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Permalink Reply by John Boutet on August 17, 2011 at 5:32pm

We got a very little bit of water in but that was partly because we had a clogged downspout and some gutters overflowed.  Not sure if we would have seen anything if not for that.

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Permalink Reply by DeWain Feller on August 17, 2011 at 9:54pm

I've had a lot of water this year.  Part of it is due to the poor drainage around our basement (driveways on both side channel water up to the house); part of it is due to drains and gutters that need cleaning; and part of it is due to the inherent permeability of the field stone foundations that are used in a lot of 19th Ward houses.   Sunday's rain was particularly hard and fast, so even clean gutters, downspouts and drains could not carry the water fast enough.  The result was that lots of later overflowed from the drains around the foundation of our house.

 

The basement walls of more modern houses are built with cinderblock that is covered with waterproofing on the outside.  Modern houses (or really... houses built over the last 60 years or so) also have perimeter drains.   A coating like Drylock is ususually enough to keep the basement dry.

 

I've been planning on installing an interior perimeter drain and sump pump for years, but it will be outside of my budget for a few more years.

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Permalink Reply by Leslie Phillips on August 18, 2011 at 4:31pm

We didn't check during the storm. We were on the porch relaxing and watching the rain, without a thought of checking the basement. Later on when I went down I noticed dampness but nothing alarming.

 

There is a mystery pipe sticking up through our basement floor about 4 inches. It's about an inch in diameter. It is not capped. Once a year or so ago water came up through that pipe. That was the only time that happened. Does anybody else have a pipe like this, or can anybody tell me what it was for?

 

Leslie

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Permalink Reply by Laura Suda on August 19, 2011 at 12:00am

We had a clogged downspout and another one that was disconnected from the force of the downpour - they both caused some basement flooding. Our contractor came by and helped my husband build up the area around the foundation - hopefully, the flooding is done. Waterproofing the basement walls would be really nice for our home that was built in the '20's, but another hassle. Ahh! The joys of homeownership.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on August 19, 2011 at 1:11am

When we get that much rain that quickly, and if the ground is already waterlogged, I always get seepage up from the cellar floor.  Not a lot, just a two to three foot area.  It comes up through the floor, and I doubt there is any way to prevent it.  Maybe unless we waterproofed the floor, but that is not in the budget! The dehumidifier takes care of it in a few days.

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on August 19, 2011 at 8:21am

Good morning, My bsement (1920) on clay soil, does not drain, and I am told that Winbourne was built on swamp land, (I believe that). I get infiltration of water when it rains heavily or a fast spring thaw, water comes in from the walls and like Mark, from the hairline cracks in the walls. I have 2 sump pumps but the water doesn't necessarily fnd its way to them, I have on occassion over my 2.5 yrs here had to shop vac the floor. I have to use my b'ment for storage and all items are in plastic containers and clothes on racks....I have a box fan on 7/24 (recommended) and a dehumidifier 7/24, which definitely help. So far it does not smell, thank god.

 

 I am now in the proces of applying for a grant/loan combo from Neighbor Works to have basement majorally repaired. I am always stressed when their is significiant rain as to how much will it flood. I have had 2 companies quotes a year ago....one started at $11K, trench in and outside and finally came down to 9K. The same company did a neighbors basement for $7K when the neighbor held firm to that amount. He is very pleased with what they did.

 

Does anyone recommend a company for this kind of work. I can have my bid request sent to whomever I want.

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Permalink Reply by John Boutet on August 21, 2011 at 4:56pm

Sounds like a good way to go McClurg.  At Penhurst it was our rear cellar which developed a spring in the center of cemented floor when it rained hard.  The rear cellar floor area was slopped toward the main cellar.  The water flowed through the doorway into the front cellar and meandered across the main cellar floor to a floor drain on the south side.  I ended up chiseling through the cement along the North and west wall of the rear cellar and hand digging a 8" wide and 20" deep trench into the clay soil.  The trench was then filled with gravel along with a 4" perforated PVC drainage pipe and floor was re-cemented in with a 2" deep gutter along the wall to catch any weeping that might someday come through the walls.  Both top side gutter and sub-floor gravel trench of the rear cellar drained into a peripheral gutter in the floor along the main cellar wall to the floor drain on the south wall.  It worked very well and the spring in the floor dried up. 

Having spent several weeks of my spare time on my hands and knees excavating through hard clay and rocks, the prices you are being quoted for trenching inside and out sound pretty good.  You would not believe how much clay comes out of a trench that size, and it all had to be hauled out one bag at a time and bags of gravel and cement hauled in!  My knees and back are aching just thinking of that project. 

Are they going to be tarring the outside of the walls after they dig the external trench?

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on August 22, 2011 at 9:18pm

John, great detail about your mamoth job, wow, I am impressed.

I just got NWorks quote for bid for my project, circa 10K+, can't afford, do you think the inside only french drain would be enough??

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