Home Improvement Today?

Having water issues in my basement. We've got melting snow outside and I've got some water seeping in between the slab and the block foundation. Looks like the previous owner applied drylok to the walls, or it could just be white paint. Any one have any recommendations for a interior sealer/waterproofer to use? Last resort would be a French drain.

 

Sadly, any interior applied paints will only bandaid the issue. Blocks are designed to fill up and no basement is ever truly water proof. While its costly, a sump pump drainage system is your best bet.

 

Best course of action is digging up the exterior and applying a drainage board

You can do an interior french drain but that isn't fixing the issue just moving the water away after it gets through the wall

This is why block sucks

 

We have a sump pump in case the basement floods but this is just some pooling along the slab and block. I think I might try Ames trowel grade blue sealant along the corners and see if that helps any.

 

How high is the wall backfilled outside above slab height ?

 

The walkout is three steps to grade. About 4ft below grade at the window and slopes about to 5-6' T the opposite end of the house. Upon further inspection I looks like the water might be seeping in where my waste pipe exits.

 

The waste pipe could be the entry point and it is allowing the block to fill below that with water where it then cascades sideways to the next block down etc

 

I'll try a fix with the patch sealer around the pipe and the slab/block joints and see what it does. We had this problem when our old gutters leaked water to the foundation but the new ones fixed that issue. I'm guessing the influx of snow melt is causing this. Might have to rent a mini excavator in the spring if this doesn't do the trick.

 

Water will take the path of least resistance so if for instance the utilities trench was lined with sand to bed the pipe it can fill with water acting as a conduit and direct water to your wall penetration , your sewer pipe trench is likely pitched away from the house but there may be enough melt water to have it back up in the trench and make its way towards the foundation wall

This water following a services trench is an issue we regularly have to contend with here because we typically build on sloped sites

 

Dirtyterp, I thought I was having the same issue but it turned out I had a low area near a window well and it would fill with water and then seep through the window. I hate water. Luckily, it was on my unfinished side of the basement.

 

Yea the outside grading isn't an issue as it slopes away from the house so I'm guessing the sewer line is the culprit like Oz is saying

 

Doorbell, my guess

 

not a bad view from the "office" today

 

DirtyTerp I had the same problem years ago and was coming in at the slab on 3 of the 4 walls. all 3 about 6' bellow grade and a farmers porch on the outside of 2 of them we went with a French drain. they drilled holes in the bottom row of cinderblocks and I cant believe how much water came pouring out of some of them.

 

Aye aye aye

 

they put a drain maybe a foot or more under the slab and some kind of a skirt along the wall that covers the holes and goes down the wall below the slab to the drain pipe they put in so the blocks wont fill back up with water. they drain out that hole against that skirt and down to the drain pipe.

 

Made a little dust collection bucket today for my basement "workshop". Parts were laying around for free and I have a old shop vac i can use with it, or my new stainless ridgid if I want.
Should cut down on dust and keep my shop vac filters clean, those filters are not cheap. The hose from the top goes to the shop vac the side hose does the sucking, it fits in chop saw output but can be used under table saw or just for vacuuming up around the workbench.

 

Is that a cyclonic lid ?

 

No I wish it was. I'll probably end up buying one if this doesn't work well. It's just a plain old lid that I cut a hole in the center on and stuck a pipe in about half way into the bucket, I cut the inner end on a 45.
Then I cut a hole on the side and slide a pipe in, again with a 45 on the end , the open part of the 45 faces down and sideways, kinda into the "corner" of the bucket. When I put the lid on i made sure the 45s where pretty much facing opposite of each other in hope to gain a little cyclonic effect. We shall see.

 

Holes were cut pretty close, I sealed with some silicone. I can take a pic inside the bucket tomorrow, I'll also test it out tomorrow.
I could put some kinda fine screen or foam pre filter on the end inside the bucket. Also I'm thinking it may need a secondary plywood top for some strength.