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Ashear
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 10:18 am: |     |
I know I have seen messages about this in the past but none of my searches seem to turn them up. We just got a quote to put drains under the basement floor along 1 wall and half of another for $1800. Does this sound right? Anyone have any experience with particular companies. Has anyone tried to fix the problem from the outside? Thanks. |
Tracks
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 11:19 am: | |
We did it from the outside. It seems to have worked. The probblem with drains on the inside means that you still have water coming into the basement. That causes damage to the foundation. It gives you a false sense that everything is ok because there will not be a build up of water.
Dig a small ditch if you live on a hill to catch the water and redirect it away from the house. Also, check the concrete/bricks for any holes, and plug them with the waterproof cement (comes premixed at home depot). We did hire a guy to do some of the work. The problem seems solved and we spent about $1,000.00. We also had quotes for putting drains in the basement (the number seemed to be higher than your quote, but I am not sure). |
Ashear
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 11:39 am: | |
Could you give me the name and number of the person you had do the work. Thanks. |
Kathy
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 11:51 am: | |
When we bought our house, there was a sump pump in one corner of the basement but no drains leading to it. Water came in through some of the walls. The first time we tried to fix it, a contractor installed drains along the one-and-a-half walls that seemed to have the leakage problem.
This did not solve the problem. A later contractor pointed out that there were seepage marks around all the walls and that it was clearly a water-table problem. The solution was to put drains around the entire perimeter, and two new sump pumps. When the ground water level rises, it is pumped away before it reaches the level of the floor. This was a number of years ago but I think it cost about $9000--well worth it for a dry basement! The first, partial non-solution cost about $1500, I think. (It used the existing sump and pump.)
Working from the outside can deal with water that is coming from above (off the roof, through the ground) but not with a rising water table. You need to try to figure out what your problem is before you decide on a solution. |
Tracks
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 1:32 pm: | |
If I could remember the name I would. They advertise in the News-Record. I called both and used the one that actually showed up to give an estimate. The ad was under waterproofing. |
Debby
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 4:56 pm: | |
We used Gregory Wasterproofing for interior french drains. I think all the way around was about $2700. We also tried a variety of exterior solutions first (though not actual drains) i.e., regrading all the landscaping, new gutters and leaders with spalsh blocks angled away, etc. Didn't work.
We haven't had a drop siince the french drains (about 3 years) including Floyd. By the way, they connected to an existing sump pump.
Gregory did very good, clean work. They were out of here in two days, and so was all the debris.
Two families I know who have tried just doing a wall or two wound up doing the whole perimeter within a couple of years.
Good luck |
Eliz
| | Posted on Monday, February 5, 2001 - 4:59 pm: | |
Kathy - we have the same problem as you had and are still trying to decide whether to go ahead with fixing it. I recently had a quote from Gregory Waterproofing (highly recommended from this board) for around 3200 for french drains around the entire basement and a new sump pump. My major concern was whether the water was damaging the foundation and he said clearly it is not. |
Kathy
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 6, 2001 - 2:35 pm: | |
Eliz, In our case the water clearly was damaging the foundation. Blocks were crumbling. And if there's enough water pressure on the outside of the foundation to push water all the way through, that doesn't seem like a good thing.
We also have been dry since we had the whole basement done, including during Floyd. |
Eliz
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 6, 2001 - 3:10 pm: | |
Kathy - I also thought it didn't seem like a good idea that water is coming through the wall (and I still don't). The guy (and our home inspector) said the foundation material is very porous and if there is water it will seep through - I still don't like it. Is it french drains that you had installed? I'm just trying to figure why there is such a big cost difference. |
Taj
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 6, 2001 - 3:34 pm: | |
Try Vulcan Basement Waterproofing (973)482-0388. |
Kathy
| | Posted on Friday, February 9, 2001 - 10:19 am: | |
Yes, it was French drains that we had put in, and two sump pumps. I don't know why the cost difference--maybe our basement is a lot bigger. (It's T-shaped, not rectangular, so has a bigger perimeter.) |
Jgberkeley
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 9:17 am: | |
We had the problem as well. Outside work did not solve the problem as some of the water was coming up from the floor. We installed the French drains with B-dry. We are VERY happy 3 years later. They did a great job. Water does not come in via the walls any more as they drilled the blocks to allow a drain path into the drain trench. It took almost 6 months to fully drain and dry out the blocks. Now it is just a memory only jogged when the sump pumps kick into the empty the sumps. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 10:12 am: | |
Has anyone noticed their sump pumps working a lot lately? Mine seems to be going off several times an hour (for only 5 seconds or so). Is the water table rising, or is there too much run off right now?
