OT: Water in basement

[TRest]

More frequently with large rainstorms, I have water leaking into my basement from the bottom of the back wall and corner. If I'm home I can stay on top of it with a wet vac, but if at work it gets into the TV room and gets the indoor/outdoor carpet soaking wet. I have been vaccuuming it since about 6 pm every 20 minutes due to this storm. There is a sump pump on a different wall that almost never gets triggered by groundwater rising. The only solution I can think of is a second sump pump where the water is coming in, dig a channel along the walls and guide it toward the new sump pump. Anybody have any ideas? I don't want to throw a lot of money at some dry basement contractor. I've already channeled the water from the downspouts 5-10 feet from the basement walls.

 

[Fishy]

Try the easy s--- first - make sure the ground slopes away from your foundation and second, run the downspouts about 10' out from the house. (Use the flexible stuff if it's in the way of mowing, etc.)

More often than not, the solution is simple. (Rule of thumb - when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras.)

 

[huskymedic]

But if they are zebras... Second sump pump w/ marine battery back- up is piece of mind.

 

[TRest]

Try the easy s--- first - make sure the ground slopes away from your foundation and second, run the downspouts about 10' out from the house. (Use the flexible stuff if it's in the way of mowing, etc.)

More often than not, the solution is simple. (Rule of thumb - when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras.)

Yep, ordering 3 yards of topsoil was next on the agenda, but the wall where the water comes in has an elevated flagstone patio abutting it which I think is the source of all evil. It's one foot off the ground, packed with sand, and home to many chipmunks. I ran the downspout over the top of it and off the side, rather than though it, and that worked for a few years. I've got a feeling the patio is going to have to come down.

 

[zls44]

Four years ago I did a big fix for flood trouble. Brought in a basement guy who dug a foot down and a foot out from the entire perimeter. Put in a preforated PVC hose, sat in broken stone and covered with cement. The hose was slanted towards the corner of the room with the sump pump. Then covered it with cement.

It was a godsend.

We used to have flooding for every MINOR storm (I can't imagine how bad today's would have been). Have not had a single problem since. The groundwater flows into the pipe, goes to the sump. You'd never tell any work was done looking at the floor of the basement, either. The only effect is I hear the sump pump running periodically- that's it. It's the best home improvement investment I have ever made.

The key for ANY such work is making sure you use someone who has a diamond cutting blade. It costs more, but its worth it. With a jackhammer you risk cracks forming in the foundation.

I know you said you didn't want to make a big investment in it, but there you go anyway.

 

[TRest]

Four years ago I did a big fix for flood trouble. Brought in a basement guy who dug a foot down and a foot out from the entire perimeter. Put in a preforated PVC hose, sat in broken stone and covered with cement. The hose was slanted towards the corner of the room with the sump pump. Then covered it with cement.

It was a godsend.

We used to have flooding for every MINOR storm (I can't imagine how bad today's would have been). Have not had a single problem since. The groundwater flows into the pipe, goes to the sump. You'd never tell any work was dine looking st the floor of the basement, either. The only effect is I hear the sump pump running periodically- that's it. It's the best home improvement investment I have ever made.

The key for ANY such work is making sure you use someone who has a diamond cutting blade. It costs more, but its worth it. With a jackhammer you risk cracks forming in the foundation.

I know you said you didn't want to make a big investment in it, but there you go anyway.

Send me the name of the contractor, I'm in West Hartford (in a 100 year flood plain) and I know you're somewhere in the area. My brother's house in Plainville had that done before he bought it, kind of an ultimate solution.

 

[Devland]

Four years ago I did a big fix for flood trouble. Brought in a basement guy who dug a foot down and a foot out from the entire perimeter. Put in a preforated PVC hose, sat in broken stone and covered with cement. The hose was slanted towards the corner of the room with the sump pump. Then covered it with cement.

It was a godsend.

We used to have flooding for every MINOR storm (I can't imagine how bad today's would have been). Have not had a single problem since. The groundwater flows into the pipe, goes to the sump. You'd never tell any work was dine looking st the floor of the basement, either. The only effect is I hear the sump pump running periodically- that's it. It's the best home improvement investment I have ever made.

The key for ANY such work is making sure you use someone who has a diamond cutting blade. It costs more, but its worth it. With a jackhammer you risk cracks forming in the foundation.

