Heavy rain, puddles, I don't get it! (foundation, pool, drains)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am new to this site, so bear with me please? I found it because of a really helpful series of answers to a puppy training dilemma.
Here goes: I had my gutters replaced last August by a very trusted local firm. Several days afterward we experienced a cloudburst, after which there was a puddle of several gallons in the cellar. Of interest is that before the replacement, we never had that problem before.
Of course the firm sent over, several times, one of their most experienced guys.
We tried the obvious things: eliminating the risk of overspill from the gutters through the usual means, checking to be sure the downspout was not clogged (we only get little pine needles in it though, never leaves), checking the slope of the ground from the foundation wall outward), the actual pitch of the gutters, etc etc. Yesterday, unusally for us here, there was a downpour of about 1.75" in about an hour. Yet again, a puddle of perhaps four gallons in the same area. So given the infrequency of these torrential rains, it happens only 3 or 4 times a year.
Still, am I overlooking something else?
I have a good mason friend who examined the cellar from the inside. He's not at all sure he can do anything from the inside. I am sure I am not going to have a contractor dig the garden up, etc., for a fortune, to do it from the outside. My mason says not to worry about the water damaging the foundation; not enough water, not a lot of times.
This is not driving me crazy, but I welcome other ideas. The problem must be common enough. Thanks. PS I wish I could edit out my name, my first name is Johan, that is a lot more personal than "J Groth"!
Well the obvious is has where the downspouts drain changed from the previous setup?
Perhaps eleimination of some of a downspout in one area that is now being drained eleswhere?
Do they go into any underground pipes for drainage, perhaps you're older ones were in poor condition and not fully discharging all the water into a given area and spreading it around more. e.g you fixed one problem but have now created another one.
Thank you! ... but we gotta go somewhere further.
The downspouts all connect to municipal storm sewers.
Protracted water from a hose through the downspout into the drain pipe showed no backup at all.
I guess I ought to go outside during the next real downpour and see if there is any spillover. Stupid of me not to have tried this alrady, you may say, but I am frequently not at home.
Nonetheless, any ideas would be appreciated. It was nice of you to reply.
Johan
waterproofing the walls inside or out will nto solve the problem. You have to get the water away from the foundation. If you have a drainage system, it is not working properly. If you do not have a drainage system, then you probably need one. (big dollars to put one in after the fact). Unless your house is really old or built by an idiot, then you have a drainage system. Find out what is wrong with it, and get it working properly.
waterproofing the walls inside or out will nto solve the problem. You have to get the water away from the foundation. If you have a drainage system, it is not working properly. If you do not have a drainage system, then you probably need one. (big dollars to put one in after the fact). Unless your house is really old or built by an idiot, then you have a drainage system. Find out what is wrong with it, and get it working properly.
Thanks for your reply.
No idiot was involved in building our house. It has been often been admired by contractor friends as a fort.
Our downspouts drain right into municipal storm sewer drain lines. No evidence of backup there. There are no tree roots to be feared.
You're right about getting the water away from the foundation. But nothing appears to be spilling over from the gutters or at the downspout area where several valleys converge. I don't think the grade of the garden soil is sloping inwards. Of course, we have wide soffits.
This is what puzzles me so much. The problem only began after our new gutters were installed last August. Fortunately here in upstate NY we rarely get 1.75"/hr downpours.
Maybe you should tell me I should be grateful I have problems like this one. And little more.
I would work backwards. Where is the water coming in? Follow the water as best you can. Look in that area outside during a rain. If that fails, dig.
Even if the gutters are spilling over, that does not resolve your problem. What will happen in a huge unusual rain strom? Even if your gutters are leaking, your drains should be able to handle it.
If water is coming through, you are getting water alongside the basement walls. It is not draining away. Unless it is an incredible amount of water, your draingiage system ought to be able to handle it.
Our swimming pool was leaking. We lost over 5,000 gallons of water 12 feet from our house in less than 12 hours. The drain/sump system hworked hard, but handled it with no leaks into the basement.
Did they all do that before? e.g did the old system all drain into the municipal system?
Sorry I am new to this site, so I didn't manage well my reply to your comment. I resubmit, so I hope you won't have received a duplicate. (By the way, you are experienced in the site) Is there somewhere a tutorial on "what and where you can do things", e.g., what all the option buttons mean?
Our drains have always connected to storm drains, that's common around here.
I guess I just have to be with luck at home the next time there is a cloudburst (no leaks with any normal rainfall). And watch then for exactly where there is spillage. I reiterate, though, this problem never happened before the new gutters were installed.
One possibility (which doesn't turn me on): I noticed that the plastic sleeve into which the downspout fits as it discharges water into the drain line was cracked & a piece of it could not be found) perhaps fell into the drain and ended up in the trap, partly restricting the flow of rainwater.
I guess if that leads some overspillage from the drain back up and out into the garden, that would be one possibility. Or could something as simple as little pineneedles accumulating do it? Still, that would not have happened overnight and the problem began after the gutter installation last August.
But perhaps I had better just be patient and wait for the next big storm, as infrequent as they tend to be here. Whatever, the gutter guys have been twice here already; they've done some stuff, but as the problem recurred again a couple days ago, it ddidn't work. Everybody is clueless. I really think the only answer diagnostically is simply to observe outdoors when it pours.
Any other ideas?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
