Leaking Driveway Gaps?


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Old 08-07-09, 08:42 AM
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Leaking Driveway Gaps?

So, I noticed recently that my closet in my basement (subterranean) started getting slightly wet on the carpet after a heavy rain. I pulled the carpet up and noticed the basement floor was wet.

I live in an end unit carriage home that is joined on the side by my neighbors garage. The closet basement in question is on the foundation wall closest to the driveway (directly next to and underneath it).

After doing some investigation, I found that there was a hairline crack going down the length of my neighbors driveway along with a crack in the corner that water would just "disappear" into. And by disappear I mean it reappears in my basement. I put a hose on it and sure enough, water started dumping in.

I got some waterproof/flexible cement patch goop, and applied it the length of the house, and in the corner:



This helped, but didn't solve the problem completely. I think the issue now is the black rubber "tar" or whatever it is that is used in the strip between my neighbors garage and his house is leaking. I can pour water on it and it disappears (again, into my basement, albeit slower).





I think the issue is water getting underneath this black stuff and draining toward my house right above my foundation and slipping in above the foundation and trickling down the inside of it to my basement.

What is the fix for this? Can this black stuff be removed and replaced to be water tight? If so, is it a DIY job or do I need to call a contractor to do it properly?

I'm cross posting this to get some extra help! Thanks!
 
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Old 08-07-09, 11:34 AM
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That black strip is called expansion joint. It is made of compressed wood fibers and something like tar. You could take a razor knife or an angle grinder and cut it down about 1/2 inch, then fill the trough you created with caulk. This would seal the gap, but I'm not convinced that this is the source of your water problem. You can see by the photos that his driveway slopes about 2" in 8 feet, which is plenty of slope for runoff. Since water won't run uphill, the only water that could go down into the expansion joint is water that is blown against his garage door and runs straight down, and I can't imagine that it would be much water. I think it's more likely that water from the gutter downspout is running around the front corner of the porch and filtering down through the dirt.
 
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Old 08-11-09, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Pecos
That black strip is called expansion joint. It is made of compressed wood fibers and something like tar. You could take a razor knife or an angle grinder and cut it down about 1/2 inch, then fill the trough you created with caulk. This would seal the gap, but I'm not convinced that this is the source of your water problem. You can see by the photos that his driveway slopes about 2" in 8 feet, which is plenty of slope for runoff. Since water won't run uphill, the only water that could go down into the expansion joint is water that is blown against his garage door and runs straight down, and I can't imagine that it would be much water. I think it's more likely that water from the gutter downspout is running around the front corner of the porch and filtering down through the dirt.
You are probably right about this.

I think my patching the crack that ran the length of the house by the driveway might have mitigated the problem. I won't know until I get another heavy rain, though. I know that water still gets in if I put a hose on the expansion joint, however water still flows down to where you mentioned it might be getting in from the downspout. I'll try redirecting the water from the downspout and wait for the next downpour to test out this theory... I have the carpet pulled up so I should be able to see any water that gets in.
 
 

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