I`m getting tired of dealing with my sumps and a wet basement. Recently we`ve had some rain in NJ after a very long dry spell. I lost my electricity so my sump never started and another wet basement. Since we were out of town at the time the water saturated the rug and then wicked up everything it could. We all know this story.
After a session of brainstorming with my friends we thought that we could mortar up the window wells that act as the collection points and then the water would never enter the house in the first place. Now my father in law is cautioning me about this because he says that those window wells are designed to redirect and collect the additional water that isn`t able to runoff or percolate through the soil. He says that when I block these wells up something called hydrostatic pressure will build and force the water to find an alternate path and if this pressure got great enough maybe crack the foundation and force it`s way into the basement or tunnel underneath and cause damage.
So, should I be concerned. My FIL is a construction inspector so I know he knows some things but is it really that big of an issue??
After a session of brainstorming with my friends we thought that we could mortar up the window wells that act as the collection points and then the water would never enter the house in the first place. Now my father in law is cautioning me about this because he says that those window wells are designed to redirect and collect the additional water that isn`t able to runoff or percolate through the soil. He says that when I block these wells up something called hydrostatic pressure will build and force the water to find an alternate path and if this pressure got great enough maybe crack the foundation and force it`s way into the basement or tunnel underneath and cause damage.
So, should I be concerned. My FIL is a construction inspector so I know he knows some things but is it really that big of an issue??