Foundation Problem?

Jamie_6

Hey guys,

This is not a heat related problem but maybe someone has run into the same issue!

We just recently started taking in water in our crawl space and slab level of our home. I dug down to the footer and then another 4 to six inches, scrubbed the walls and then going to tar them this week. I was then thinking of doing a French drain on the exterior of the house.

Do you guys have any other suggestions to help solve the problem?


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Steamhead

Where do your downspouts drain?

The Dead Men used to install drains to carry downspout water to the street, alley or other suitable drain point. The idea was to keep the water away from the foundation, which they knew was not watertight.

This is much easier to do today, using a DitchWitch and PVC pipe. But few builders bother to do so. It might be time for you to do what someone else didn't.

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clammy

water source

Is the water entering from the outside via gutters and downspouts or it is from a rising water table if so do what is called a floating floor with a sump pump .The floating floor is just a 1 inch gap you leave uncemented so water that enters from the foundation walls just runs into the drain pipe which drains into a sump pump pit used to install them many moons ago when i was young and strong

Weezbo

ok

tar is late in the game...you already have moisture.... instead put 2" blue foam then wrap it in bitchathane...then do som water diverting Away from the house ...personally i'd pump some Heat and fans at it first to drive out some of the heavy duty moisture...place some tarp or visquine over the ditch leave it open on two ends and fire up a master heater for as long as it takes to get the moisture out put the heat up in the house too and once you have it above the outside temp crank a 20 dollar fan in to remove moisture in the basement.straight out the nearest window...when the walls change colour outside you will have removed the preponderance of the water..this is the honest truth..there is no way to seal concrete from the Inside once there is moisture comming thru the wall.and while there is a sealer that will indeed water seal from the inside now the remaining water is in the wall not a good senario....sealers should be applied from the out side when "dry"to attempt it later if it works at all will lock the water in the wall and trash any insulative value whatsoever then comes mold abatement etc...

Constantin

There are a number of approaches you can take

I found the foundation and concrete book from the Taunton Press to be an excellent introduction to foundations, their repair, and protection.

First of all, I'd be very careful about digging down without potentially bracing the main beams/sills of the house and whatnot. Many foundations are not meant to be freestanding, particularly if they're made loose stone, etc. Digging out a reinforced concrete foundation will usually be OK.

Do a condensation test to see where the water is coming from. Simply duct-tape on all sides a piece of plastic to the exterior foundation walls and floor and see where condensation forms. For example, there is little point to waterproofing the walls if the real culprit is hydraulic pressure making the water seep in from below.

Think Drainage. Keep the water away from the foundation, and much of your troubles will go away. Thus, I second the notion for a downspout drainage system, ideally using gravity to get to daylight. Install a completely seperate drain system for the footings, as the downspout drains are the first to get gunked up. Surround the footing drain with 3/4" gravel and a geotextile burrito to prevent the silting up of the foundation drains. Drain these to daylight also.

Next, consider the various products available on the market to prevent water from seeping into the house. After reading the literature and going online, I selected Rub-R-Wall, a professionally applied product that is guaranteed for your lifetime to keep the basement walls dry. It's about $3.5 a square foot (i.e. not cheap) but it elongates up to 18x its thickness without ripping to bridge gaps and whatnot. It's also great to glue on Drainboard (2" XPS with drainage channels pre-ripped, it channels drainage water past the foundation down to the footing drain).

Don't forget to backfill with soil sloping away from the building.

As a last resort, consider interior drains. They usually require a sump pump (which must have a reliable electrical backup!). Such systems in conjunction with a dehumidifier may keep the moisture in the basement down to a dull roar. However, the real trick is to keep as much water outside your foundation as possible.

You could also discover that your foundation walls are so shot (one of ours was 5" out of vertical) that it's simpler to replace the basement altogether. In the attached picture you can see 65 tons of steel and house floating over my head, and that's after the interior demo!

lolo

search for system platon. It is a plastic membrane that you wrap around the foundation.
I have used it and it is excellent. Affordable, 30 year warranty, it will work even if you pinch it.
You will need to put drain tile also.
As other people are suggesting check for gutters first, and make sure the land slopes away from the house on everyside, or do a french trench were not. Those repairs are easier/cheaper then excavating+platon, but if you do the platon it will work even if the gutter damp all the water into the foundation. I have tested it.
There's also another brand selling it. Also called a dimple membrane.

Matt Undy

One more thing

What I don't think hs been made clear is that it is imparative that you drain the water away from the wall through downspouts, grading, or as a last resort tile. The water up against the wall will damage the wall. The drainage should be such that you don't need the membrane. If there is water there for the membrane to hold back the pressure from the watr wil still damage the wall especialy if it freezes.

This ssumes its surface water and not ground water or condensing humididty.

If it started all of a sudden, look for broken or clogged downspouts or extensions and look to see that there isn't a seperate storm sewer line that has cogged.

Matt