water behind baseboards after rain


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Old 05-08-11, 06:17 PM
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water behind baseboards after rain

We have a finished basement rec room w/ berber carpetting and when it rains we get water that comes in where the floor meets the wall at the baseboards. We think we found the culprit which is a backyard patio slab which is pitched slightly towards our home. The carpet is wet along the same spot the patio step is which covers only 3-4. After the rain it dries quickly. Since we have drywall and since the area behind the ceiling tile is insulated very good how can find out if the water is coming in and leaking down the wall or if it is just coming in from the bottom somewhere (possibly drain tile issue?)....and if there is Mold?

Thanks for any help.
 
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Old 05-08-11, 06:27 PM
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Cheapest thing to do is to remove that section of Sheetrock
 
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Old 05-08-11, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by airman.1994
Cheapest thing to do is to remove that section of Sheetrock
Since I have no way of knowing to install it myself after tearing it up what to do then. Paying someone by the hour to fix it isn't cheap.
 
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Old 05-08-11, 06:37 PM
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Well, any water that comes into the home is not a good thing..and altho the area dries after the rain stops, the damage is done.
The insulation will not dry out, enclosed in the wall cavity. If your baseboards are MDF..they too, will probably be damp and show signs of water damage, ie some swelling and will probably need replacing, unless removed and dried promptly...but that's sometimes dubious. FJP (wood) has a better chance of drying out and being reinstalled.
I resume the rec room is below grade?? (probably!!).. so it sounds like a drain tile issue.
The area in question should be opened up, to air and dry, for starters and to try and determine where the water is coming in from.
Being with a restoration company for the past 6+ years, we normally start by removing the base..and often cutting off 2' of drywall from the floor up..to open the wall cavities, remove any damp/wet insullation and air dry/dehumidify the area...and work from there. If you can open/remove the ceiling tiles - that will also help dry..and determine where the water is coming in from.
Not fun .. but mold will start to develope within 24hrs of water infiltration... The longer the damaged area is enclosed.. the worse it gets.
Not a good thing to have growing in your walls.. A health issue...
The area needs addressing...to minimalize further damage.
Hope that helps somewhat...
 
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Old 05-08-11, 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by jatco
Well, any water that comes into the home is not a good thing..and altho the area dries after the rain stops, the damage is done.
The insulation will not dry out, enclosed in the wall cavity. If your baseboards are MDF..they too, will probably be damp and show signs of water damage, ie some swelling and will probably need replacing, unless removed and dried promptly...but that's sometimes dubious. FJP (wood) has a better chance of drying out and being reinstalled.
I resume the rec room is below grade?? (probably!!).. so it sounds like a drain tile issue.
The area in question should be opened up, to air and dry, for starters and to try and determine where the water is coming in from.
Being with a restoration company for the past 6+ years, we normally start by removing the base..and often cutting off 2' of drywall from the floor up..to open the wall cavities, remove any damp/wet insullation and air dry/dehumidify the area...and work from there. If you can open/remove the ceiling tiles - that will also help dry..and determine where the water is coming in from.
Not fun .. but mold will start to develope within 24hrs of water infiltration... The longer the damaged area is enclosed.. the worse it gets.
Not a good thing to have growing in your walls.. A health issue...
The area needs addressing...to minimalize further damage.
Hope that helps somewhat...
Other then the carpet nothing is wet. The baseboards or the drywall are not wet at all. If it's a drain tile issue vs a patio slab pitched towards the house.....this is what I am trying to figure out. Not even sure what type of contractor to call to see what's happening.
 
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Old 05-08-11, 08:02 PM
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What is the subfloor.. ? - are you on a concrete slab.. or above ground.?
Could the water be coming in from the ground up? - vs the wall and down..(since you say the walls are dry)?..!!
 
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Old 05-08-11, 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by jatco
What is the subfloor.. ? - are you on a concrete slab.. or above ground.?
Could the water be coming in from the ground up? - vs the wall and down..(since you say the walls are dry)?..!!
Under the carpet is ALL cement. We dont have padding underneath. We have no idea where ita coming from. Its only a 3-4 foot area.
 
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Old 05-08-11, 08:42 PM
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Have you pulled up the carpet from the floor to see of any tell tail signs of water stains/lines leading to the area? - Is the 'tack' strip wet/damp..and which way is it wet/damp.. left or right...?!?!
Just searching for signs...!!
 
