How do you stop water from coming in a basement wall?
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This is tricky.
There are so many issues here I would need more details. I restore homes for resale so I know TONS of info on this problem.
Roof drainage is where you start. If there are no gutters, put some on the house and drain away from the basement.
If the house is on a hill and the water is coming in from the "up" side, trench and put in a drain tile to the back or front yard, fill with stone and top with soil and grass seed.
If the walls are bowed from weak cement, put in some extra support with jack posts then build retaining walls along the bowed wall with either treated lumber or steel framing. Fill in cracks with crack fill and paint with water proof paint.
If the water is coming in from where the floor meets the wall, then you have cinder blocks allowing water flow from cracks on the outside. This is tricky as heck cause you have to remove any siding covering the top row of blocks, drill a hole to allow a cement slurry to be poured though and into the blocks. You will have to drill every other block on the top row.
Make sure you fill cracks and paint with water proofing paint first. This method will fill the cinder block openings and "heal" the outside cracks. For the best results, trench down 4 feet around the house along the basement walls and "tar" the blocks then lay drainage tile, stone and finally dirt and grass seed.
Do not plant anything along the walls that are leaking.
Do not hire those guys who want to trench your floor to lead water to the sump...its a rip off.
Do not store anything porous downstairs while the basement is damp because it will be a breeding ground for molds which can be deadly.
Do follow my ideas as they fit your needs because I know what I am talking about!
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Depending on the situation, you may have to dig outside where the problem is and re-parge that area of your wall to solve that problem. There are other solutions but would require a contractor who is specialized in that area to help you draw your final conclusions. Hope that was helpful.
I have heard of using a low voltage system developed for military barracks that had problems in wet climates. The Idea was to make the electrons in either the cinder-blocks or the water or both charged in order to keep them from being able to easily pass one another. You could do a search in the 'Popular Mechanics' archives and see what you turn up.
The first step is to drylock the inside of the blocks. Concrete blocks are permeable and will allow a small amount of water transfer, although it will never get to the point where it puddles. Drylock is availble at your local lowe's or home depot.
If that doesn't work, you will need to examine how water moves on that side of the house. Building codes recommend a 6% slope away from the foundation of the home. Has there been significiant erosion? Are the gutters on that part of the house clogged, allowing all the water to puddle against the wall?
A french drain and parging of the exterior of the basement wall is the best solution. You will have to dig out the basement walls to expose the block. Cover the block with a good coat of tar. The tar will seal almost all of the pores of the block. Then place a drain shield made from polysterene over it. This is simply a piece of styrofoam (usually blue) with slits cut down it to allow water to channel.
To install the french drain, place gravel at the base of the wall, then place a socked perforated drain pipe in the gravel, about a foot away, with the holes facing down. The pipe will need to have at least a 1/4' slope to divert away the water. Run the pipe to a place where it can drain away from the house. Then cover the pipe with more gravel. Do not dump all the gravel in at once, though, that can cause a lot of strain on the wall.
Finally cover with dirt. That should solve it.
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