waterproofing basement

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jasonandjen

New Member
we have a minor water problem in our basement. we've been told a good dehumidifier would fix it, but we saw dampness in the basement closet floor. i really want to fix it right, and not whimp out and just run a dehumidifier all the time. as i see it, the foundation is "sweating". it is concrete block with brick above it. my dad (whom i bought the house from years ago) said it had been tarred aready. i dug down 2 feet with a shovel and didn't see anything. so when our renters move out of the basement, we're planning on digging up the yard and redoing the tar. i'd love some advice in this regard.

first of all can tar "wear off"? it is a 32 year old house. also, should we dig up the house and have a professional put on a rubber membrane. i had a guy recommended to me by a friend. potomac waterproofing based in virginia. or is it just as good for me to dig it up, and put on some tar or ice and water shield. would a plastic wrap after the tar be helpful, or would that possibly trap water in.

also we're having the drywall checked for mold just in case, but we dont expect anything. if it turns into something major where we have to rip out drywall, should we put something on the inside of the block while we're at it? any help on this project would be appreciated.
jason
 
DoWhat

DoWhat

Deplorable
PREMO Member
jasonandjen said:
we have a minor water problem in our basement. we've been told a good dehumidifier would fix it, but we saw dampness in the basement closet floor. i really want to fix it right, and not whimp out and just run a dehumidifier all the time. as i see it, the foundation is "sweating". it is concrete block with brick above it. my dad (whom i bought the house from years ago) said it had been tarred aready. i dug down 2 feet with a shovel and didn't see anything. so when our renters move out of the basement, we're planning on digging up the yard and redoing the tar. i'd love some advice in this regard.

first of all can tar "wear off"? it is a 32 year old house. also, should we dig up the house and have a professional put on a rubber membrane. i had a guy recommended to me by a friend. potomac waterproofing based in virginia. or is it just as good for me to dig it up, and put on some tar or ice and water shield. would a plastic wrap after the tar be helpful, or would that possibly trap water in.

also we're having the drywall checked for mold just in case, but we dont expect anything. if it turns into something major where we have to rip out drywall, should we put something on the inside of the block while we're at it? any help on this project would be appreciated.
jason
Click to expand...

Any water puddles on the concrete floor?
Drainage around the foundation?
 
Rael

Rael

Supper's Ready
jasonandjen said:
we have a minor water problem in our basement. we've been told a good dehumidifier would fix it, but we saw dampness in the basement closet floor. i really want to fix it right, and not whimp out and just run a dehumidifier all the time. as i see it, the foundation is "sweating". it is concrete block with brick above it. my dad (whom i bought the house from years ago) said it had been tarred aready. i dug down 2 feet with a shovel and didn't see anything. so when our renters move out of the basement, we're planning on digging up the yard and redoing the tar. i'd love some advice in this regard.

first of all can tar "wear off"? it is a 32 year old house. also, should we dig up the house and have a professional put on a rubber membrane. i had a guy recommended to me by a friend. potomac waterproofing based in virginia. or is it just as good for me to dig it up, and put on some tar or ice and water shield. would a plastic wrap after the tar be helpful, or would that possibly trap water in.

also we're having the drywall checked for mold just in case, but we dont expect anything. if it turns into something major where we have to rip out drywall, should we put something on the inside of the block while we're at it? any help on this project would be appreciated.
jason
Click to expand...
One of the things to check into first is why it is leaking into your basement. Does the exterior area around your basement slope enough to allow drainage away from the house? I think the general rule is a half a foot down every ten feet or so (near the house). Are downspouts given ample room to NOT go into the ground toward the house?

A dehumidifier might help the symptoms for a while, but not the cause. Say more about your basement in relation to the surrounding area regarding drainage.
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
Rubber membrane is going to expensive as hell. New construction allows for tar followed by plastic on the exterior. If a company comes out to do the excavation get ready to faint from what you're going to get charged.

Check all around the foundation and raise the soil a few inches, invest in some gutter drains that directs the water away at least 3 feet from the house.

Call mid Atlantic waterproofing for a free estimate, good company that does great work. Hopefully you can get it fixed for less than 10k.
 
