Water control and leaks

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SA.woodwork

SA.woodwork

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2019
Messages
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Location
Minnesota
I have questions about water and basements, and even more questions about dealing with it in this strange house. It seems there are no experts in the general topic of dealing with water. No one knows who to call, for example, a landscaping problem or a foundation problem.

Starting at the beginning:
Is it damaging for water to be leaking through basement walls (concrete block in my case), or just an inconvenience for those who want a finished basement? Im surprised by all the companies advertising that outside drains are a waste of money and we should all install the new indoor french drains around the inside of the walls, just letting the walls continue to leak.
 
If no wood is getting wet, I can't think of how the water will damage anything --- just makes a mess. Although you could also develop mold issues if your interior walls are frequently wet.
Proper fix is to dig on the outside down to the footing, new weeping tile, sump pump and then compound on the wall and covered with dimple membrane. Not cheap. French drain on the inside is cheaper (sometimes a lot cheaper, depending on access for digging outside), but is a band aid, not a fix.
If water is flowing towards your house rather than away from it, you need to fix that also, but the description above is not work of a landscaper. Your area will normally have basements, so (unless you are in a small town) there should be several outfits in your town that all they do is fix leaking basements.
 
Thanks Steve,
One corner leaks a little when we get heavy rain but its right by the inside drain anyway. No harm and looks like an expensive fix, so Id rather ignore it. Another corner was a groundhog issue I think I can fix. Humidity/mold may exist anyway, without AC or a dehumidifier.

The other 2 corners is another story.
 
Another concern is this corner.

The river rock section is lower than the sidewalk. Big snow this year caused the entire rock section to be submerged and the entire floor in this area was wet, but the wood damage in this space tells me it wasn't the first time.

I'm sure the short downspout doesnt help. Water also pools up where the grass meets the sidewalk. The garden sits high but has trenches to allow runoff.

Are there any ideas to deal with the downspout and/or river rock section to prevent water pooling here?

20190423_185400.jpg 20190423_185349.jpg
 
The good the bad and the ugly.
The best is if you dig up right to the footing and put a drain pipe beside the footing. water proof the wall and back fill with a sandy soil that will allow water to travel to the drain , only works if you have a place for water to run too or it will be pumped up and out.
So that includes digging up side walks and driveway. decks and patios.
Often the inside trench and sump pump is less destructive and manages the water instead of stopping it. The ugly is the number of companies that do this work with some phony system that does not do the job it is meant to do.
The gravel along your wall is the worst thing, instead of moving the water away it is inviting it in.
This guy explains the ugly where you spend the money and it still isn't fixed.
 
nealtw said:
The good the bad and the ugly.
The best is if you dig up right to the footing and put a drain pipe beside the footing. water proof the wall and back fill with a sandy soil that will allow water to travel to the drain , only works if you have a place for water to run too or it will be pumped up and out.
So that includes digging up side walks and driveway. decks and patios.
Often the inside trench and sump pump is less destructive and manages the water instead of stopping it. The ugly is the number of companies that do this work with some phony system that does not do the job it is meant to do.
The gravel along your wall is the worst thing, instead of moving the water away it is inviting it in.
This guy explains the ugly where you spend the money and it still isn't fixed.
Click to expand...

Thats a scary video.
 
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