I know you said you didn't want to make a big investment in it, but there you go anyway.

I am pretty sure this is called a curtain drain (for google purposes). A former co-worker was having a problem with the ground water overflowing his septic system and installed a curtain drain to divert the water around his septic tank. He owned a back hoe and did it himself. It solved his problem.

 

[RedSoloCup]

I have fought water probs in various houses over the years... is it rain or ground water that is pushing in?

When you say it's only during or immediately after the rain, you may be able to solve with high and/or low exterior curtain drains, changing the grade of the yard/lot and moving the downspouts.

If it is a problem that kicks in in spring even without rain, you should consider the sump solution, especially if you want to stay in that house a few years.

 

[zls44]

Send me the name of the contractor, I'm in West Hartford (in a 100 year flood plain) and I know you're somewhere in the area. My brother's house in Plainville had that done before he bought it, kind of an ultimate solution.

Let me see if I can find it. This was four years ago. Lotta paper. I can probably find it though.

 

[zls44]

I am pretty sure this is called a curtain drain (for google purposes). A former co-worker was having a problem with the ground water overflowing his septic system and installed a curtain drain to divert the water around his septic tank. He owned a back hoe and did it himself. It solved his problem.

Yep, curtain drain! Couldn't remember the name.

 

[Dougsts]

Send me the name of the contractor, I'm in West Hartford (in a 100 year flood plain) and I know you're somewhere in the area. My brother's house in Plainville had that done before he bought it, kind of an ultimate solution.

I used CT Basement Systems for my place. Put it in over two years ago, curtain drains with 2 sumps with battery backup. I have been very happy. Sometimes its the water table changing that causes the problems. My basement was bone dry for years, with the same gutter, downspouts, sloping etc. Then all of sudden it was damp and wet. It is now dry as a bone, and staying at 50% humidity even during that past storm. Granted the pumps were running a lot, but that's what they were put in to do. BTW we have tested the battery backups during a past storm with a power outage lasting 4 days, and they were still running strong with lots of pump cycling. I would definitely go with the battery back up system.

 

[chris63]

Send me the name of the contractor, I'm in West Hartford (in a 100 year flood plain) and I know you're somewhere in the area. My brother's house in Plainville had that done before he bought it, kind of an ultimate solution.

im in n.b. and is in one of those damn 100 yr flood zones . paying fema over a grand a yr till 2011 when they decided i didnt have enough coverage and almost doubled the premium. thats when i bit the bullet and just payed off what was left of the mortgage. 2 grand a yr for an occasional puddle in the basement wasn't worth it

 

[husky210]

I had some in my basement Friday night as well. Only happens during really bad storms. I live in milford where ledge is really high. Half of my basement is really shallow because of that which I can assume pitches to the back of my house where the water came in at the base of the wall. I'm a little gunshy over putting holes in my basement slab because of radon. Curtain drain might be a waste because of the ledge. I assume the water runs right on it like a river. Ill have to try epoxy injection or an expansive grout where the water is coming in.

 

[Dougsts]

im in n.b. and is in one of those damn 100 yr flood zones . paying fema over a grand a yr till 2011 when they decided i didnt have enough coverage and almost doubled the premium. thats when i bit the bullet and just payed off what was left of the mortgage. 2 grand a yr for an occasional puddle in the basement wasn't worth it

FEMA had me in a flood zone also. I got hit with over 2k a year in flood insurance for a couple of years. I hired a surveyor specializing in flood zones. Found out I was 5 feet above the flood FEMA flood zone. FEMA took me out of their zone and I got all the past years monies refunded from the insurance company. The surveyor cost about $800.00, but was well worth it. I wonder how many folks are paying through the nose that are not in the flood zone. It is not well known that FEMA just puts lines on a map and bingo, you pay. They don't really do any surveying of elevations.

 

[TRest]

FEMA had me in a flood zone also. I got hit with over 2k a year in flood insurance for a couple of years. I hired a surveyor specializing in flood zones. Found out I was 5 feet above the flood FEMA flood zone. FEMA took me out of their zone and I got all the past years monies refunded from the insurance company. The surveyor cost about $800.00, but was well worth it. I wonder how many folks are paying through the nose that are not in the flood zone. It is not well known that FEMA just puts lines on a map and bingo, you pay. They don't really do any surveying of elevations.

