Help Needed: Basement Water Problem

[jibsey]

OK I need a plumber experienced in permanent basement floor submersible sump pumps and to hopefully pipe it outside, for the Farmington Valley, or Bristol area. For 40 years no water and now we have it in an unfinished basement. Currently getting it out with small pumps and garden hoses but that won’t work permanently and in extreme cold. Can’t go into septic drainage. I wanted to wait till March but don’t think I can. Any names are very appreciated.

 

[uconnfan68]

OK I need a plumber experienced in permanent basement floor submersible sump pumps and to hopefully pipe it outside, for the Farmington Valley, or Bristol area. For 40 years no water and now we have it in an unfinished basement. Currently getting it out with small pumps and garden hoses but that won’t work permanently and in extreme cold. Can’t go into septic drainage. I wanted to wait till March but don’t think I can. Any names are very appreciated.

Not going to be much help with names, but is it coming in, or coming up through the floor (foundation crack)? Maybe a curtain or french drain?

 

[F101Voodoo]

Sounds like a crack in foundation. Have a company that is good at doing an injection seal. Had it done in Southington 5-6 years ago. No water since. I will try to find name of company.

 

[jibsey]

Not going to be much help with names, but is it coming in, or coming up through the floor (foundation crack)? Maybe a curtain or french drain?

Yeah the water table, with all of this rain through the floor foundation and wall junctions. A curtain drain isn’t possible on that side of my house because of an addition with a 4’ foundation.

 

[Kolumbo]

Prestige Plumbing Werks | Professional Plumbing Service | Litchfield County, CT

Prestige Plumbing Werks, LLC. is a full service residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing company. We specialize in residential service of potable water and well systems, drainage systems, additions, remodels and new construction, as well as commercial plumbing services in Litchfield...

www.prestigeplumbingwerks.com

 

[Dove]

In my neck of the woods, after each of the past two deluges, our driveway has had water running down to the street for two days afterwards. Comes from the shed area. After the last deluge, our garage, on slab, has taken a lot of water. There are a few cracks that each have water stains along the cracks. It is clear the water table has risen more than I have ever seen.

 

[jibsey]

Prestige Plumbing Werks | Professional Plumbing Service | Litchfield County, CT

Prestige Plumbing Werks, LLC. is a full service residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing company. We specialize in residential service of potable water and well systems, drainage systems, additions, remodels and new construction, as well as commercial plumbing services in Litchfield...

www.prestigeplumbingwerks.com

Thanks Kolumbo ! Booked! It’s a small 2 man company which I liked, he sounded very knowledgeable about this.

 

[mussels]

I agree with F101Voodoo on this. You should consider a repair with an injectable hydrophilic grout before going the plumbing/sump pump route. The grout is injected into the cracks and it follows the water back along the path through your slab. It then expands to a closed cell foam which seals the crack.

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

not sure how extensive your cracking is or if you’re a DIY’er but you can find kits on line for a couple of hundred bucks. The pros will likely have better equipment.

only problem I see here is that it probably works best on an active leak since I think the grout needs to trace the path of the water. If nobody gets to it before everything dries out it may not be as effective. (stuff to research)

 

[jibsey]

I agree with F101Voodoo on this. You should consider a repair with an injectable hydrophilic grout before going the plumbing/sump pump route. The grout is injected into the cracks and it follows the water back along the path through your slab. It then expands to a closed cell foam which seals the crack.

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

not sure how extensive your cracking is or if you’re a DIY’er but you can find kits on line for a couple of hundred bucks. The pros will likely have better equipment.

only problem I see here is that it probably works best on an active leak since I think the grout needs to trace the path of the water. If nobody gets to it before everything dries out it may not be as effective. (stuff to research)

I will try to do that and maybe waterproof paint but I dont think I can rely on that 100%, I’ll see what the plumbers say. I know…..they plumb….

