Ok, I just moved in and luckily it rained for a day and a half in my first week here and that coupled with snow melt has showed me how bad the basement leaks. (not terribly, just some puddles that worked there way over to the sump pump) The basement is partially finished and there is an interior wall built out from the actual foundation and insulated, which makes locating the leak tricky without tearing it all out, which I did carefully start where the water damage was anyway.
It started pooling up directly below the breaker box, so I have an electrician coming to check the seal from the outside, and to investigate some nice arching I noticed inside the meter when I wiggled the pipe coming out from the botom of the meter. Nice eh?

Anyway, I feel the two most likely candidates were
1) Where the power come in.
2) The window just to the side of where the breaker panel is, beneath which water also started pooling from under the wall.

I checked the window, and the dirt outside was right up to the bottom of the window frame, but when I moved the dirt away from the outside in the middle of the rain storm the dirt was dry just below the surface. Can this really be how the water was getting in? I thought it would be pooling or at least wet out on the outside? How should I seal it?

Any thoughts or tips? I wish I had thought to cut out the drywall while it was still leaking because now I see no sign of water anywhere where I tore it down except the puddle on the floor..... Even the breaker box is dry, although it shows a little rust that looks old.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

Dosperado,

I would say that the electrician will resolve the power panel issues and incoming pipe. The window issues seems to be one area that should be checked. Ensure that the grade is sloped away from the home, if necessary, install a window well with gravel base to help shed water down and away from the window sill.

If water is coming through other areas, and it is a new home, I would get the contractor back to resolve. Contact your local builing official for advice or consultation on issues.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks, I was wondering if a window well might be a way to go. The slope is about even and if I remove some material to expose the sill, it would be sloped towards the window.
Would I also need one of those plastic 1/4 bubbles over the well?

It's not a new house, but actually a new house for me. The house was built in 1955.

 

Dosperado,

I would suggest that you dig down to make a pit for your window well, placing about 6 - 12" of gravel in it. The rim of the metal window well would be about 2" higher than the grade.

The grade should be sloped away from the home, if this means you should add more fill, do so. One trick is to remove about 2- 4 feet of top soil away from the home, and dig down about 12" , apply 6 mil over the soil, ensuring that what you have dug out is sloped away from the home and recover. Any water that is subject to get against the home will be directed away.

No need to put plexiglass over the window well unless you desire to. You can purchase the window well covers from Home Depot or Lowes for a minor cost to help deflect water away but you need to ensure that the grade is pitched properly.

By the way, congratulations on owning your first home, regardless of the age!!!

Hope this helps!

 

That sounds great, thanks.

One more thing, I noticed some minor leakage from a side that is abutted by an asphalt driveway, except for about a 3/4 inch gap between the foundation and the driveway. Should I seal up that joint with something to prevent water from getting down there?

 

Dosperado,

You could try and install some foam rope sealant there first then caulk ovver it, this would provide some flexibility and restrict water from coming in.

Hope this helps!