# weeping basement block wall



## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

Hey guys, anybody know how to address this problem? I'm hoping there's some kind of epoxy paint, but somehow get the feeling that I'm gonna have to cut floor and install drainage to the sump... anyone know the details?


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

Been there, done that.

"Drylok" works great on the walls, but it may move the moisture to the floor or some other untreated area or wall base. Then comes the Rust-Oleum epoxy floor shield. Then comes the digging and then comes the...well, you know.:rant:

As Norm Abram says, "Water always wins".


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## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

jimp said:


> Been there, done that.
> 
> "Drylok" works great on the walls, but it may move the moisture to the floor or some other untreated area or wall base. Then comes the Rust-Oleum epoxy floor shield. Then comes the digging and then comes the...well, you know.:rant:


Dang it! I didn't want confirmation.... :lol:


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Drylok will probably help the problem and keep the water from weeping through the walls. Notice I said HELP, it won't solve the problem. You can paint the inside of the walls and that will stop the water from coming through into the basement, but the water will still be there on the other side of the paint. You need to get that water away from the wall!

The first thing to do is walk around the outside of the house and see what the grade is. If it's not correct and sloping away from the house, you're going to have problems. The next thing is to make sure that you have extensions on your downspouts to help get the water away from the foundation. Simply having the correct grade and downspout extensions can go a long way toward solving the problem. These two options are MUCH cheaper and easier to do than digging!

Good luck.

John


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

jimp,

if I'm not mistaken, "water always wins" is Glenn Haege.


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

I think you're right JP.
I learned about "Concrobium" from him when fixing our basement...

How are you doing?
Finding a reasonable fence installer is still on my list.
El'Cheapo 27' dog ear and a gate is over $600.00


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## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

It's always the default position to hope for the easy fix. I can't really do any grading on the side of the house that weeps, the neighbor's yard grades down to a swale about 6 or 8 feet from my house. I will do something with the downspouts, though. Maybe, between that and the paint, I can remediate the problem to a livable situation. Really don't like the way concrete dust smells!


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## MPT (Oct 7, 2004)

Did you check the foam injection from inside? My basement is pour and this worked. I thought they show block walls in their ads.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

jimp said:


> How are you doing?
> Finding a reasonable fence installer is still on my list.
> El'Cheapo 27' dog ear and a gate is over $600.00


Unfortunately, not well. I'm afraid that I'm probably going to be hanging up my tool belt in the very near future. I just can't do it anymore. I tried to do a fairly simple deck job last week and almost hurt myself. I think it's about time to hang it up before I do hurt myself again. If I do get hurt, it will set me back big time with my PT. The PT is the only thing available for this condition that I'm dealing with. We're hoping that the PT will at least slow the progression. 

So I'm in the process if trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do for a job. It sucks starting over at my age. I'm trying to avoid going on disability at all costs. I'll only do that as a last resort.


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## big show (Sep 10, 2007)

jpollman said:


> Drylok will probably help the problem and keep the water from weeping through the walls. Notice I said HELP, it won't solve the problem. You can paint the inside of the walls and that will stop the water from coming through into the basement, but the water will still be there on the other side of the paint. You need to get that water away from the wall!
> 
> 
> Good luck.
> ...


I agree. Painting only keeps the water inside of the block. To get the water out of the block, drill a hole at a downward angle through the block. This will create a place for the water to drain to the outside. Patch the hole on the inside when done.


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## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

big show said:


> I agree. Painting only keeps the water inside of the block. To get the water out of the block, drill a hole at a downward angle through the block. This will create a place for the water to drain to the outside. Patch the hole on the inside when done.


Drill through the entire block, or just into the cavity? After typing that the only thing that makes sense is all the way through... what keeps the hole from plugging with soil?


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## big show (Sep 10, 2007)

Water always takes the path of least resistance. Because there is soil on the outside and air on the inside, the water permeates through the block to the inside. Drilling a hole creates an easier path for the water to follow. Drill all the way through the bottom row of block at an angle and let the drill do the 
work. Drill through each core. The basement should be backfilled with sand. It won't plug the hole. 

