# Water seepage thru concrete foundation wall



## Rrooster (Oct 28, 2006)

Back wall of downstairs is 3/4 underground, sheetrock was moldy at the bottom. We opened it up from floor to ceiling at SE corner and found saturated batt insulation, wet studs and a cold/seeping/damp foundation wall. The owner want to "watch" it over the winter (Washington coast) but expects some sort of fix next year.
What do you think it would take to fix it?
If I didn't provide enough information, let me know and I will check periodically and fill in any blanks. Thank you.


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## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

Rrooster said:


> Back wall of downstairs is 3/4 underground, sheetrock was moldy at the bottom. We opened it up from floor to ceiling at SE corner and found saturated batt insulation, wet studs and a cold/seeping/damp foundation wall. The owner want to "watch" it over the winter (Washington coast) but expects some sort of fix next year.
> What do you think it would take to fix it?
> If I didn't provide enough information, let me know and I will check periodically and fill in any blanks. Thank you.


I crack up at that "yeah, well ... let's just keep an eye on it"

It's another way of saying "I have no idea what to do about this"

:laughing: :laughing: 


I have no idea myself --- but would it be from a crack?? If so, possibly repaired with hyrdaulic cement??

just takin guesses & thinkin out loud


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## PipeGuy (Oct 8, 2004)

Proper dampproofing of the foundation wall, installation of a good foundation drain and review/remediation of surface drainage issues.


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## Mykey44 (Oct 10, 2006)

Rrooster said:


> Back wall of downstairs is 3/4 underground, sheetrock was moldy at the bottom. We opened it up from floor to ceiling at SE corner and found saturated batt insulation, wet studs and a cold/seeping/damp foundation wall. The owner want to "watch" it over the winter (Washington coast) but expects some sort of fix next year.
> What do you think it would take to fix it?
> If I didn't provide enough information, let me know and I will check periodically and fill in any blanks. Thank you.


 
Hey Rooster, The very first thing I check is the gutter downspouts, are they dumping at the foundation? Check the grade to make sure water can run away from the house and install drains to carry gutter rain water away from the foundation. Just directing rain water away can make a huge difference. Mike


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## Glasshousebltr (Feb 9, 2004)

What Mykey said with just one thing to add.....If your going to dig to install foundation drain tile....go ahead and install foundation cement on the wall as well.

Bob


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## tcleve4911 (Mar 26, 2006)

Water freezes at grade in winter...can't wait to see basement in the spring!!! Drainage, drainage, drainage.....Gutters, grade, perimeter drains, stone & soil fabric.......hydraulic cement on cracks. LOL:thumbsup:


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Rr,

You said you opened up one corner and found saturated insulation etc.
It's been almost a week are things drying up with everything open to the air?

Did you open up other walls? 
What did you find?
What condition is the concrete? / block? in?
How well is basement ventilated?
How are the wet wall (s) oriented to the outdoors?
Is this a walk out basement?
Has the owner ever had water on the floor? 
Running water or dampness?
What is the outside landscape like?
Well graded away?
Open and airy?
Shady with overhanging trees?

Pictures would make it easier.

Some things to stimulate thought.


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## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

Rrooster said:


> Back wall of downstairs is 3/4 underground, sheetrock was moldy at the bottom. We opened it up from floor to ceiling at SE corner and found saturated batt insulation, wet studs and a cold/seeping/damp foundation wall. The owner want to "watch" it over the winter (Washington coast) but expects some sort of fix next year.
> What do you think it would take to fix it?
> If I didn't provide enough information, let me know and I will check periodically and fill in any blanks. Thank you.


What exactly is the owner wanting to watch? (Maybe they are NASCAR fans and need something to watch this coming off season):laughing: If it is wet, it is wet, which means there is a problem, doubtful that it will just go away. In order to fix a foundation leak/seepage right, you must do the right things. Most HO don't want to hear that because we are talking BIG BUCKS in most cases. Someone didn't do their job from the get go, as stated above:

*PipeGuy* *Proper dampproofing *of the foundation wall, installation of a good foundation drain and review/remediation of surface drainage issues. 

Plus the gutter downspouts should drain away from the house.(as stated)
Plus, Proper backfill grading.

I have seen HO's paint the inside wall with Damtite and stop water from seeping through block walls, however, I don't know how long it would last.


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## DEBBI555 (Nov 6, 2006)

*try this*

there is a product from Mapi called mapi lastic?
it is used in shower pans and it's applied directly on the concrete with a trowel - this would be better applied befor backfill to exterior of concrete - they have a website and helpful techs


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## CNLPAR (Feb 13, 2006)

HO needs to quit waiting and get fixing. If your going to excavate the outside of the foundation and install drain tile w/ peastone, make sure you coat the wall with sealant. This probably was not done to begin with. If exterior excavation is not an option, then cut an interior drain tile into the floor of the basement, and drain that back into a sump crock. Water is coming in due to hydronic pressure, if you relieve that pressure 9 times out of ten the problem will be taken care of.


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## Rrooster (Oct 28, 2006)

tcleve4911 said:


> Water freezes at grade in winter...can't wait to see basement in the spring!!! Drainage, drainage, drainage.....Gutters, grade, perimeter drains, stone & soil fabric.......hydraulic cement on cracks. LOL:thumbsup:


We don't get a freeze around here - WA coast.


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## Rrooster (Oct 28, 2006)

denick said:


> Rr,
> 
> You said you opened up one corner and found saturated insulation etc.
> It's been almost a week are things drying up with everything open to the air?
> ...


Haven't been back to see if it's dried up, called last night, no answer. Have gotten over 9.5 inches of rain in less than a week so I am very curious!

