I doubt it, but maybe. I'm thinking the previous repairs working for a couple years rules this out.
larry4406
Well-known member
No experience with the Superior Walls precast foundations.
We use the Link Seal at the day job and core the wall. Ours are cast in place 8” walls, sometimes thicker.
Link Seal is 5 stars. I still add the draintile riser and gravel as that’s what I would want on my house so the customer gets nothing less.
We use the Link Seal at the day job and core the wall. Ours are cast in place 8” walls, sometimes thicker.
Link Seal is 5 stars. I still add the draintile riser and gravel as that’s what I would want on my house so the customer gets nothing less.
Me too .
housewolf
Well-known member
I’ve never installed one on a surface that thin. Check the technical data on their website and I’m pretty sure you’ll find answers to any questions you may have. They used to be a little pocket pamphlet we used often for those type questions. Or call product support if you need to