This won't work where the groundwater table is higher than the basement floor. If that's the case, the only option is to excavate and reseal the outside.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

jpollman said:


> Unfortunately, not well. I'm afraid that I'm probably going to be hanging up my tool belt in the very near future. I just can't do it anymore. I tried to do a fairly simple deck job last week and almost hurt myself. I think it's about time to hang it up before I do hurt myself again. If I do get hurt, it will set me back big time with my PT. The PT is the only thing available for this condition that I'm dealing with. We're hoping that the PT will at least slow the progression.
> 
> So I'm in the process if trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do for a job. It sucks starting over at my age. I'm trying to avoid going on disability at all costs. I'll only do that as a last resort.


Appologies for running off thread.

John, I've got a 30" cutter rarely being used, and 8-10 rolls of various 30" vinyl.
Plus that big roll of magnet material we spoke about a while back.

Go bigger in your simple sign making explorations, not arduous physical labor if you stay away from tedious installations.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

jpollman said:


> Drylok will probably help the problem and keep the water from weeping through the walls. Notice I said HELP, it won't solve the problem. You can paint the inside of the walls and that will stop the water from coming through into the basement, but the water will still be there on the other side of the paint. You need to get that water away from the wall!
> 
> The first thing to do is walk around the outside of the house and see what the grade is. If it's not correct and sloping away from the house, you're going to have problems. The next thing is to make sure that you have extensions on your downspouts to help get the water away from the foundation. Simply having the correct grade and downspout extensions can go a long way toward solving the problem. These two options are MUCH cheaper and easier to do than digging!
> 
> ...


 Excellent post.

Sounds like the neighbors water problem became yours. He with the tallest yard wins.:lol: I deal with water problems via grade/lanscape often (part of my job) Do you have a photo of the offending ditch.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

I wonder about a couple of things. What was the back fill material and was weep tile and p stone installed? You can probably find this out at your townships building dept by checking your permit information.Alot of this will depend on how stringent your inspector was at the time of the build. If this is an old house then you probably wont find much .
If drain tile was properly installed but back filled with clay it doesnt matter what you do aside from digging up the perimiter and reinstalling weep tile and stone and then back filling with a lighter soil.
my guess you need drain tile installed. Water has to drain or it will just lay against the wall until it finds it's way in. You can pretty much put on band aids or go to the root of the problem and solve it.


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## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

Thanks everyone for the replies. I at least have a plan of action now. My house was built in the early 60s, and the problem has been around for a while, but I've only been in the house for a year. I'm going to first drill the holes and try the paint, we'll see if the drain tile around the footing is still working. If not, then I guess I'll chop up the floor adjacent to the wall and install a drain to the sump. Sound about right?


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## big show (Sep 10, 2007)

Before I removed the floor, I would excavate on the outside to the footing, inspect/repair the drain tile, reseal the wall, and backfill with sand. Sealing keeps the water out of the wall and sand allows the water to drain to the footing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

big show said:


> Before I removed the floor, I would excavate on the outside to the footing, inspect/repair the drain tile, reseal the wall, and backfill with sand. Sealing keeps the water out of the wall and sand allows the water to drain to the footing.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That's what I really want to avoid. My next house will have a large barn and no damn basement. High thermal mass, baby...


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

big show said:


> Before I removed the floor, I would excavate on the outside to the footing, inspect/repair the drain tile, reseal the wall, and backfill with sand. Sealing keeps the water out of the wall and sand allows the water to drain to the footing.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


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## big show (Sep 10, 2007)

driften said:


> That's what I really want to avoid. My next house will have a large barn and no damn basement. High thermal mass, baby...


Have you ever cut concrete without ventilation? Hauled it upstairs in 5 gallon buckets? Trust me, it is a quicker and easier fix from the outside. Also, if the water can't get to new drain tile, you would still need to excavate to the footing. Adding fill, drilling holes, and painting should eliminate the water coming through the block.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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