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| My Foundation Is Leaking After A Big Melt | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 28 2016, 07:22 AM (1,616 Views) | |
| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 07:22 AM Post #1 |
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Small Star Member
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My Foundation Is Leaking After A Big Melt It is not leaking anymore because the big snow melt is over. My property is 40 x 210 ft. The snow was 6-8 inches in depth and it disappeared in 24 hours. And then, to make matters worse, it began to rain for 6 hours just after sunset I just bought the house 2 years ago, and a year after we moved in, there was a "Record Breaking" rainfall in a very short period of time, and I had leaky foundation walls then too. When the heavy rains happened, I used a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, and turned on 2 very large fans in the laundry room and the furnace room. I also turned on the stand alone air dehumidifier. The humidity in the basement was 67% because of so much water maybe. During the event, I just ran the wet and dry vacuum around the floor area and for about 4 or 5 hours to stay ahead of the water coming in. I did the same trip this time. My basement floor is now about 80% dry. So, I am okay right now. I think a huge contributing factor was that the eavestrough along the roof was not draining properly onto the property. Lots of water was overflowing from the eavestrough directly against the foundation rather than further away from the house or down the driveway a bit.. Anyways, I gotta think worse case scenario now ...... This is the 2nd time I've had the Sh?t scared outta me in the past 2 years. I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahviU2JVOTQ I think I am gona buy about 4 of these pumps. Leaky Basement Water Extraction Pumps Simer Smart Geyser 1/4 HP Submersible Utility Pump $229.00 each 9935833S https://www.lowes.ca/water-pumps/simer-smart-geysertrade-14-hp-submersible-utility-pump_g1437654.html And if there is a power failure, then I need a generator because when the power is out, my sump pump stops. If I purchased 4 of the above mentioned pumps, if the power goes out, I can just drop all 4 of the pumps into the sump pump well and run them off the generator. No need to purchase a battery operated back-up Sump Pump. Electric Generator: Pulsar 10000 Watt Generator $1,199.95 Model # PG10000C | Store SKU # 1000826637 Capable of operating up to five major appliances at one time. The 15 HP OHV gasoline engine can operate for up to 12 hours on a single 8 gallon tank of gasoline and do so by providing not only 12V, 120V and 240 volt power, but special 30 and 50 AMP circuits for total control of RV units. 8000 watt rated 420cc engine https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.10000-watt-generator.1000826637.html Any other ideas? Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 07:30 AM.
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| Dialtone | Dec 28 2016, 07:41 AM Post #2 |
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Gold Star Member
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Fixing leaky, sinking, or upheaving foundations can be an expensive fix. Most basement water comes from poor drainage on the outside, and not enough slope on the lot away from the house. Putting in a sump pump is probably the least expensive and good for the small leaks, especially if you know where the water is likely to come in. In our area, every newer house has to have a sump pump connected to the weeping tile around the base of the foundation. Even so, lots of home owners don't check to see if their sump is working, and on our street there has been 3 houses with flooded basements due to spring runoff and torrential rains. A generator would be a good backup, but most sump pumps will handle the influx of water singularly, a 3000w generator would be sufficient and you can get a Champion model for about $500 that will sit in the garage gathering dust, just like the one I sold this spring. There are hydraulic cement products that can fix foundation cracks, and some products that will put a "trough" around the inside of the wall to gather the water as it comes in, and run it into a sump. Personally, I would get a professional opinion, foundation water isn't something to be treated lightly. |
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| Durgan | Dec 28 2016, 07:45 AM Post #3 |
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Veteran Member
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Don't panic. It is not a Catastrophe. Almost every basement leaks particularly new construction. First. Insure all the downspout water is directed away from the house. This is as simple as hooking a plastic flex pipe to the down sport and run it away about 8 feet. Second. Find the lowest spot in your basement and dig a hole about 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. Install a simple sump pump and run the outlet through the wall similar to the downspout pipes. Whatever you do depending, upon your ability, don't get one of those experts in. I have had my basement leak in my last three houses. I have used a sump pump, changing downspout and even silicon closing cracks that does nothing. Bit of a bastard trying to sell a house with a wet basement. Also you should disclose a leaky basement to a new buyer to prevent claims. |
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 08:02 AM Post #4 |
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Small Star Member
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Durgan Said: "This is as simple as hooking a plastic flex pipe to the down sport and run it away about 8 feet. Oh! That is a good move or a good suggestion. I already got a sump pump. I would think that 1/2 the houses in my area have sump pumps. The sump pump was always running properly and removing all the water in the well. The leaking was where the foundation wall meets the concrete floor. Also, through a very small crack in the concrete floor. But mostly around the Cement Floor and Concrete Brick Wall junctions. In two years, it has always been a "catastrophic" weather event that left me with a wet basement. I don't know for sure how many times I had to empty the wet and dry vacuum, but I would hazard a guess that the total water vacuumed was about 150 gallons. But, if I ever found out that it was happening under normal weather patterns, I would be digging the basement out today. I would be calling a contractor and repairing the foundation. I can not live with this threat if it was constant. I am sort of wondering to be certain if the flooding was a result of abnormal water saturation (from melting snow/rain) - a catastrophic weather event, or not. Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 08:15 AM.
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| Dialtone | Dec 28 2016, 08:05 AM Post #5 |
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Gold Star Member
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The main reason to have it checked professionally. If you sell a house without disclosing known issues, leaks, or defects, you could be sued and if it's serious you likely will be. Our last house, I had to have a professional structural engineer assess the foundation, and I gave his report to the new buyers so nothing could come back to haunt me, it was the best money I've spent in a long time, just for peace of mind after the transaction. Always have your ass covered with both hands when dealing with lawyers and real estate shysters. When dealing with runoff and getting rid of excess water, you have to be mindful of the town/city bylaws and also make sure your neighbour isn't flooded out due to discharge. |
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 08:10 AM Post #6 |
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Small Star Member
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When I bought my house, I paid 4 or 5 hundred for a building inspector. He spent 5 hours checking every hole/crack and cranny and gave me a 50 page report with photos. Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 08:11 AM.
