Solving Water Problems In Basements Water Problems

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Sump pump systems: If you've got a sump pump, you're also almost certain to have a perimeter drain. In this case, if your pump is working but you've still got a water problem, at least a portion of the foundation drain isn't flowing properly to the sump.

Gravity systems: Lacking advice from the builder or original owner, you may not find it easy to figure out whether your home has a gravity drain system. To confirm its existence, you'll have to either locate the outlet for the system or dig down and look. If you find no drain, it's time to call in a pro with a backhoe and have him or her put one in.

Assuming that you have a drain system and that all the accessible portions are in good or der, the difficulty may be that a section has become plugged or has collapsed. Either is a serious problem, but it still may not be necessary to uproot the whole foundation. If you can pinpoint where water is leaking into the basement by examining the inside of the wall, there's a good chance that the problem area will be directly outside.

Barring that, you can test the drain system from the outside with a garden hose. Sump pump systems can be probed by attaching a 6-foot length of steel 1/2-inch water pipe to the hose and using the jet of water to bore down to the footing. Move around the basement walls in 6-foot intervals and look for locations where water doesn't get to the sump in the basement. For gravity systems, just saturate the soil next to the exterior basement wall in a suspected area for several hours. If you get a gusher inside, you've found a good place to start digging.

5 Add a perimeter drain system and sump pump

This is no small undertaking; you may want to consider hiring someone with the proper tools to do it for you. Nonetheless, here are the basics: Start from inside the basement by cutting a hole for a sump in the concrete slab about 2 feet from the basement wall. This hole will need to be about 2 feet in diameter, but you should find out the exact size of the sump tile (clay, concrete, or plastic) from your plumbing supplier.

Before placing the tile, dig a horizontal 6-inch-diameter hole under, and to the outside edge of, the footing. Place a section of 4-inch plastic pipe in the hole, and then complete the sump pump installation. By doing this work first, you'll be sure that any rain that arrives while the footing is exposed will head straight for the sump.

A small backhoe will cut the time and effort needed to dig up the footings by several orders of magnitude. But if you've got a strong back and plenty of perserverance, you can save quite a bit of money by hefting a shovel yourself. Whichever approach you choose, start where the 4-inch pipe passes under the footing and dig a tapering trench all the way to the bottom of the footing. At the bottom, the ditch should be 10 to 12 inches wide to allow room for the tile and gravel. Continue around the house, tunneling under sidewalks when you can or leaving out the drain where it's impractical to go under a larger section of concrete. Once the trench is finished, clean the wall thoroughly, and use Fig. 1 as a guide for installing the drain, the waterproofing, and the backfill.

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