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Old 05-09-11, 03:40 AM
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Kind of like looking at a sheep from a distance and assuming it has been shorn. You can't see but half of the sheep, so you really don't know if the other side has been shorn.
Little riddle, but you haven't looked at the inside of the sheetrock. You can have moisture, small amount, work it's way in, soak up on the inside of the sheetrock, and your mold colony has begun. Replacing sheetrock is a definite DIY project, and we can walk you through any phase of it, so locate your studs beside the affected area and go ahead and mark them. You will cut up 4' and across 3 studs, stopping at the inside or mid point of the outer studs. Pull the baseboard and pull out the piece of sheetrock. Let us know what you find.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 03:46 AM
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that area where floor meets wall is called the 'cove' - the bsmt wall sits ON the foundation but there's no waterstop installed by residential bldrs,,, since the backfill next to the wall hasn't been placed in compacted 'lifts', the soil's soft & allows wtr to infiltrate easily - wtr runs downhill to guess where,,, add to this most soil's acidic so that acid solution will now attach the free lime in either conc OR masonary block.

blame also the bldg code which called for the .003 dampproofing coating, NOT waterproofing,,, most bldrs now install toe drains but, like all bldrs, they can't see our houses from their house the correct answer's to dig next to the bsmt wall & do proper wtrproofing,,, the method's fairly easy but the labor's extensive.

alternatively, you could place a sump & pump at the point of leakage in the bsmt.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by jatco
Have you pulled up the carpet from the floor to see of any tell tail signs of water stains/lines leading to the area? - Is the 'tack' strip wet/damp..and which way is it wet/damp.. left or right...?!?!
Just searching for signs...!!
Carpet might be hard to pull up. It is also glued
 
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Old 05-09-11, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by stadry1
that area where floor meets wall is called the 'cove' - the bsmt wall sits ON the foundation but there's no waterstop installed by residential bldrs,,, since the backfill next to the wall hasn't been placed in compacted 'lifts', the soil's soft & allows wtr to infiltrate easily - wtr runs downhill to guess where,,, add to this most soil's acidic so that acid solution will now attach the free lime in either conc OR masonary block.

blame also the bldg code which called for the .003 dampproofing coating, NOT waterproofing,,, most bldrs now install toe drains but, like all bldrs, they can't see our houses from their house the correct answer's to dig next to the bsmt wall & do proper wtrproofing,,, the method's fairly easy but the labor's extensive.

alternatively, you could place a sump & pump at the point of leakage in the bsmt.
So I shouldn't rip out the patio and repour it?
Can't put a sump pump in that part of the rec room
Simply no space plus it wouldn't too good in that specific area.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 04:42 PM
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its your house so do as you wish,,, waterproofing is our work & i would not,,, the sump & pump do not have to be placed in the same location as the leak - eg, we have placed sump/pump in spare room to manage leak in mstr bedroom
 
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Old 05-09-11, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by stadry1
its your house so do as you wish,,, waterproofing is our work & i would not,,, the sump & pump do not have to be placed in the same location as the leak - eg, we have placed sump/pump in spare room to manage leak in mstr bedroom
So I should just have someone dig next to the area and waterproof? What about the patio that is pitched towards our home? Leave it? I guess I'm confused on how that would help in the longrun.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 04:49 PM
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I think that patio is an object of concern. It is sloped towards the house and that is not helping anything. Getting rain water to flow away from the house on top of the ground solves a lot of basement water intrusion.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by drooplug
I think that patio is an object of concern. It is sloped towards the house and that is not helping anything. Getting rain water to flow away from the house on top of the ground solves a lot of basement water intrusion.
So what to do. Cut out slab and repour and waterproof by digging? I think redoing the patio would solve all issues.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 05:33 PM
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Like I posted before I'd remove that section of Sheetrock first. This is to see where the water is coming in. You could depots the slap and still have issues.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 05:35 PM
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We've gone over that patio in another thread. You are right, demo it and repour with an outward pitch to keep the water at bay. I should think leaving it pitched toward the house is not an option. May not solve all the problems, but it is a start.
 
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Old 05-09-11, 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by chandler
We've gone over that patio in another thread. You are right, demo it and repour with an outward pitch to keep the water at bay. I should think leaving it pitched toward the house is not an option. May not solve all the problems, but it is a start.
What if I add pavers after the area us pitched correctly? Less then repouring. Any disadvantages?
 
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Old 05-10-11, 04:40 AM
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That would be fine as long as the pitch is correct. Even if you left as dirt, having the correct pitch is what you need.
 
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Old 05-11-11, 03:50 AM
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After I bought my house I noticed a wet area after a rain. An afternoon with a yard or two of soil to redirect the flow away from the house was all it took. That and extended downspouts.
 
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Old 05-11-11, 04:13 AM
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unless that existing patio is in horrible condition, it may be easier & less expensive to resurface thereby getting the proper slope for drainage,,, just a thought
 
 

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