Flooding Basment

My basement is flooding.The warter seems to be coming from between the block walls and the floor.What should I do?

 

First you should check your grad along the outside of your house. Then Check gutters and downspouts. How long has this been going on?

There is a lot of things water in the Basement can be attributed to and this forum can help you. I am no professional, I have been getting a lot of help and ideas from the Moderators.

 

It's been going on about two weeks.The house is 40 years old.
The basment is about 40'X30' and is leaking water from around the perimeter of the floor. I bought the house about a year ago and i'm sort of ignorant to the fact.There is a slight grade that runs toward the front of the house. The downspouts run off on a grade that runs away from the house but they are only about a foot and a half long.I would appreciate any help you could give me on this.Thank you.

 

The downspouts should extend at least 6 to 8 feet away from the foundation. Also check if the gutters are clogged up.

 

I have taken care of the down spouts.It stoped raining 3 days ago and my baasment is still leaking water.My wife informed me yesterday that our water bill is higher than usally is for this time of the year.My water meter is located outside in the ground.Is there a test i can do on this water to see if it's rain water or regular water.

 

Go look at the meter and see if it is running. Every one I have seen has a small indicator (often a little triangle) that is connected directly to the metering vanes. If it is running all the time, turn off the main house valve in the house and see if it stops. If it still runs the line is broken before the house main. If it stops start checking the pipes after the house main valve.

 

The meter isn't running.Is there some way i can tell if this is rain water.

 

If the meter is not running it is not comming from your supply line. I do not know any way to tell for sure if it is rain or not, particularly after it has percolated through soil. It is more of a process of elimination, and you just eliminated one source. The fact this showed up with a few days of rain would be a pretty strong indicator. The grade towards the front of the house is never good, but is not a sure cause of trouble either. Part of the problem with wet/damp basements troubleshooting is that it depends heavily on local drainage and soil mechanics. At least for know, try to get the water up with a wet/dry vac and buy a dehumidifier to start drying things out. Then call some basement waterproofing people and see if they have any suggestions. Get multiple opinions as to cause and fix. The big fix is usually to dig down to the footers all the way around and install drain lines and run them to daylight. A cheaper fix might be to put a sump pit in the basement to pump the water out and try and relieve the hydraulic pressure. Before doing any of these get the grading as good as you can, drain the downspouts as far as you can downhill from the basement, and make sure all the gutters are working correctly (no clogs/overflows).

 

Thank you for taking the time to help.I have a sump pump.I"m going to call a local water proofing company and get some ideas from them.It's pretty cold out now im going to wait for it warm up and water proof the outside and inside myself may god be with me because i cant afford to pay some one to do it .I spent every dime i had to buy this house.Well thanks again.