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| Durgan | Dec 28 2016, 08:40 AM Post #7 |
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Veteran Member
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Waste of time and money. A 50 page report is stupid. At most you want a one page summary.If built properly there should be no leaky basement. I had a shack in Mississauga in a new sub division. Most of the utility poles had adverts for repairing leaky basements. Their cure was a silicon gun trying fill the holes, which never works. To do the job properly is very expensive, since it entails digging out the very foundation, which is seldom done. Access is often not even possible. I sold and moved. Caveat emptor. |
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| Dialtone | Dec 28 2016, 08:45 AM Post #8 |
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Gold Star Member
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With that report, you should have known what you were getting into. Hopefully, you adjusted the purchase price to allow for repairs. |
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 08:57 AM Post #9 |
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Small Star Member
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Hi! Durgan: Oh! I got a one page summary too. And, I might view the building inspector in a different light once I become convinced that the leaking is "Normal" and not some isolated event caused by a catastrophic weather incident ..... such as a big snow melt this time or record breaking torrential rains as what took place the first time it happened. The reason I mentioned a sump pump is because I always intended to buy a back up system because the insurance companies make it almost mandatory now. In case the power goes out, the sump pump needs to be able to run on batteries. So I thought I would just buy an electric generator and if the power goes out, I can run the sump pump as well as keep my food freezer frozen. The reason I pointed out the small submersible pumps at about 200 each and I need 4 in order to have them in certain low-lying cement floor areas around the basement. Because by going this route, If the power goes out, or if my sump pump breaks down, these 4 pumps are small enough, that I can just place these 4 small pumps into the sump pump well and turn on the electric generator, rather than run to a store in the middle of the night looking for a replacement sump pump. I want to buy small pumps because standing around for 6 hours running a wet and dry vacuum back and forth across the floor yesterday was not at all entertaining. I think that if I buy 4 of these pumps, it will beat using a wet and dry. And if my basement leaks again and I can't blame it on catastrophic weather, then of course I am going to curse my building inspector. And, for certain I am going to have the foundation dug up and redone. For sure. I have no intention of drowning in my own home. I could not sleep at night if I thought there was more than a 20 percent chance that my basement is gonna leak. Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 09:09 AM.
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| Durgan | Dec 28 2016, 09:05 AM Post #10 |
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Veteran Member
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Don't overkill. Just keep items off the floor and try the simple solutions. Then MOVE. |
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 09:12 AM Post #11 |
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Small Star Member
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Durgan: I ain't moving. I am quite prepared to spend 20 thousand on whatever it takes to stop the leaking. I just gotta know why it happens, and in the meantime, need to get things ready for when/if it happens again. I am gonna buy 4 small pumps to have in case of emergency rather than use a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. During spring run-off last year, I never had a problem. I think the leaking happened because the snow melt was too severe for any foundation to handle. Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 09:14 AM.
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| campy | Dec 28 2016, 09:23 AM Post #12 |
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Handyman Extraordinaire
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First of all do you know if the house has weeping tiles all around the foundation draining the water away from the foundation and routing it to the storm sewers. Or to a sump pump and pumping it away from the foundation. Otherwise what is happening is that the water is coming in at the bottom where the basement walls meet the foundation. There's no way to stop that. It comes into the lowest point it can find. Here's a diagram of what should have been done or what needs to be done. http://inspectapedia.com/Wet_Basements/Foundation_Drain_Specifications.php |
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 10:42 AM Post #13 |
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Small Star Member
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Yeh! I got the weeping stuff and that kind of a setup. I understand the concept, but this is all completely new to me. I never lived anywhere that had a sump pump before. I always rented. Holy Jeeze, I had not raked or even mowed a lawn in at least 40 years. This is my very first house. Everytime something happens, like a leaky basement as an example, I gotta go directly into "Learn Mode" and Google. And it happened at Christmas time. I noticed a very large puddle of water in my driveway yesterday. A puddle about 2 inches deep or less. About a 15 or 20 foot area, and lots of water came into the basement from that side or corner of the house. To form puddles, the soil must of been totally saturated. Normally, the driveway does not puddle. Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 11:04 AM.
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| Calm | Dec 28 2016, 02:49 PM Post #14 |
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Small Star Member
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I think I need something like this and hook it up to the down spout from the eavestrough. Yesterday, the downspout was pouring into my driveway at the corner of the house. It created a huge water puddle next to the house. I need to redirect the water to drain further on down the driveway. Something like a heavy duty 4" round sock would work. Some foldable material that would lay flat on dry days and not impede my walking up the front steps. On rainy days, and using the law of gravity with a roofline of 30 feet or so, the water will down flow pretty good. Sock https://www.google.ca/search?q=roof+rain+gutter+hose+extension&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=766&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi95ILj25XRAhUI1oMKHeC1BgAQsAQIIQ#tbm=isch&q=COLLAPSIBLE+gutter+hose+extension&imgrc=cvZsa7NvnOowGM%3A DownSpout https://www.rainguardusa.com Calm Edited by Calm, Dec 28 2016, 02:53 PM.
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| Trotsky | Dec 29 2016, 03:07 AM Post #15 |
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Big City Boy
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Here yah go, calm, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003N87YHI/ref=psdc_13398841_t3_B008CCHQE6 |
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