Fortunately, my basesment is dry except for the well that the pump sits in. Maybe I should investigate the the drain pumps -- maybe a clog isn't permitting water to exit.
Does any know if it's normal that the water is pumped out of the house and connects into the same downspout as one of the gutters? |
Lseltzer
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 10:49 am: | |
Njjoseph: Must be all the snow melt lately. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 10:52 am: | |
I was hoping that's it, but with the very cold temps yesterday and today, I would have expected no snow melt. |
Eliz
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 2:58 pm: | |
Our sump pump has been going like crazy as well. It takes a while for the water to work it's way so even though the temps cold now you're probably still getting water from friday and saturday. |
Peterdsandman
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 3:53 pm: | |
You'd better put them drains around all four walls if you have nice things in your basement,like furniture,carpet or hardwood flooring.Things like that get ruined with one day of water.Unless you have insurance of course. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 4:03 pm: | |
The sump pump works beautifully, and there is not water coming in any other way than the well in which the pump sits. |
Kathy
| | Posted on Monday, February 12, 2001 - 11:49 pm: | |
NJJoseph, Yes, it is normal that the sump pump sends the water into the same drain that the downspout goes into. From there it should go into an underground drain and out to the street, and eventually into a storm sewer. |
Joancrystal
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2001 - 8:25 pm: | |
You need to know the source of your problem. The water in our basement is mostly from a river that runs under our house! the water enters through a low point in the middle of the basement floor. We get no seepage from the exterior walls. Basement windows and doors leading to the outside can also be a problem. A window well and a pump helped to prevent water from coming in one of our basement windows. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2001 - 3:24 pm: | |
How does one identify whether seepage through the walls is from the water table rising or from poor drainage outside, or for some other reason?
I had Vulcan over last night, because I had noticed some paint staining about 4' up the wall, so it appears to be water damage. The rep said it was from a rising water table. However, the seepage is only occurring on one wall, and it's there are 2 window wells on that wall. The wall is dry, as is the floor, although in December I had about a gallon of water on the floor during those heavy rains.
My gut feeling says it's outside drainage, which contradicts the Vulcan guy. And I don't want to shell out the $2800 to fix the wrong problem. |
Bobk
| | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2001 - 8:39 am: | |
Njjoseph:
The key may be the window wells. Water may be accumulating in the bottom of the wells and then seeping into the ground and then through the wall.
My suggestion would be buy some of those plastic bubbles at Home Depot that cover the wells and see what happens before spending big bucks.
I would also suggest that if your gutter pipes end next to the house, extend them away from the house. This cured the water problem in our basement.
As an aside, a couple of years ago one of our neighbors had some much hydrostatic pressure build up under the basement floor that if broke through the concrete and created a mini geyser with water squirting up about two feet!!! |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2001 - 9:09 am: | |
Bobk, thanks! I am getting the well covers to help out.
I got another waterproofer over last night (I was at the Home Show on Sunday, so I filled in all these little cards). The rep last night felt that I had a property grading problem, based on his internal inspection. We went outside to check, and the rain confirmed it: there is pooling between the air conditioner exhaust and the house, right where the seepage is occurring. I can fill it in with dirt, and do some minor regrading to keep the flow away from the house.
The first rep that recommended french drains never even went outside to check. I understand that french drains in the basement can cause more problems than solve, as they only manage the water, not prevent it. In addition, the foundation will be separated from the slab when the drain is installed, which could weaken it, too.
It just goes to show you that you should always get a few opinions.
BTW, my gutters exit at the street, so as long as they're not clogged, the water won't leak out onto the property. |
Ashear
| | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2001 - 9:56 am: | |
Would you mind posting the name and # of the person you got the second opinion from? Thanks. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2001 - 10:16 am: | |
The company was Mid-Atlantic, at 1-800-234-6292. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him for his card, so I don't have his name. I felt comfortable with him, since he told me ahead of time that he might find things I could fix myself, and then proceeded to search for all possible causes of the problem.
The first opinion (for the french drain) was from Vulcan.
I had a feeling that a french drain was going to be the choice of most companies, as Mid-Atlantic's suggestion that I do the work myself doesn't generate any income for them. Who is in business to NOT make money? :-) |
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