I went downstairs to my unfinished slab basement and found just a little bit of water in various places where I have never seen water before. I kind of looked around, and could not find the source, but then my eyes happened to hit the circut breaker pannel and saw that the sump pump switch had thrown itself (it's on the same circut as the central vac...)
Anyway, knowing nothing about building and such, do you think any damage was caused? There wasn't very much water, but I do notice that the water kind of congregates in the area of where hairline cracks in the concrete are on the floor. I am not sure if those cracks were there before, or if they were a result of the sump pump not working for an unspecified period of time. Can too much water building up cause the concrete to crack? Should I have it inspected by a professional foundation guy who will probably try to rip me off?
2007-03-12 09:42:30 · 4 answers · asked by Robert N 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I would think the cracks were already there. Assuming that your sump is working again, the water should have dried up. It wouldn't hurt to put a dehumidifier down there and get the humidity down. As another answer said, you should consider using a waterproofing paint, there are several different brands available. Just make sure it says WATERPROOFING and not water-resistant paint. Paint the walls and floor.
2007-03-12 10:06:41 · answer #1 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You didn't say, but i hope you reset the breaker and turned the pump back on. If you did, and the pump kicked back on and emptied the sump pit, the rising water will eventually subside and everything will be fine, except for the dampness caused in your basement by the presence of the water.
You might want to get a large fan to put down there to circulate air to keep mold from forming in the damp conditions.
No permanent damage will result to the concrete floors, (theyre basically sitting in wet dirt on the bottom) but make sure mold doesn't have time to form.
You might want to make it a habit to check the sump pump once a month in the future.
2007-03-12 16:56:16 · answer #2 · answered by johntindale 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The excess water shouldn't have any impact to the floor. You will need to figure out why the pump/vac circuit gets tripped. Hopefully it is just because someone was vacuuming and the pump kicked on, but I suspect someone would have noticed sooner.
Drylok is a great product for retaining moisture, but I don't think it will stop full on hydraulic pressure. You have to keep your pump working or make improvements with the drainage around your home to lead the water away.
2007-03-12 17:05:49 · answer #3 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A little bit of water wont hurt after it dries look into a product called dryloc to seal the cracks or hydrolic cement or both
2007-03-12 16:47:59 · answer #4 · answered by Fergie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