J

jasonandjen

New Member
10k, lol. i'll fix 20 problems on this house for 10k. we have a guy going to redo our gutters for $435 on the front of the house, and my dad owns an excavating company (guy excavating/septic) so im in luck. we can dig up the basement portion that is covered by dirt ourselves. im sorry i didn't make that clear. should i dig it up and let someone do the membrane, or if we tar it ourselves will it be fine? i'd like to be done with it after this.

only the front half of our basement is covered with dirt and that is the side that is leaking. about half of it is covered by the extended out front porch, so only the downhill side has a leak. it is a nice steep slope so water can drain. does that mean a do it yourself tar job will probably be enough? i hear things about drain pipes in the foundation, or possibly adding a drain pipe just outside the house to aid in drainage. what is the code or standard procedure for this kind of thing?
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
We had Mid Atlantic come in dig out the floor to a depth of about 10 inches. They did a layer of gravel that sloped towards the new sump pit they put in. Also we had holes punched near the top and bottom of our walls so any water could drain into the new drain system. The bottom holes are covered by an "L" shaped rigid nylon diverter (for lack of a better word) that rests just below floor level.

Do you have a sump pump and if you do do you also have a battery back up? The back up is WELL worth the money and peace of mind. As far as getting 20 problems fixed for 10k, good luck with that, because 10k is not a lot of money, especially if you are having water issues in the basement, and good luck with the mold thing. Check your homeowners for your mold remediation policy.
Having access to free backhoe service is definitely working in your favor. The estimate we got to do the outside excavation to take care of our issue was $40,000, which included re tarring and sheeting the exterior walls and doing the interior work. The majority of that price was due to the fact that the area around the house has to be dug out by hand (by law).
 
J

jasonandjen

New Member
could it just be sweating on the inside of the concrete or walls. it has been a hot and humid summer and the dehumidifer has not been on regularly. i dont want to oversimplify it, but could it be simple as keeping on the dehumidifier?
 
P

peanutman

New Member
jasonandjen said:
could it just be sweating on the inside of the concrete or walls. it has been a hot and humid summer and the dehumidifer has not been on regularly. i dont want to oversimplify it, but could it be simple as keeping on the dehumidifier?
Click to expand...

Jasonandjen,

I wanted to see if you got your problem fixed? I'm having the same problems and just send an email to Mid Atlantic (Thanks Kom526). I have been running a dehumidifer for a month with no improvement.

Thanks!
 
Cletus_Vandam

Cletus_Vandam

New Member
Inside drain vs. outside prevention

I'll have a couple of posts to this thread due to the nature of my professional experiences. But I can assure you that if you have a choice of preventing the moisture from entering the wall vs. drilling and/or draining the water to an interior sump to be pumped out, your better choice BY FAR! is preventing the moisture from entering the foundation wall.

Sump pumps can fail and they depend on electricity..... I've seen first hand what doing without electricity for a few days can do to a basement that relied on a sump pump.....
 
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Cletus_Vandam

Cletus_Vandam

New Member
What is it and how to fixt it.....

There are a couple of things here to look for. First of all you need to determine where the moisture is coming from. You either have water infiltration from the exterior or condensation build up on the interior surface of the wall. Condensation is a much easier issue to address then the infiltration.

The best way to figure out which you have is with plastic [polyethylene]. Tape a 12" square piece of plastic to the inside face of the wall, making sure the tape seals the perimeter of the plastic completely; making an air-tight seal of the plastic to the wall. Give it a day or two then remove the plastic. If the wall is wet or damp behind the plastic, your water source is from the outside. If it is dry, your moisture source is the inside.

To fix the condensation problem, the fix is simple and least expensive of the two. Insulate the surfaces of the foundation walls and use an insulation that has a vapor barrier, preferably reinforced foil. Place insulation with VB to warm side [interior].

Outside infiltration will require excavation to expose all of the foundation wall, completely down to top of footing. Hopefully you don’t have a high water table and require constant pumping of the excavation area. If you do, you will have to install a membrane and a geo-tech waffle to aide in getting the moisture down to a foundation drain and away form the house. If you don’t hit water, a good mopping of two coats of foundation sealer, followed by an application of .006 minimum polyethylene will solve most problems.
 
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C

carie_47421

Yea Right
Call Bug Co ( Yes they do ALOT more than BUGS) in Mechanicsville - they fixed all of our problems is one visit... when Mid Atlantic could not find a problem...2k later (spent on Mid Atl) Albert fixed us right up!

301) 472-4847
 
Cletus_Vandam

Cletus_Vandam

New Member
carie_47421 said:
Call Bug Co ( Yes they do ALOT more than BUGS) in Mechanicsville - they fixed all of our problems is one visit... when Mid Atlantic could not find a problem...2k later (spent on Mid Atl) Albert fixed us right up!

301) 472-4847
Click to expand...

How does anyone charge $2k and not have the problem fixed?

Was their a disclaimer in their quote "not guaranteed to fix your problem, but we'll lien your a$$ if you don't pay".
 
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