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Leaky Basement Floor
How to Fix a Leaky Basement Floor
By: Mark J. Donovan
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A leaky basement floor can cause
major damage and disruption in the home, particularly if the problem is
intermittent. A wet basement floor due to foundation and basement floor water
leaks can destroy items stored in the basement as well as foster dangerous mold
and mildew growth.
Years ago I had a major leaky basement floor problem on a brand new home that I
had purchased. Ground water was seeping in between the basement foundation
walls and the footings and concrete basement slab floor.
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Besides the water, tar was also
seeping in with the water. Tar was used as a basement waterproof sealer to prevent water
penetration via the foundation walls. However, due to the high water table the
water pressure was strong enough to force water and tar underneath the
foundation walls and up and in between the basement floor and interior
foundation walls. The problem occurred almost every time during and after a
rain storm. I typically would sop up about 5 to 10 gallons of water after every
rain storm.
I evaluated a number of ways to solve my leaky basement floor problem. The
solutions suggested to me were sealing the interior of the basement foundation
walls and floor, sealing the exterior foundation walls, sealing both the
interior and exterior foundation walls, installing gutters, and installing a
French drain.
Due to the fact that the home was built during a housing
boom, and every guy that could hold a hammer was becoming a builder, my
home was built without a perimeter drain.
As a result, I ended up choosing the more dramatic approach of installing a
French drain, or perimeter drain, around the exterior of the foundation to
eliminate my leaky basement floor problem. All of the other solutions, with
the exception of adding gutters, were band-aid approaches by my
estimations.
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I will admit today, though, that
there are some excellent basement water sealing solutions, however I would highly
recommend sealing the outside of the foundations walls versus the inside.
Installing a French drain required getting a backhoe in and digging around the
foundation down to the footing level. In addition, a trench was dug away from
the home to an area of land that sat lower than the finished grade surrounding
the home.
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After digging around the foundation several inches of crushed stone was poured
into the trench around the foundation walls and into the runoff area. A network
of perforated PVC piping was then installed around the perimeter of the home’s
foundation walls and into the runoff trench. Additional crushed stone and then a
landscaping mesh was installed over the PVC pipe. Finally, the trench was
backfilled in. In the process of backfilling around the foundation walls, the
soil was graded so that water would run off away from the home.
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To ensure I eliminated my leaky basement floor problem I also installed
gutters.
I am happy to report that my steps to resolve my leaky basement floor problem
were a success. The basement stayed dry for the remaining years that we lived in
the home.
So if you have a leaky basement floor consider all your waterproofing basement
options, as well as your budget, before deciding upon a course of action. Though
installing a French drain was the most expensive solution, it solved all of my
basement water problems and allowed me to fully utilize my basement again.
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