How To Stop Water From Seeping Through Basement Walls

Water incursion into a basements is one of the major causes of property damage, musty odors and mold. Almost every homeowner will deal with some form of water incursion at some point or another. Depending on the nature and extent of that water incursion, homeowners can take heed of the following preventative measures to ensure their basements remain dry.

Extend Your Gutters

If the downspouts at your home are dumping the water 5 feet or less from the foundation, it is advisable to guide the water further away by using metal or plastic gutter extensions. These are not long-term solutions since they are a tripping hazard and not visually appealing. The permanent solution here is to install underground drain pipe which is invisible and moves large quantities of the runoff from the gutters a much further distance from your home.

Gap and Crack Plugging

You may see water entering the basement through gaps or cracks surrounding the plumbing pipes. Using polyurethane caulk or hydraulic cement, you can plug them yourself. This will usually cost less than a couple of tens of dollars. This remedy works when the water is entering the home as a result of soil or surface runoff. However, if the water is coming through the floor or where the walls meet at the joint, the problem is considered to be groundwater and plugging will not solve the problem.

Restore the Crown

If you continue to observe water incursion despite having plugged the holes and cracks and have also extended your gutters, then the surface water is not being drained away from the home properly. Homes are built on what is known as a crown of soil that is designed to slope at least 6 inches over the first 10 feet of soil each direction leading away from the home. Over the years, soil settles, requiring homeowners to rebuild it the crown with dirt. You can do this yourself by visiting a landscaping supply house and asking for a water-shedding clay-loam mix. This will cover an area that is two feet wide and approximately three inches deep, running along the foundation for approximately fifty-seven inches.

Reshape the Landscape

The siding of a home overlaps the foundation. As such, if you build up the crown, it may bring dirt too close to the siding. The minimum safe distance is considered to be 6 inches. If that is the case, create a mound of dirt (or a berm) or eight ditch that is wide and swale (a swallow). These items will re-direct water before it reaches the home. Berms are more for smaller areas and cost less money but do not make as much sense on a larger projects because too much soil will need to be trucked in. On larger projects, a swale will need to be dug out and costs approximately $1,000. Once the landscaping grows in, swales and berms can be attractive features in a yard.

Repair Footing Drains

If you notice the water entering your home in the basement area is low where the walls meet the floor, this is caused by hydraulic pressure pushing the water from the ground up into the home. The first step is to check whether footing drains are installed in the home. These are pipes underground a home that were installed at the time of construction. They carry water away from the home’s foundation. You can identify footing drains by looking for a drain or manhole in your basement floor. You may also notice a cleanout pipe cap sitting just a few inches on top of the floor. If these footing drains are clogged, open the clean out and proceed with flushing the pipes by using a garden hose. If this does not address the condition, you may need to hire a plumber who will use and augur to complete the job for approximately $600.00.

Install a Curtain Drain

If the footing drains are not working, you can install a curtain drain which will redirect water that is underground which is traveling toward your house. A curtain drain is a type of French drain. It is a trench, but it is shallow – approximately 2 feet in depth and 1.5 feet wide and is filled with perforated piping and gravel. These items serve to intercept water at the uphill portion of your home and transport it down a slope away from the house. This drain may pass through an area with shrubs or trees. If that is the case, consider using solid pipe since this will sharply decrease the possibility of roots becoming entangled in the pipes which will cause clogging. A reasonable cost for this is approximately 10-$16 per linear foot.

Pump the Water

If subsurface water continues to be an issue and you are unable to keep it out of the home, it will need to be channeled to the outside of the home from the inside. This will require an interior drain system. You will need to saw a channel around the floor’s perimeter, chipping out concrete and then lay in pipe that is perforated into the hole. This pipe will drain to a collection tank at the lowest point in the basement. A sump pump will then expel the water from the home. Such systems cost approximately $3,000.00 at the most inexpensive end. However, this is typically the least disruptive and best option where a homeowner has a basement that is finished and is easily accessible. It is also something to consider if you have a yard with very mature landscaping Since an extreior drainage system would cause distraction to the landscaping.

Waterproof the Walls

Waterproofing the walls is an additional step some homeowners consider in addition to the installation of the interior drainage system. You will need an exterior system for this purpose. Typically, a French drain is used to relieve the hydraulic pressure and waterproofing around the exterior in order to protect the foundation. This is a very large-scale job and will require excavation around the house. However, this may be your best and only solution if your foundation has a number of gaps and the above remedies are not successful. This will cost approximately $20,000.00 and will require the removal of walkways, decks, etc.

Water incursion into a basement should be addressed as soon as it is observed since it can escalate quickly into a very expensive problem. Using the above steps as a guide, make use of preventative measures but consider hiring a professional since that is always the best long-term remedy to any problem that is as serious as water seeping into your basement.