 

[Kolumbo]

Thanks Kolumbo ! Booked! It’s a small 2 man company which I liked, he sounded very knowledgeable about this.

Great! I don't know anything about plumbing but hopefully they can help or at least get started on the road to repair!

 

[UConnJim]

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

We have battery backup and I think its pretty standard to install a battery backup now.

 

[Chuck]

I agree with F101Voodoo on this. You should consider a repair with an injectable hydrophilic grout before going the plumbing/sump pump route. The grout is injected into the cracks and it follows the water back along the path through your slab. It then expands to a closed cell foam which seals the crack.

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

not sure how extensive your cracking is or if you’re a DIY’er but you can find kits on line for a couple of hundred bucks. The pros will likely have better equipment.

only problem I see here is that it probably works best on an active leak since I think the grout needs to trace the path of the water. If nobody gets to it before everything dries out it may not be as effective. (stuff to research)

I'm no expert, just a guy that got water in his basement. My town has a very high water table. My water comes up from below and finds the path of least resistance in the edges. I don't think the grout would do anything about this. We put in the french drain and it's been perfect. I don't have a battery back up and it's a concern I'm planning on fixing. We have a generator, but not the kind that automatically kicks on so if we're away, we're screwed.

 

[F101Voodoo]

I agree with F101Voodoo on this. You should consider a repair with an injectable hydrophilic grout before going the plumbing/sump pump route. The grout is injected into the cracks and it follows the water back along the path through your slab. It then expands to a closed cell foam which seals the crack.

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

not sure how extensive your cracking is or if you’re a DIY’er but you can find kits on line for a couple of hundred bucks. The pros will likely have better equipment.

only problem I see here is that it probably works best on an active leak since I think the grout needs to trace the path of the water. If nobody gets to it before everything dries out it may not be as effective. (stuff to research)

Mine was in line with a window. It was done after the ground “dried”. And yes the sealant is forced into the crack (s) until it oozes out. You can chip off the ooze after a couple few months when it’s cured. The one that my basement has is to my knowledge not a grout. But I could be wrong. Mine is a townhouse condo so the “association paid “ it ( with our fees of course”. I put a call in to the management company to tell me the name of the company.

 

[OceanDoggie]

I will try to do that and maybe waterproof paint but I dont think I can rely on that 100%, I’ll see what the plumbers say. I know…..they plumb….

The paint or silicone is not the best option as it will cause more pressure to build at the point of the crack, and water provides a lot pressure. Better to use the method Mussels & Voodoo mentioned. Silicone seal would be a good idea if you excavated and applied to the exterior of the foundation.

 

[NJHusky]

Sounds like a typical French drain situation. My parents house had a high water table issue and has been bone dry since the French drain. There were a few slab cracks where the water bubbled up so the also put a drain across the floor.

Since u are installing from scratch I would plan on a battery backup too.

doing it right is a pia. U need to break the concrete, remove it and add gravel then re concrete.

Talk to the plumber for info but I would also call a company that specializes in basement waterproofin/french drains. My parents house isn’t that large and they had a team of guys there for 2-3 days. It’s a lot of work removing all that concrete and adding the gravel

 

[NJHusky]

problem with sump pumps is that they need electricity and you’re most likely to loose power during the same type of weather event (hurricane etc) that will flood your basement.

if u are installing from scratch battery backup is easy. If u don’t have space (we had and existing pit) you can easily add a battery with an inverter for about $500 that will serve the same function

 

[jibsey]

Sounds like a typical French drain situation. My parents house had a high water table issue and has been bone dry since the French drain. There were a few slab cracks where the water bubbled up so the also put a drain across the floor.

Since u are installing from scratch I would plan on a battery backup too.

doing it right is a pia. U need to break the concrete, remove it and add gravel then re concrete.

Talk to the plumber for info but I would also call a company that specializes in basement waterproofin/french drains. My parents house isn’t that large and they had a team of guys there for 2-3 days. It’s a lot of work removing all that concrete and adding the gravel

Do you or does anyone out there know a company that is reputable that does that? Sounds very expensive.

