Well, it's spring again and the waterfall that is my back yard has come to life once more :-( Here's the situation:

1) We put in a wood basement a few years ago. The contractor took us for a ride on a number of things; the relevant one here being that the grade on our yard is lower than both nextdoor neighbours. We are a catch basin for everyone around us.

2) Our 3 basement windows were supposed to be above grade, 2 aren't. The one facing our back yard is the lowest.

3) I installed metal window wells around all of them, dug down a few feet, and filled them with 3/4" stone (to about 6" below the windows).

They all drain well during the summer but this year, and once or twice in the past, the backyard window well iced over. As the snow melts in the back yard, it fills the well, water seeps in under the window sill, down the wall and across the floor.

I know that I will have to do some landscaping in the summer but before I wall up the leaking window, are there any other alternatives? I was thinking of sinking a PVC pipe punched full of holes into the window well below the frost line but will that drain if it ices up on top?

Open for suggestions.

Chris

 

Have to ask is there no drain tile all around the basement there
down on the footing? Could you dig there at the window way down below frost line and fill with rock to make what we call a dry well for the water to go into the ground? ED

 

There's lots of drainage around the footing and in the window well. The soil around here is basically riverbed sand so it drains like crazy in the summer. Problem is that there is such a thick layer of ice, it is acting like a waterproof barrier. The melting snow just pools on the ice.

I may have made some headway today (we'll see tomorrow morning I filled in most of the areas under the neighbour's fence that were causing the main flow of water and also punched a hole through the ice in the window well. The iron bar I was using sunk down in the gravel/sand/soil about 3 feet. All the standing water disappeared

I'm hoping we're over the worst but I worry about next spring. I can landscape a bit but like I said, we seem to be lower than both next door lots. What do you think of my PVC pipe idea?

Any other thoughts?

Chris

 

Oh boy out of the box here. If the soil takes the water so good and you say the ice on top stops it. you would still have ice over the pipe you put down . So its back to ice.How about some heater wire down there in the well. go to www.chromalox.com see what they have . its a SAFE-T-MELT for ice and snow on the roofs and in the gutters . Still it pays to work on the ground out side also ED

 

I think that I would do something different then mentioned. I would dig out the dirt under the well down maybe 3 feet. Then fill back in with 4 or 5 inch rocks, and then about 8" of 3/4" or 1" rock on top. By making the gound under the well more porus the initial water will run down very easily, and be less to freeze. i would also run a good solid line of 100% silicone caulk along the bottom of your window and up the sides. This should stop the water from coming it. Just my thoughts. Good Luck

 

Good ideas from both Ed & Jack. Thanks guys

Chris