eilkka said:Cement blocks for walls are leaking . Only where the floor meets the walls. Not all the time just when heavy rain or heavy snow melt. I have a sump and it is working. Iam wondering if I need another one on other side?
mudmixer said:Your block are not necessarily leaking since you are just looking at where the water shows up inside. The water is coming through the joint with the wall and footing or slab and the same situation occurs with both block and poured concrete walls.
Since you have a sump, the odds are that you havedrain tile somewhere (most likely exterior).
Is you home built with the block wall (or poured wall) built on a slab or are they on a strip footing with the slab poured later on top of the footing (preferred in many areas)? One way to tell is if it is block there is about 4" of the bottom block showing, it is built as described as being on a strip footing.
If the slab if poured on the strip footing, it is a floating slab and hydraulic cement would not work even though it is a great sealer and compatible with concrete, but it is brittle and a crack should be caulked if you feel it is necessary.
If the wall is built on a slab foundation and water is coming in, the exterior waterproofing system is not working or has failed.
Depending on the construction method, drain tile would be the best, long term solution.
If it is a floating slab, interior, exterior or both drain tile locations are acceptable.
If the wall is built on the slab, an exterior system may be the most reasonable. In the case of outside obstructions (slabs, steps, landscaping, etc.), exterior systems are not that effective since water also can travel horizontally and then down and inward and an interior system may be preferable.
The advantage of a floating slab is that interior drain tile can installed easier and they also reduce the hydrostatic pressure under the slab that can also cause cracks.
Dick
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