1st Time H.O. help with basement leaks


  #1  
Old 09-19-18, 04:19 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
1st Time H.O. help with basement leaks

Just bought my first home 6 months ago. Have noticed some spotting in the basement when we get a heavy rain.

Took some pics and hoping people can offer some advice, as I want to get the basement finished into usable living space in the next few years.
 
Attached Images    
  #2  
Old 09-19-18, 04:22 AM
Marq1's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: USA MI
Posts: 9,745
Received 1,210 Upvotes on 1,098 Posts
Is that a below grade entrance door?
 
  #3  
Old 09-19-18, 04:23 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Some more..
The last pic is the base of my chimney, which I'm guessing is a completely separate issue than the walls/floor joints.
 
Attached Images    
  #4  
Old 09-19-18, 04:26 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Is that a below grade entrance door?
The door you see with the step and welcome mat is above ground level on that side of the house.

Our home is seated strangely on the property. Basically, if the house is a rectangle, one of the short sides, and one of the long sides is below grade, and the other 2 sides are not. So we have a slider, and a normal door that walk out, and the other 2 sides of the home are "below" ground.

The water you see by the welcome mat is leaking in due to the patio outside the door taking all the roof water and pooling near the house. We are in the process of getting gutters and downspouts currently
 
  #5  
Old 09-19-18, 05:05 AM
S
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: upstate New York
Posts: 373
Received 3 Upvotes on 3 Posts
Figure a way to get outside drainage water away from the foundation and I'm guessing you'll solve most of your problems. This may involve some earthwork, or maybe if your new gutters and downspouts are routed away from the foundation that will solve most of your issues. The water at the base of the chimney looks like you need at least a chimney cap, and maybe some repairs to the chimney itself. Once your new gutters are installed, make sure to keep them clean! Good luck
Steve
 
  #6  
Old 09-19-18, 11:31 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Figure a way to get outside drainage water away from the foundation and I'm guessing you'll solve most of your problems. This may involve some earthwork, or maybe if your new gutters and downspouts are routed away from the foundation that will solve most of your issues. The water at the base of the chimney looks like you need at least a chimney cap, and maybe some repairs to the chimney itself. Once your new gutters are installed, make sure to keep them clean! Good luck
Steve
Thank you for the advice Steve. There is no chimney cap so I know I need that, but the inspector said it needed some masonry work as the top of it was crumbling some.
 
  #7  
Old 09-19-18, 12:10 PM
P
Group Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: NC, USA
Posts: 27,592
Received 2,144 Upvotes on 1,920 Posts
The white fuzzy stuff is efflorescence. It is salts in the block that work their way to the surface usually caused by moisture. It's often not water that leaks down to the floor but enough water gets into the wall to dampen the block and allow the salts to move to the surface where they evaporate into colored mineral deposits and sometimes a fuzz or crust.
 
  #8  
Old 09-19-18, 05:21 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: United States
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
The white fuzzy stuff is efflorescence. It is salts in the block that work their way to the surface usually caused by moisture. It's often not water that leaks down to the floor but enough water gets into the wall to dampen the block and allow the salts to move to the surface where they evaporate into colored mineral deposits and sometimes a fuzz or crust
Thanks for your comment! I was wondering if that was mold or minerals! Now I know. Thank you
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: