while it is dry I have gotten 3 estimates to get rid of the problem, 2 of them are very expensive, but guarantee no water infiltration. the other that is affordable guarantees no water infiltration through my front basement wall which is the one that is completely underground. I need a way to find out if water is coming through the other 3 walls. I live on a hill and the front wall is the highest point, the rear wall is almost a walk out, with less than 1 foot of wall below grade, the 2 side walls slope in grade between the front and rear. is there something I can spray on the wall that will show me if water is flowing through there?
2007-03-02 23:37:09 · 3 answers · asked by nh_cherokee 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I know the solutions that are being offered, I want an answer to my question! is there a way to find out where the water is entering????? because that will determine which solution I will choose! PS... one of the solutions is digging the foundation and creating a curtain drain around the front of the cellar, re-grading the yard etc. but if the water is also coming in the sides I need to look at controlling the water after it gets in! BTW the house is 57 years old!
2007-03-03 01:34:28 · update #1
No. The only real fix is to excavate the block walls, install drains, waterproof the exterior of the block walls, backfill with gravel, add a silt barrier, then 6" of top soil.
If you have doubts about what to do, hire a geo-technical engineer to assess the problem and the best fix. He won't be doing the work, so he won't be trying to sell you a service.
2007-03-02 23:43:34 · answer #1 · answered by regerugged 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I see that you decide to only find water leek! You can find the water by using talc powder. Just brush it on the wall and it will dissolve away where it has got wet. But water will come in from another wall after you do the damp proof of 1 wall. so there is no point in looking to see where the water is leaking now as it will move around to find a new way in if you only do half the job. That is you need to do it properly if you never want water to fill up the room. Really there is no half as way of doing the job cheap. You will find it cheaper to do it all at once than chase the leaks ( that is doing 1 wall at a time) Sorry for the bad news.
2007-03-06 13:52:48 · answer #2 · answered by dgc1973ent 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the first guy is right. it's not easy and it's not cheap. a couple of things you can try yourself, make sure that rain water is properly diverted away from the house, however being on a hill makes that pretty difficult. there are products that can be applied topically to help stem the flow. two that come to mind are UGL Drylock and Thouro-seal. spraying is not recommended. a stiff brush and plenty of elbow grease to force it into the nooks and crannies. if you miss just one, the water will find it. good luck.
2007-03-03 01:23:55 · answer #3 · answered by sic-n-tired 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