Water in Finished Basement?

Question

the day after we closed on our first home - the area was hit with a big storm. I spent the evening back at our apartment as we hadn't moved any belongings in yet.

The next morning, I arrived at the house to find about a half an inch of water in the finished basement. The peel-n-stick type tiles were loose and water had clearly seeped under them as well.

I could identify no water marks or leaks in the walls or cealings and the majority of the water seemed to be on the floor near one of the walls.

I am mortified - but heard this can be fairly common.

Is there any merit to these waterproofing sealers you buy at homedepot?

Is a sump pump the only option?

Answer 1

You could take a walk around the outside of the house and look for cracks in the foundation. Since you have a finished basement you won't be able to see it from the inside. Then if you find a crack that is the probable source of the water problem you can fix it. This is a much cheaper option than digging up all around your house, installing a drain tile and a sump pump and waterproofing. It's possible you would only get water intrusion during really BIG storms except you wouldn't know since you just bought the house. Don't forget that your rainwater should all be draining away from the house.

In any case, consult a professional basement/waterproofing company. They can give you some options and some peace of mind too.

Answer 2

A sump pump is your best option, and you don't necessarily have to dig all around your house to install foundation drains. If you have nowhere to drain to (like when the ground all around is relatively flat) it won't help anyway. All concrete basement floors have gravel or something like it (sometimes coal cinders in old houses) underneath and all you need is a sump that drains the water if it rises to that level. This happens when the ground gets saturated during heavy rains. It's a bit of a job, but what would you rather do--turn your basement into a leakproof boat or drain the water into a sump before it gets up those last few inches, and pump it out? Unless you have water leaking through the walls, they don't need attention. And if the ground gets saturated enough, it will push up through any crack, hole or flaw anywhere in the floor.

Answer 3

You mentioned that you have a finished basement. It is more than possible for the water to be coming in from a crack in one of your foundation walls, traveling down the wall (behind the drywall, which is anywhere from 1 1/2" to 3 1/2" off the concrete wall, depending how it was framed), and showing up on the floor/carpet without signs on the drywall. Waterproofing from the outside is one possible solution, but is a lot of work digging up the ground around the foundation. Another solution is the patch it from inside. I used a company in the St. Louis area called "The Crack Team". They drill holes into the foundation wall and inject an epoxy that seals the crack. Hasn't leaked since that time from that spot.

It is also possible that the sill plate (where the base plate for the framing of above ground walls starts) is below ground level. Not very common on newer houses, as most foundations now days have to be 12" above grade. This was occurring at my house (65 yrs old), and the only fix was to install a drain grate to remove the water from getting to the house.

Hope this helps! I know how devastating it is to find your basement a mess and how frustrating it is to have to clean it up.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

Don't waste your money at Home Depot.

Is there a floor drain in the basement? If so that was the likely source, in a heavy rain, the sewers often back up. Check with a reputable contractor, a sump pump is likely the best course of action.

Answer 5

when this sstarted happening in my family home - we ended up digging around the house and waterproofing. they went with a "friend of a friend" the first time & a few years later had to get a "real contractor". the next time they had trouble was about 20 years later and it was the drain. the house was built in the late 40's and with the years of garbage disposals and such - there w as a built up. it was a lot of work but well worth the repairs. mak sure the drain is open andnot covered and.... we got a really nice indoor outdoor carpeting, shop vac and dehumidiyer for the times when there were washer overflows, kids spilage and such.

Answer 6

If you have a sump hole and no sump pump, get one asap. Check the outside of the foundation especially at the bottom edge of any window for cracks. If any are found a call to a professional contractor is probably wise.

Answer 7

sump pump is one option. but to catch the water coming in from any area you will have to put drain piping around your foundation which means you will have to dig around your house to route it. while doing this you can paint your foundation with a water proof covering to help. No cheap way of doing it right.

Answer 8

first use the outside ditch set up with digging down along the foundation outside LOWER than the foundation level....and trenching it away from the house and fill with sand and rocks...