Did not open up any other walls, this was the only place there was mold/mildew on the drywall at the base of the wall.

Concrete (not block) foundation seems to be in good condition.

Basement/slab home is 100% finished and probably not ventilated at all. No central heating system, no O/A into home other than leaks in doors and windows.

The wet walls are in a corner (SW), where all our weather comes from.

Is a walk out/drive in basement directly attached to the house with a stairwell. Basically, just the downstairs of a two story house/w downstairs garage.

Never, I don't think, had standing water on the floor.

The outside landscape to the back of the house. Back of house is at 2nd story grade so the spot in question is 8' below ground. No shubs just earth and a deck a couple of feet away. Soil is beach sandy.

Not graded away but flat. Down spout at that corner has been piped away about 10' but may still be part of the problem.

Yes, open and airy. Trees around but not overhead, would be considered a partly sunny corner.

No pictures, not digital yet.

Thanks for showing interest.


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## Rrooster (Oct 28, 2006)

CNLPAR said:


> HO needs to quit waiting and get fixing. If your going to excavate the outside of the foundation and install drain tile w/ peastone, make sure you coat the wall with sealant. This probably was not done to begin with. If exterior excavation is not an option, then cut an interior drain tile into the floor of the basement, and drain that back into a sump crock. Water is coming in due to hydronic pressure, if you relieve that pressure 9 times out of ten the problem will be taken care of.


Now is not the time to begin a project like this. Winter is here which means buckets of rain for 5-6 months. As stated above, in less than a week, I recorded over 9.5" of rain. If you've tuned in to the national news or Monday night football, we are receiving record rainfall and winter is just starting.

Soil here is basically sand and this house sits on top of an old dune. Good drainage.

Thanks for showing interest.


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Rr,

If this dampness is just in this one small area and there has never been water puddled on the floor you are not really looking at a leak situation. From what you have further described about the foundation and soil type. Without seeing the area you should be looking at a wicking, vapor transfer or condensation problem.

As an example, you said this is the SE corner. If this area gets the most sun on the exterior of the foundation it may be getting warm which will cause the cool damp air in the basement to rise in the wall cavity when the wall warms on the inside and condensate there when it cools. When the moisture starts to accumulate in this area because of that cycle of condensation it is trapped and really never goes away it just accumulates unless you have a long dry spell. You wouldn't need any more than minimal moisture in the concrete of the walls and floor for this to happen.

You could waterproof and drain out side and inside all you want and not overcome that type of problem. 

It would be interesting to hear what is going on there with all this rain.


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## Rrooster (Oct 28, 2006)

denick said:


> It would be interesting to hear what is going on there with all this rain.


Denick,

Called the customer yesterday and the area is totally dried up!!! even with all the rain, no fan and just heat from the house. We live in an area on the WA coast that, despite tons of rain, generally does not flood, except for isolated street areas and areas near the marina.

Someone above wrote about the seepage/condensation test and I asked the customer to perform this. Will soon know the results. Also, I am requesting that they get some sort of self cleaning gutter installed with a second downspout. This will eliminate the need for them to remember to ask someone to clean the gutters 2-3 times per year. Spruce needles are magnets for each other and cause an immediate plug.


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## DaveTap (Nov 8, 2006)

As was mentioned it sounds like a condensation problem... have same thing a lot here. Moisture moves to the coldest point... thats why its important for the vapor barrier to be inside the insulation... it helps prevent the moisture from getting to it. Above ground any moisture that made it past the vapor barrier would eventually get through to the outside (or get trapped inside the vinyl siding) On older wood sided houses it would peel off the paint getting out. Below ground the problem is moisture can't get out and may be seeping in, but either way ends up trapped in the wall. 

We soak it down with a good mold/mildew primer like Kilz then use a closed cell foam insulation and a vapor barrier to limit the moisture. If mold is a problem you might want to add a dehumidifer and blow the output through the empty space behind the styrofoam. 

I've been tempted to try an approach to insulation I saw on This Old House a number of years ago... they were spraying expanding foam... like is used for packaging or water heaters into the wall then using a machette to cut the excess off flush with the studs... I think if you could fill in all the space like that mold would be eliminated and it would also help waterproof the basement wall not to mention dooing the best possible job of insulating. Just haven't been able to find a contractor that does it.


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## Kenseal Scott (Nov 14, 2006)

You should definitely look into the source of the water intrusion. That needs to be located first (gutters, underground source, irrigation, etc.) If the source can't be redirected, drainage definitely would help, but we typically will do a negative side waterproofing installation. Negatve side is not a certainty because once you stop the water at one place, it will migrate to the next most vulnerable area. So, do all you can from the exterior and worst case, move back to the interior.


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## jol1269 (Jan 29, 2006)

*i used this on mine*

i have a concrete block basement below grade and the grade is at the proper fall away from the walls and all downspouts are linked to the drain pipes approx ten feet away from home yet every time we have alot of rain the one wall would get damp and very wet and eventually started to weep water in a puddle that would creep across the slab . i did some internet searches and came across a site for a product called sanitred and i debated buying the stuff as its pretty expensive to try to end the water issue prior to digging up the old exterior foundation drain pipe and replacing short story i bought the product and applied as they suggest and waited ......... and waited it was like the rain gods had given up and then it started tons of rain and more rain yet not one drop of moisture not one musky smell and its now been over 15 months and dry as a bone im a happy camper now ... just my experience .ps if you do this make sure you wear a chemical mask with lots of fresh air .... its very tuff on the smeling and taste buds i found this out by not wearing one .:thumbsup:


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