Leaky Basements Suck!

[Ladyzekke]

Well after our 2 foot snowstorm, now we have warmer temps and torrential rains, yeee hawww! So of course our basement has to flood. I spent the entire day wet vaccing water that replaced itself instantly after you sucked it up. Wet vac can hold I'd say about 30 gallons in its bin, at one point it took literally 15 seconds to fill the bin up!

Called a plumber friend, he stuck a pump outside over top the drain at the bottom of the stairwell that leads to the back basement door, didn't work. huh! Well, after time, we notice something. