Concrete porch leaking into enclosed room underneath
#1
02-17-11, 12:57 PM
Concrete porch leaking into enclosed room underneath
My house has a wraparound porch which was added some time after construction. The floor of the porch is concrete, and the area beneath the porch is enclosed in cinderblock, creating a room that is accessed via the walk-out basement. For reference, the back of the porch can be seen on the right side of this picture.
The floor of this porch appears to have been coated with some sort of sealant, but that sealant has failed through age and normal wear and tear. Additionally, there appear to be one or more cracks in the concrete. The net result of this is that water leaks into the room underneath, creating mold problems.
Clearly, job one is to re-surface the concrete. I'd like help finding resources on how to do this job myself, if at all possible. Do I need to completely strip the old sealant, or just scrape up the bits that come up easily? Do I need to plug the cracks in the concrete, or will the sealant take care of that as well? What do I use to seal the concrete, and do I then need to put something on top of that for people to walk on?
Job two is to remove the water-damaged insulation and fiberboard that make up the walls and ceiling of the room beneath the porch, but one thing at a time.
The floor of this porch appears to have been coated with some sort of sealant, but that sealant has failed through age and normal wear and tear. Additionally, there appear to be one or more cracks in the concrete. The net result of this is that water leaks into the room underneath, creating mold problems.
Clearly, job one is to re-surface the concrete. I'd like help finding resources on how to do this job myself, if at all possible. Do I need to completely strip the old sealant, or just scrape up the bits that come up easily? Do I need to plug the cracks in the concrete, or will the sealant take care of that as well? What do I use to seal the concrete, and do I then need to put something on top of that for people to walk on?
Job two is to remove the water-damaged insulation and fiberboard that make up the walls and ceiling of the room beneath the porch, but one thing at a time.
#2
02-18-11, 03:22 PM
Let me start with a pitch & drainage question. How does the rein water drain from the porch? Does it run towards the house?
Concrete sealers are basically worthless in my opinion. If the job is done right they aren't needed.
Concrete sealers are basically worthless in my opinion. If the job is done right they aren't needed.
#3
02-18-11, 04:10 PM
Yeah, drainage issues first, like Pulpo said. Also, concrete is water RESISTANT, not waterTIGHT or waterPROOF. A crack or a joint in the concrete is going to let water pass through the concrete. And, given enough water on top of it, water will eventually seep THROUGH the concrete, cracked or not, and regardless of whether it has a joint in it or not.
#4
02-18-11, 04:11 PM
The porch drains via two pipes, one at the corner of the porch and the other by the side door. From there, it drains towards the stream that is behind the vantage point of the photographer who took the photo.
#5
02-19-11, 03:47 AM
A concrete resurfacer will not fix the cracks nor stop the water. Resurfacers will crack directly over the old crack, usually within a few days. It sounds like you need some type of rubber waterproofing membrane.
I also agree with Pulpo. Sealers are okay for a very small amount of stain protection, but are basically worthless as a water stop. At best they are water resistant, and certainly not water proof.
I also agree with Pulpo. Sealers are okay for a very small amount of stain protection, but are basically worthless as a water stop. At best they are water resistant, and certainly not water proof.
#6
02-21-11, 06:37 AM
Yes, a rubber waterproofing membrane is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. Can you tell me anything about brands, how to use them, that sort of thing?
