Water leaking into basement, would appreciate some assistance...
#1
06-29-14, 05:19 PM
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Water leaking into basement, would appreciate some assistance...
Greetings, I have some questions about sealing up my basement.
My wife and I purchased our home in January of 2014 and got royally jobbed by some "flippers" (among other things, we are having the entire sewer main replaced in a few weeks-- hooray). Anyway, this issue relates to water leaking into the basement during rain storms.
The house was built in 1951 in central PA and has concrete block in the basement. It has some cracks in the unfinished part where water seeps through (last rain storm, a particularly bad one, required ~10 2.5 gallon buckets of wet vaccing). Here's the thing, though: all of the gutters have been replaced, downspouts channel at least 8 feet away. Nothing appears clogged up but I need to get up there and make sure, of course. The gutters do appear to be doing their job just fine.
The cracks are appearing mostly underneath the front porch of the house. I have a feeling that the water is collecting on the concrete porch and seeping through the brick underneath the front door. Here are two pictures to show that there appears to be an opening between the brick and concrete and also that the concrete porch juts out from under the eave:
The eave comes about to where the rug is. The concrete porch slab is almost exactly level but I think water just stands there and seeps through.
We plan on using Drylok in the inside of the basement to prevent the leaking, but I'd like to figure out if there is some sort of sealant I can apply between the brick and the concrete. I understand there are likely better ways to deal with the situation, but any solution has to be reasonable (read: affordable). Right now all of our money is tied up in the sewer repair.
Any assistance or suggestions are much appreciated.
My wife and I purchased our home in January of 2014 and got royally jobbed by some "flippers" (among other things, we are having the entire sewer main replaced in a few weeks-- hooray). Anyway, this issue relates to water leaking into the basement during rain storms.
The house was built in 1951 in central PA and has concrete block in the basement. It has some cracks in the unfinished part where water seeps through (last rain storm, a particularly bad one, required ~10 2.5 gallon buckets of wet vaccing). Here's the thing, though: all of the gutters have been replaced, downspouts channel at least 8 feet away. Nothing appears clogged up but I need to get up there and make sure, of course. The gutters do appear to be doing their job just fine.
The cracks are appearing mostly underneath the front porch of the house. I have a feeling that the water is collecting on the concrete porch and seeping through the brick underneath the front door. Here are two pictures to show that there appears to be an opening between the brick and concrete and also that the concrete porch juts out from under the eave:
The eave comes about to where the rug is. The concrete porch slab is almost exactly level but I think water just stands there and seeps through.
We plan on using Drylok in the inside of the basement to prevent the leaking, but I'd like to figure out if there is some sort of sealant I can apply between the brick and the concrete. I understand there are likely better ways to deal with the situation, but any solution has to be reasonable (read: affordable). Right now all of our money is tied up in the sewer repair.
Any assistance or suggestions are much appreciated.
#2
06-29-14, 06:07 PM
Dry-lock doesn't stop leaks. Some exterior sealant is available for the outside between the brick & the concrete. Someone will be able to recommend a particular product.
#3
06-29-14, 06:14 PM
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I was under the impression Drylok would stop the leaks in the basement. I had figured that combined with an exterior sealant would at least provide a workable solution for now.
#4
06-29-14, 06:32 PM
I don't know who told you that dry-lock stops leaks. I don't think it was anyone here. Waterproofing is done from the outside. The answer would be different if you had a high water table. That doesn't apply, to your problem. Start with the exterior sealant & check the gutters & downspouts. Is the porch pitched away from the house?
#5
06-30-14, 04:58 AM
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Glad I asked then re: Drylok! The porch is completely level, so no. Gutters and downspouts are good.
#7
06-30-14, 06:22 AM
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That's the plan, I'm really hoping that will at least buy some time for us. Just trying to figure out what to seal it with.
#8
06-30-14, 11:17 AM
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Finally got the hose out and sprayed the base of the porch. No leakage. Sprayed where the porch and foundation meet ground, even dug out for a visual inspection. No leakage. Sprayed the window well: heavy leakage. It appears it's the window frame! I don't know why I didn't simply do this from the start, but I had assumed it was coming from the cracks in the foundation under the porch (1. I'd never made it down there during the rainstorms and 2. I'm not a smart man).
I'm hoping that's all it is, especially because we started having more sewer problems specifically while downstairs in the basement figuring this out. If anyone has a recommendation to seal the ****ty old metal window frame in the corners, I'd love to hear. We will likely replace them once we have the money but a temporary fix would be nice for now.
Thanks!
I'm hoping that's all it is, especially because we started having more sewer problems specifically while downstairs in the basement figuring this out. If anyone has a recommendation to seal the ****ty old metal window frame in the corners, I'd love to hear. We will likely replace them once we have the money but a temporary fix would be nice for now.
Thanks!
#10
07-02-14, 07:58 AM
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Hi Michael,
I would recommend Sikaflex 1A or Sonneborn NP1 for sealing between the brick and the concrete. There are many sealants you could use for this application, but these two will certainly perform well.
I would recommend Sikaflex 1A or Sonneborn NP1 for sealing between the brick and the concrete. There are many sealants you could use for this application, but these two will certainly perform well.
#11
07-06-14, 07:02 AM
here's something to consider - how would you get drylok onto the exterior surface of your very fine home's basement wall ? putting ANYTHING on the interior still allows water to penetrate the wall, doesn't it ? the unseen damage can be disasterous 
