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3 sides of the walls (mostly on the top and middle part of the wall) in my basement are wet after rain. All the walls are below grade. There was no sign of water coming from below the basement floor.
I had 3 contractors coming in to see the place. Two of them suggested french drain with 2 sump pumps. The other said that the french drain is mostly for water coming from below the basement. He suggested to do waterproofing from the outside (i.e. dig down, put tarp and mesh on the outside wall of the basement).
I also had an independent house inspector looking at the issue. He said doing it from the outside will not release the pressure of water on the basement foundation. He suggested french drain.
Did ANY of them discuss gutters, downspouts and foundation grading?
Start there.
If water has found it's way in once... it'll find it's way again.
This is where the perimeter trench, drain tile, sump and pump come into play.
Have a place for the water to go... and way to get it out.
That's the second step.
Did ANY of them discuss gutters, downspouts and foundation grading?
Start there.
If water has found it's way in once... it'll find it's way again.
This is where the perimeter trench, drain tile, sump and pump come into play.
Have a place for the water to go... and way to get it out.
That's the second step.
Yes, the gutters, downspouts and foundation are all in good condition. So your suggestion is to do perimeter trench and sump pump instead of waterproofing from the outside?
If it's the top and middle of the walls that are wet, perimeter trenching (I assume you are talking inside) and sump pump will do nothing until the water reaches below floor level. Your primary goal should be to keep the water from getting in if possible, rather than removing it once it is in.
Yes, the gutters, downspouts and foundation are all in good condition. So your suggestion is to do perimeter trench and sump pump instead of waterproofing from the outside?
Good condition but is the downsprout drain far enough away from the side of the house?
I remember when I purchased my house, I had a water remediation company do an assessment at the seller's expense. I thought there may be a problem with water getting in since there were signs of water penetration on one of the wall. When they came out, they told me to just make sure that drain are far enough away from the side of the house. I've been living at my house for 8 years, never a problem with moisture on walls when I followed that advice.
Yes, the gutters, downspouts and foundation (grading & planting) are all in good condition.
I've yet to see even one house where all 3 were all in good condition.
Even if it's just leaves in the gutters... one of the 3 is always amiss.
Quote:
So your suggestion is to do perimeter trench and sump pump...
...if all the surface water from rain etc are being dealt with correctly and completely
then the water that MUST be coming from below needs to be addressed.
Which is the bottom line point: know where the water is coming from.
hth
I have checked the downspouts. They are all draining far away from the house to a lower point. The floor on the basement has some minor cracks, and there are no water stains along these cracks. I assume the water is not coming from below. Besides, the other wall on the same level does not have moisture.
I am in Long Island, where the soil is clay, not sand. When it rains, water does not easily flow down and may accumulate around the house. I am not sure whether we should say that water is coming from below. Maybe I should put a sump pump from the outside (just kidding)?
I finally gave in and having Dry X pit a perimeter drain trench in with 2 pumps. I dont get alot of water but i dont want any down there and would like to finish it someday.
Honestly, doing it from the outside is probably best, but more expensive and i don't like the idea of excavating around the house
I had a similar issue with my garage (my house is on a hill and the garage wall is on the "up" side). I had drain tile installed on the outside and also had a downspout drain fixed, also a new foundation barrier. Problem solved. When they dug it up they found there was already drain tile there, but it was completely collapsed.
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