Water coming into basement

[slakjaw]

I cannot tell if it came through the joint between the wall and the floor or if the water main is seeping on the street side of the valve.. Most of the water is right where the main comes out of the floor. It's about 1/2" deep there then it runs across the room, under another wall, to the floor drain. I just bought this place like 2 weeks ago and I was so mad when I came home from work today to find this.

Can a couple days of heavy rain cause this? What do I need to do to fix this?

[look 171]

Get us a pic

[look 171]

if its rain water and it isn't running away from the building so its trapped there with no where to go? you must find a way to get rid of that water adn do not allow it to pool up near the foundation. It will eventually do damage in the long run.

[porsche4life]

Welcome to home ownership.

[ckelly78z]

Make sure your gutters are clean and flowing, by running the hose in each one. While the hose is running, check the seams for leaks. It's possible that the gutters drain into a sewer pipe or catch basin somewhere under the house, and the connection or the pipe itself is leaking. If your outside downspouts drian into the yard, you may want to consider installing longer downspouts so the water is kicked out away from the house to prevent pooling.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Welcome to home ownership.

Yep.

I bought my first house when I was 27 and single. I was so broke after getting all the utilities setup and moving I ate a lot of rice and potato soup to survive. The first week the water heater quit.

In the long run buying a house was one of the best things I did.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

I cannot tell if it came through the joint between the wall and the floor or if the water main is seeping on the street side of the valve.. Most of the water is right where the main comes out of the floor. It's about 1/2" deep there then it runs across the room, under another wall, to the floor drain. I just bought this place like 2 weeks ago and I was so mad when I came home from work today to find this.

Can a couple days of heavy rain cause this? What do I need to do to fix this?

Depending on how much rain you have gotten and the moisture level of the soil before the rain, yes, it could make this happen. You could have some hydraulic pressure under your home due to all the rain and the ground already being saturated.

[vash]

Good luck slak.

It will get better.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

[slakjaw]

Here is a photo. Water is pooled up here and making its way past the door jam across the floor over to the floor drain. it is really hard to tell from the photo but there is at least 1/4" of water pooled up in there. it seems to be less water today I am not sure if there is actually less water or if it is now just going under the tile..

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

Make sure your gutters are clean and flowing, by running the hose in each one. While the hose is running, check the seams for leaks. It's possible that the gutters drain into a sewer pipe or catch basin somewhere under the house, and the connection or the pipe itself is leaking. If your outside downspouts drian into the yard, you may want to consider installing longer downspouts so the water is kicked out away from the house to prevent pooling.

I checked the gutters they are flowing freely and not leaking.

[slakjaw]

Another photo. my water pipe coming out of the cement does not have any plastic on it which I thought was strange. I didn't think you were supposed to run copper pipe through cement without a rubber sleeve on it.



The entire wall / floor joint of the south east side of the house is wet but water is only pooled up in that one area under the water meter.

[Seahawk]

I feel your pain. I live in constaint fear of water intrusion.

A few questions:

French drain or similar?

Gravity flow or sump pump?

If gravity flow snake the drain after you find the exit point outside...Drains are notorious for getting blocked by roots, etc., even snakes and other critters make a home inside during the winter.

Check sump pumps, etc.

You probably need a good shop vac anyway, so get that water up ASAP.

Good luck.

[cabmandone]

Are your downspouts draining on the ground or into a tile. If they go directly on the ground, make sure you have extensions on them to direct water away from the foundation. It looks like there is some discoloration on the painted wall down toward the floor which would indicate to me that this isn't the first time this has happened. Did you have a home inspection prior to purchase?

[gatotom]

What Seahawk said, get a shop vac and suck it up. If the water continues then start to worry. Maybe a broken water main line, could be a crack now.

How is that French drain around your house and or sump pump??

Been at my house for 29 yrs on a hillside with hard pan in the upper corner of house thus no complete basement under my house but it works good as a wine cellar. Anyway, from time to time get huge runoffs from winter snows and I can flood in there, so I installed a french drain thru my house that runs out under my french drain on the outside.

[stomachmonkey]

As noted hydraulic pressure can build up under the foundation and will punch pinholes in foundation walls and even up through the floor.

Make sure that everything coming off the roof or gutters is draining away from the house.

My last house the ground sucked up water like a sponge. Was a constant issue.

I made sure the grading was correct. Laid down a barrier and covered it as well as burying extended downspouts that emptied into the yard 10 ft from the house.

[slakjaw]

I dont think there is a french drain or any kind of drain tile. No sump pump or anything either. Downspouts only go out about 2 feet. I did have an inspection done but he didnt mention anything about water damage or mold.

[cabmandone]

The problem with most block foundations is they were never properly waterproofed before being back filled with dirt. Block is porous and will actually wick water. I could tell you about my battles with storm water over the last 4 or 5 years but it would probably scare the hell out of you. As others have said, get the water cleaned up and see if it dries or continues to weep afterward. If you don't get any rain and it continues to weep, I'd look into your waterline coming into the home. If this just showed up and the water was on to the home prior to you purchasing the home, I'd say it's groundwater infiltration.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

I dont think there is a french drain or any kind of drain tile. No sump pump or anything either. Downspouts only go out about 2 feet. I did have an inspection done but he didnt mention anything about water damage or mold.

Look at the discoloration just above the floor. It looks almost black in the picture. If I'm not seeing things, this has been a problem in the past. Look at the dirt at the foundation of your home. If there isn't a visible slope going away from your foundation there absolutely should be. Whatever you do, don't panic. If your house isn't covered with shrubs, you can dig a ditch around your home and put in footer tile and an external sump pump then run the water to a storm drain if it does end up being groundwater. It is a DIY (or maybe call in the friends and get A LOT of beer for afterward) job and it's time consuming but the cost isn't terrible. I've done it.

[PetrolBlueSC]

If you have water right at the point that your water supply comes into the house, that suggests that the water supply piping is the issue. Call a plumber. Get ready to bust some concrete. Check and possibly fix leaking water suppy (elbow just under concrete), then do all the gutter and drainage stuff. Once you done digging up the water supply, line the hole and install a sump pump (if there is a nearby drain to access). Another point, the water looks clean, suggesting that is may not be coming from the soil outside the foundation. A crack in the water supply pipe in gravel the concrete pad would not cause much if any inorganic staining inside.

[HardDrive]

You if you have access to the water shut off at the street, you might be able to do an experiment and shut it off before you leave for a few days. If there is no water when you get back, and it appears after you turn the water back on, it might be a hint that its the water supply.

I would certainly check drainage issues off my list before calling a plumber. Drainage tile leading water away from the foundation can work wonders. Here in OH sump pumps are mandatory because of the high water table. I'm going to put in a battery back up for mine.