The line on the FEMA map just nicks the corner of our foundation (to be fair, we have a local stream buried in a culvert going through our front yard and coming back out across the street). I tried having surveillance done, the living space was given some type of height certification and my mortgage company waived the flood insurance. Then the maps changed and now if I want to re-finance etc., all lenders are mandating I get the flood insurance.

 

[SubbaBub]

FEMA maps: Are estimations of inundated areas coinciding with a 1% flood event. They are based on a lot of assumptions and satellite level mapping.

IOW, they are not incredibly accurate, are not comprehensive, and are only as good as the accompanying Flood Insurance Study (FIS). Extrapolations between data points are massive.

But...I wouldn't buy a property without checking the map. The most important piece of information is the flood elevation. If your lowest enclosed finished floor elevation is above the line, then you can petition to have the map revised and drop your flood insurance. But, I wouldn't drop it. The fudge factor between what gets wet and what doesn't is large. If you are anywhere near it, get the insurance.

The benefit of getting your elevation certificate is that the rates for your town can be reduced if enough people do it.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dougsts]

FEMA maps: Are estimations of inundated areas coinciding with a 1% flood event. They are based on a lot of assumptions and satellite level mapping.

IOW, they are not incredibly accurate, are not comprehensive, and are only as good as the accompanying Flood Insurance Study (FIS). Extrapolations between data points are massive.

But...I wouldn't buy a property without checking the map. The most important piece of information is the flood elevation. If your lowest enclosed finished floor elevation is above the line, then you can petition to have the map revised and drop your flood insurance. But, I wouldn't drop it. The fudge factor between what gets wet and what doesn't is large. If you are anywhere near it, get the insurance.

The benefit of getting your elevation certificate is that the rates for your town can be reduced if enough people do it.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Most people think getting water in your basement is considered a flood where your flood insurance kicks in. There has to be an area I believe it is 2 acres underwater, but don't quote me on that number, before it is considered a flood. So you could be underwater and it not considered a flood.

 

[Dougsts]

The line on the FEMA map just nicks the corner of our foundation (to be fair, we have a local stream buried in a culvert going through our front yard and coming back out across the street). I tried having surveillance done, the living space was given some type of height certification and my mortgage company waived the flood insurance. Then the maps changed and now if I want to re-finance etc., all lenders are mandating I get the flood insurance.

I have a good size stream running through my property, so FEMA automatically put me in the highest risk flood zone. I wouldn't have realized it if I didn't take out a small mortgage on the house and the lender forced me to get the insurance. My only issue with the way FEMA goes about it is the fact that they are very arbitrary in their designation. I look at it in many cases as more of a tax than an insurance. Somebody has to pay for the areas that flood quite often around the country. I imagine there are tens of thousands of people who just pay it because FEMA has told them they have to. For me the issue was more about being able to sell my house as opposed to the insurance rates.

 

[chris63]

What got me ticked is i got a letter saying I was underinsured. I called up thought it was cleared up where I had enough coverage ,not once but twice I got the letter and did that
then I got the escrow notice in aug of 2011 showing the schedule on when they payed taxes.ins etc... well they had taken $960 out of escrow to cover the higher premium and it then says to get back on track for jan tax time I needed to either cough up around $1800 to get back on track and mortgage would still rise $80 a month. Of course when I called they
went on saying i need total replacement cost plus who knows what . 215 k of coverage for a house I paid 130k and mortgage was for 90k grrrrrr

 

[hamster]

Sadly, I am an expert on this subject. I tried all the less expensive fixes. I had CT. basement systems in to fix it. EXPENSIVE BUT NOT A DROP IN THE FINISHED BASEMEnt in twelve years. It is a investment. A least get a quote.
(Sorry about the cap, too lazy to retype)

 

[TRest]

Sadly, I am an expert on this subject. I tried all the less expensive fixes. I had CT. basement systems in to fix it. EXPENSIVE BUT NOT A DROP IN THE FINISHED BASEMEnt in twelve years. It is a investment. A least get a quote.
(Sorry about the cap, too lazy to retype)

I'm kind of stuck, our original mortgage gave us a waiver on the flood insurance but in order to pay for any large project, I would need to get a home equity loan and pick up the insurance (last time I applied that was the case). I wasn't allowed to escrow the flood insurance in the past which is another pain in the ass if I have to come up with 2k plus every year. Selling the house in the future should be a treat, I'll probably just stay here until I die.