How do I keep basement dry during heavy rain?

Question

Have added downspout extenders, regraded around house, cleaned gutters. still get water in basement.

Answer 1

Seems like you have plenty of answers. Here is a web site from the University of Minnesota that explains problems and solutions. More than I could type in time allotted. LOL

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/components/7051-04.html

Best sight I have seen for Basement Waterproofing.

Answer 2

Your basement is flooding because the soils around it either do not drain (are composed of clays, etc) and trap water against the foundation or because of a high water table. A good test would be whether or not you have dampness in there when it is not rainy. This would indicate a high water table leading to infiltration. It can also be a combination of both. Either way, infiltration is the result of hydrostatic pressure pushing the water in when the soils abutting your foundation are saturated, as well as the capillary effect of water being pulled into dry material (concrete or stone).

I'll give you three options from cheapest (and least effective) to most costly (and most effective).

1) Cheap - you can buy a sealcoating product at your hardware store. There are 'sealants' that dry clear, cementitious sealants that look like 'painted on' concrete, and elastomeric coatings that are rubbery and dry thick, black, and opaque. The latter are more expensive but do the best job. These materials create a vapor and liquid barrier to prevent water from entering. However, they are hard to get perfect, and if you do not get it just right, hydostatic pressure will find a way for the water to go in. They also fail over time, forcing you to spend money on maintenance. They work best in concert with a dehumidifer to remove airborne water vapor. Dehumidifiers are not a great solution, however. Creating an artificially 'dry' basement simply invites more water to come in (via the capillary effect).

2) Middle of the road: There are companies who will install a basement drainage system inside your home. What they do is cut in a 4" channel at the base of the foundation into the concrete floor. It runs all the way around and links to a sump pump that they install in a depression somewhere near the lowest point. The channel is filled with crushed stone, and when water infiltrates, the channel carries it to the sump which ejects it into your sewer or to the outside. This system is cheap to operate because it runs only in the presence of water. However, it still is allowing water to enter the home, which may lead to elevated humidity, and mold.

3) Best Solution (most costly). the best answer is to replace the soils around your foundation with a drainage system. An excavator will come in and remove the soil around your foundation. Once the soil has been removed, a vapor/liquid barrier is applied, usually the elastomeric type mentioned above. This prevents water from entering the concrete at all, helping to avoid infiltration. Next, the excavated soils are replaced with copious amounts of crushed stone which drains water very effectively. Before the stone is filled in, a 6" perforated pipe is placed at the bottom running all the way around the home to channel off the water that comes through the stone. The pipe then runs out to a location in your yard where it can daylight or tie into a french drain or leach field which must be installed. This is the cadillac solution and should work very well. It also is nice because no work needs to be done inside the home. However, the price tag is the highest, especially if you have poor soils in your yard and have to put in a leach field or french drain.

Answer 3

could be a multitude of problems. if you live near the water or have a high groundwater table then water could seep up through the basement slab. If you have a brick chimney and thats were water is pooling in the basement the flashing on the roof might not be so good. Check for cracks in the foundation and definately seal the walls with dryloc or some kind of concrete sealant. if you have low windows with window wells in the basement make sure the window wells are draining properly also. when it rains heavily pay attention to where the water is coming in from and then you'll be able to really tell were the problem is.

Good luck

Answer 4

It seems as though the guy who lived in the living house previousley has tried to remedy this concern with floor paint or some variety of sealer. It does not artwork ! the terrific undertaking to do is to "tank" it. it is to be conscious a sand and cement coating with a waterproofing agent in the combination. There could be a waiting blended packeged product on the marketplace, make inquires at a sturdy builders provider provider. If there is no longer one then you certainly ought to call in a sturdy community builder (one cautioned) and ask him what he advises, sidestep cowboys ! Inquire at community council for a suitable tradesman. If money is tight then purchase adequate sand and cement to place approximately 30-50mm thickness over the floor. a million/ attempt to get rid of all of the prevailing paint. 2/ score the exterior of the floor. 3/notice a sturdy coat of P V A adhesive everywhere in the floor and enable it dry over night. 4/combination 3 of sand and a million of cement with water and waterproofing aditive and greater P V A (those proportions will settle for on the packing containers) 5/ make the combination "moist" because of the fact it is going to circulate better and lay it in one pass (no joints) 6/ use a extensive board on factor to point it out working the board backward and forward in a cutting action and attempt to criss-pass this action so as that there is no highs and lows in the floor. you're saying there are various rooms so p.c.. a small room first. i might suspect there's a leak below the floor it is coated, you could have the skill to sniff the damp. there is often a musty scent in a celler yet you could tell if it is unusualy "stinky". you could discover that as quickly as the flooring are achieved the partitions start to leak. subsequently the partitions want doing an identical way yet with much less thickness on them. this gadget may well be successfull besides the fact that it must be achieved properly. I even have wide-unfold a sturdy combination of the above to stick to glass ! The P V A is amazingly significant as is the waterproofing agent. Get the proportions maximum suitable. all of the terrific.

Answer 5

You are to close to the Water Table, when it rains, it comes up and in- Install a Sump Pump, and install the track that traps the water along the edge of the wall inside the basement and directs to the Sump pump. Looks sort of like a Cove Molding along the floor and wall.

Answer 6

use dry lock inside and outside of the basement and use a dehumidifier. plant moss near your basement, rocks can absorb water also outside.

Answer 7

Check out p2insulation.com it's a new insulation product that can be buried to direct water away from your foundation. It's the only thing that I have found that works 100%

Answer 8

you may also have issues with cracks in the cement depending on when the house was built. That shouldn't be something a caulk job couldn't fix.

Answer 9

Dessiccant bags help. They keep the moisture in the air dry.

Answer 10

install a Sump Pump