Water in the basement question (Huntington: houses, buyer, inspections) - City-Data Forum

KarenBo · 08-23-2010, 07:20 AM

Hi,

I guess the rain last night was more than I thought. This morning I found some water in my basement. This happened once before in a different part of the basement when we had a really torrential rain storm. That area didn't get any water this time.

I'm wondering how big of a problem this is, but I'm not sure who to consult about it. I'm hoping its just that we need the parging replaced/fixed, but I definitely need to have it checked out before we have a much larger problem. Does anyone have any experience with any local waterproofing or foundation companies? Or any other suggestions?

RiddleMeThis · 08-23-2010, 10:45 AM

Do you know where it came in?

First thing I would do is check your gutters. We were getting water in and two things - #1 downspout was clogged so gutters were overflowing, and #2 the downspout was not letting the water out far enough from the house so we got a gutter extender. Problem solved.

KarenBo · 08-23-2010, 01:14 PM

Thanks. We actually just cleaned the gutters, but that's good advice. On further inspection, it seems like the water might actually be coming up through the floor of the foundation. I'm not sure what this means. We don't normally have this problem and we don't have a sump pump. Any other thoughts?

TomMoser · 08-23-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiddleMeThis

Do you know where it came in?

First thing I would do is check your gutters. We were getting water in and two things - #1 downspout was clogged so gutters were overflowing, and #2 the downspout was not letting the water out far enough from the house so we got a gutter extender. Problem solved.

Very true. Most water problems can be solved simply by directing the rain water further away from the structure.

twingles · 08-23-2010, 01:50 PM

I think water coming up thru the floor would be unusual unless you have a high water table or are near some body of water - is your basement finished?

We had water on the floor in our basement but it was coming in thru the walls. Is your property graded properly? We had a renovation done a few years ago and had a side stoop taken out - after that we had water coming in, we just added topsoil and planted grass where the stoop had been, problem solved.

Is this a new problem? I hear it rained a ton there last night.

rh71 · 08-23-2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiddleMeThis

Do you know where it came in?

First thing I would do is check your gutters. We were getting water in and two things - #1 downspout was clogged so gutters were overflowing, and #2 the downspout was not letting the water out far enough from the house so we got a gutter extender. Problem solved.

same here, we were getting water in both the basement and the downstairs room and a new gutter outlet (re-direction) for the water fixed the problem this time around.

KarenBo · 08-23-2010, 02:13 PM

I'll definitely look into extending the downspouts, but I'm still going to get it inspected by a waterproofing specialist because I'm sure that the parging around the foundation needs to be repaired/replaced as well. I'm just hoping that's all this is and not something more. Has anyone ever done their own parging? I've read online that it can be done DIY style but I'm not sure how difficult it is.

twingles · 08-23-2010, 02:34 PM

You might send a DM to KBInspections about this - he gave me some valuable insight into waterproofing.

AndreaII · 08-23-2010, 03:17 PM

We had a water problem in our basement as well - we thought it was coming in through the foundation, but it turned out that a window in the floor above was the culprit.

Another thought is perhaps you have an underground spring under your basement? It's highly unlikely, but here in Huntington there are many freshwater springs, and quite a few houses have been built over them, but without the home buyer's knowledge.

KarenBo · 08-23-2010, 05:01 PM

One guy came today to check things out. Told me it was the groundwater and suggested a french drain in that area. Curious to know if anyone else has ever gotten a french drain sump pump and the approximate cost. I'll try to get a couple more estimates as well but I have to say that I felt pretty good about this guy.