 

[NJHusky]

Do you or does anyone out there know a company that is reputable that does that? Sounds very expensive.

Parents house was in NJ. IM thinking about 5-6k…several tears ago. IMO it’s money well spent. Parents house had water issues for years…never again

do your research. When I bought my house called the same co and they told me I didn’t need one, to just change pump to a bigger size. So there are honest folks out there

if you don’t want the expense of drain & piping to keep the basement totally dry, just put a sump pit in the lowest part of the basement. It will get wet but won’t flood. Run a dehumidifier too

 

[formerlurker]

Do you or does anyone out there know a company that is reputable that does that? Sounds very expensive.

Home

Entire state of Connecticut: Hartford, New Haven, Orange, Waterbury, etc. New York: Westchester County.

www.connecticutbasementsystems.com

 

[mussels]

Mine was in line with a window. It was done after the ground “dried”. And yes the sealant is forced into the crack (s) until it oozes out. You can chip off the ooze after a couple few months when it’s cured. The one that my basement has is to my knowledge not a grout. But I could be wrong. Mine is a townhouse condo so the “association paid “ it ( with our fees of course”. I put a call in to the management company to tell me the name of the company.

My only experience was an industrial application involving a leak in a tunnel. The “grout“ wasn’t a mortar type grout, but rather a chemical grout. When injected it looked like, and seemed to have the viscosity of honey, after combining with water and curing it looked like yellowish foam.

I was impressed with the results, and figure something similar would work for a basement.

maybe something like this , if jibsey wants to experiment a little before incurring a big expense. Looks like would be better for a crack along the wall rather than at the floor/wall junction though, and if the basement is hollow block rather than solid concrete it may not work well either. But the basement HAS been dry for 40 years so if this was me I’d try some minimal remediation before going in big.

@jibsey it’s rained a lot lately, but it’s also rained a lot several times in the last 40 years and no problems till now. What changed? Upstream local development/paving causing more run off? (If so see the town engineer) Long shot, do you have a clogged roof downspout/gutter that is causing water to overtop the gutter where it should’t?

 

[NJHusky]

I'm no expert, just a guy that got water in his basement. My town has a very high water table. My water comes up from below and finds the path of least resistance in the edges. I don't think the grout would do anything about this. We put in the french drain and it's been perfect. I don't have a battery back up and it's a concern I'm planning on fixing. We have a generator, but not the kind that automatically kicks on so if we're away, we're screwed.

Get an inverter & battery (bigger battery more run time). Super easy to install. Our sump pit was too small for a second pump. Was going to expand pit but inverter is way easier

 

[NJHusky]

@jibsey it’s rained a lot lately, but it’s also rained a lot several times in the last 40 years and no problems till now. What changed? Upstream local development/paving causing more run off? (If so see the town engineer) Long shot, do you have a clogged roof downspout/gutter that is causing water to overtop the gutter where it should’t?

This is a REALLY good point.

 

[Marbles90]

Slightly off topic, off topic: when I renovated my house, my contractor put in a new sump with a hydraulic backup pump. This is better than a battery backup because even in certain cases - like power out for several days, your battery can still die leaving your basement flooded. This system works on the “Venturi Principle” and only works if you have city water. I have tested it several times and it’s pretty cool. Here a short video how it works:

 

[TRest]

Do you or does anyone out there know a company that is reputable that does that? Sounds very expensive.

We used CT Dry Basement in Plainville to replace sections of the floor that got blown out in 2021 after 2 storms and installed 4 pumps where we used to have one. Little to no problems this year and I live in a 100 year flood plain on top f the high water table.

 

[Khal Drogo]

We used CT Dry Basement in Plainville to replace sections of the floor that got blown out in 2021 after 2 storms and installed 4 pumps where we used to have one. Little to no problems this year and I live in a 100 year flood plain on top f the high water table.

How much $$?