Basement waterproofing

kaiser715

kaiser715

Doing hard time
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Location
7, Pocket, NC
Background: This is my mom's house, built in 1956. Will probably be putting it on the market in the next 3/4 years. Basement has always been dry, up until Hurricane Floyd, when I checked in the middle of the night, found 2-3 inches of water in the basement. Opened up the floor drains and started mopping and pushing water. Every time a rain band came thru and we'd get pounding rain, about 15 minutes later, the water starts making it's way into the basement, along the back wall. There is a mortared brick patio extending 15' out from the house all the way across the back. I put in a french drain, running 4' to 7' deep, across about 3/4 of the back, but outside the patio, 17 or so feet from the house. Filled with 67's all the way to the surface. That took care of the problem up to the past year or two. The drain is still clear, and flows good when it rains, but...water still finds it's way into the basement.

One thing...that patio, although in good shape, does not slope away from the house. More or less dead level, but does slope/step off going along the length of the house. Downspouts dump directly onto the patio.

I am thinking it's time to dig up the patio, dig clear down to the foundation, waterproof the wall, then go back with the patio (probably in concrete this time), but properly sloped away from the house. Entire back wall is about 60' long.

BTW, backyard as a whole drains toward the house, front yard drains away.

Who's the expert here on basement wall waterproofing?? Will probably do a combo of DIY and hiring it out.

Anybody been thru this before?
 
A few random answers before anyone asks:

Built in 1956
Basement walls are full brick (inside/out), no block
Walls are covered inside (insulation/wood studs/paneling, except for laundry/furnace room
In that laundry/furnace room, exposed brick wall appears to be in good condition (no cracks/etc)...water there comes in at base of wall
Walls, under the paneling, are painted. Paint is in good condition (maybe lead?) but from what I have read, precludes interior waterproofing goop
Can drain to daylight if drain put in a foot or two above basement floor level, otherwise would have to cut concrete driveway (but can do)
 
I think you have the right idea - your best bet is to keep the water from getting to/up against the wall in the first place.
 
As you mentioned getting water away would be best bet if not its just a band aid and problem will come back. Weather its piping gutters away or regrading a area to slope water farthar away from house. This year has not helped the issues with all the rain.
 
Had the basement problem. 1962 brick ranch. Early 2000's there was an uber wet year like this one, and seemed like every single rain I was pumping non-stop.

Finally bit the bullet and had it fixed. Hired a company that came in and sawed 18" of concrete from the perimeter, and installed a drain to a sump, then patched the floor. It worked, but that sump pump worked like a one armed wallpaper hanger on parole every time it just drizzled.

The problem wasn't infiltration from the SIDES. The problem was the water table was so high due to the constant rains that water was rising under the slab almost faster than the pump could get it out.
 
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