Those who have basements - does yours leak?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Those who have basements - does yours leak?

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:32:31 AM EDT

Mine is so odd. It never leaked during the typhoons of Ivan and KAtrina when they came through (torrential rain), but shorts spats like what we had over the weekend and I find puddles in the basement floor? Wth?

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:34:13 AM EDT

[#1]

No, and to be honest it suprises me.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:34:41 AM EDT

[#2]

Mine does, but only because I have a hole in the floor.
Said hole does have a sump pump in it though, so I guess its supposed to leak.

Probably not what you meant though.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:37:13 AM EDT

[#3]

Mine leaked like a stuck pig when it rained hard. The guys came out, fixed it with epoxy injection and I moved the gutter downspouts and it has been dry ever since.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:38:47 AM EDT

[#4]

Where does the water come in? Is it up through the floor?

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:50:55 AM EDT

[#5]

Yup, frequently.
I have a very old (approx. 150 y.o.) house. It has a thick rubble stone foundation. The "basement" is a celler with a cement floor. It's not usable for anything except rough storage/spare lumber, etc. It's strong, but porus; there's no way to stop it from leaking a bit.
Good news is that it never leaks very much. It takes a good inch or more downpour to get it started and it doesn't get deeper than about 1/2" or so and only in a few places; don't need to pump it or use any special technology. It evaporates.
I have to be careful about keeping rain gutters in good shape and I cannot landscape or garden just anyway I might want. Everything hinges on drainage around the perimeter of the house. But the house is good if you let it "stay within its capabilities".

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:53:47 AM EDT

[#6]

Never even seen a basement. Are they all dark and scary and damp like in the movies?

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:53:55 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Where does the water come in? Is it up through the floor?

Looks like the seam between the foundation and wall bricks.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:56:13 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

Never even seen a basement. Are they all dark and scary and damp like in the movies?

Mine is.
You're welcome to come over and spend as much time down there as you want. Just don't ask me to hold your hand.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:57:07 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

Never even seen a basement. Are they all dark and scary and damp like in the movies?

Not mine. Finished sheet rock, Two bedrooms and a full bath.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:57:29 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Never even seen a basement. Are they all dark and scary and damp like in the movies?

Seriously?

Yep, pretty much. Mine is anyhow.

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:59:01 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Mine is so odd. It never leaked during the typhoons of Ivan and KAtrina when they came through (torrential rain), but shorts spats like what we had over the weekend and I find puddles in the basement floor? Wth?

ditto

roy d...scratching head

Posted: 2/8/2006 5:59:21 AM EDT

[#12]

Mine did when we first bought the house. We bought a bunch of dirt and build up the flower beds to direct water flow away from the house. I still get a little bit of water in the basement, but not much and only when it pours.

Posted: 2/8/2006 6:08:19 AM EDT

[#13]

I get a little watter in the corners. It depends on how much rain we get and which way the wind is blowing. This doesn't compare to the day the water heater broke and I had 2 inches of water down there. Luckily my safe is up on a 6 inch platform. I now have 2 water alarms on the basement floor (good investment $10 each at Home Depot). I saw a wireless burgaler alarm system at Circit City that had an optional water alarm. This unit will dial 2 phone numbers when it goes off. I may invest in it, it would be nice to be able to have it call my cell phone if there's a problem when I'm at work.

Posted: 2/8/2006 6:11:08 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Mine did when we first bought the house. We bought a bunch of dirt and build up the flower beds to direct water flow away from the house. I still get a little bit of water in the basement, but not much and only when it pours.

There is the key, you have to move the water away from the house.

My Mothers house used to leak, but with an abundance of free concrete, its been dry for years.

Posted: 2/8/2006 6:13:17 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Where does the water come in? Is it up through the floor?

Looks like the seam between the foundation and wall bricks.

Sump pump. I had four walls done and it is dry now. $$$

G

Posted: 2/8/2006 6:14:09 AM EDT

[#16]

I have a basement. It has to rain BIG time for it to leak down there. It used to get a lot of water when we first bought the house (the previous owners lied to us) but doing a few things (replacing glass windows with glass block, building up the soil around the low spots, and putting in longer downspouts and splash blocks) has really helped. It takes a few days' worth of truly soaking rains to get in the basement now. Usually about once a year or so.

Edit: In my renovation plans I intend to repaint the basement (concrete) walls with waterproofing paint, particularly in the area that leaks... That oughta hold it for a few years after we sell

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:16:31 AM EDT

[#17]

Mine only leaks when there is water present.

But really, the only place it does leak is where the water line come in from the well to the pressure tank. I have tried sealing it 3 or 4 times and it still leaks when it rains hard or the snow melts. Fortunately there is a floor drain about 8' from the leak and the water goes into it.

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:19:48 AM EDT

[#18]

no leakie at my place with proper drainage and decent gutters

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:33:06 AM EDT

[#19]

Little seapage at one corner. Need to move that damn gutter outside some day. It's right above the sump pump, so I'm not that concerned with it.

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:37:28 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Looks like the seam between the foundation and wall bricks.

Clogged gutter drains along the foundation can cause that.

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:39:43 AM EDT

[#21]

Never, but my sister's has. We both have walkouts.

Posted: 2/8/2006 7:55:00 AM EDT

[#22]

No, but I watched my house get built and I was there almost daily checking that things were being done right...

Posted: 2/8/2006 1:48:02 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Looks like the seam between the foundation and wall bricks.

Clogged gutter drains along the foundation can cause that.

No gutters. And like I said, it is sporadic, which is so weird.

Posted: 2/8/2006 1:55:33 PM EDT

[#24]

our house is less than 2 years old. poured wall basement, no leakies.

Posted: 2/8/2006 1:57:58 PM EDT

[#25]

Ours leaked during the heavy rains. I saw where it came in one day when I was down there getting the sump pump started and the water heater re-lit. It was leaking at a crack in the concrete stairs. I think the ground saturation was the weak point as the other points of entry like the cellar door gasketing were not substantial.

Made me feel like a mid-westerner though.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Those who have basements - does yours leak?

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us