Hi - It has been rainy in Ohio this year! Great for weeds and general dampness in the home :-)

We live in a quadlevel with a 3-4 foot crawl. We have had a slight odor in there and noticed some dampness/mud where the poured wall meets the footer (I hope I'm using the right terminology). This is under the vapor barrier, but it seems like it is producing the dampness and maybe the slight odor. We had a guy come in and said to waterproof and run a drain tile would cost 20k. Not wanting to spend that, I was hoping to get some opinions. It appears that there is no waterproofing on most of the walls.

Knowing our foundation walls are about 3-4 feet, I was going to try and dig the trench, waterproof, and run the tile. Problem is, I don't think I can run the pipe into the drainage system.

My plan was to dig the trench, clean the walls, apply water proofing (Drylock), glue and tape rigid insulation, waterproof the outside of that, run the tile (backfill with gravel), then try and run it to a french drain that I will build in the backyard.

If anyone has any waterproofing DIY experience, do you think this sounds reasonable? I'm trying to do the right thing without spending an arm and a leg. Some threads have been helpful, but I was hoping to get some specific advice.

Thanks in advance.

Adam

 

Water proofing and Drain tile is not a difficult job, but you need to make sure you use the right products and procedures. I cant say for certain if you plan will work without more information, but you are on the right track. You will definately need some heavy equipment to dig around the foundation though.

 

I'm nervous when you mention Drylock as I generally consider it a Band-Aid at best that's used on the inside wall. If you are trenching and wanting to waterproof that should be done on the outside with a proper foundation waterproofing membrane. Then add drainage to carry underground water away from the house.

 

First off, thanks for the feedback. It's hard to find specific suggestions outside of a forum. Luckily, our quad level is only 3-4 feet underground so digging isn't as impossible as a 8+ foot foundation. I've seen posts about using a drainage membrane, and I've also seen posts about using tar. I have extra rigid foam at home, so wasn't sure if Drylock, foam, then more Drylock would promote the same thing as a membrane down towards the drain.

Since I don't know how to tie into the sewer line, does anyone have experience running a drain tile to a french drain away from the house?

 

Maybe I misunderstood your first post. Are you wanting to do this work on the inside of the foundation?

 

Sorry for not being clear, Keith. Yes, this would be on the exterior. Part of my house just has rigid foam on the exterior as a moisture barrier with a tile... so that is where my thinking of doing something similar on the rest of the house came from. Trying to gauge if that will be adequate... and where to run the drain since I don't think I am capable of running it to the storm.

 

In order to do a proper drain tile job you need to excavate to the bottom of your footing, and out at least two feet from it. You need washed stone below and above the drain tile and a geotextile fabric above it to filter sediment. As for waterproofing the walls, there are lots of products to do the job. Their effectiveness almost always comes down to how much you are willing to spend and how well they are applied. If you only have a crawlspace, I'm not sure why you would want to bother with the rigid insulation unless it is a conditioned space.

Draining the drain tile to a ditch or another low-lying location is always the best option. You will have to check with local codes to see if you can drain into the local sewage wastewater system. A french drain or dry well is an option, but its effectiveness depends highly on the groundwater level in your area.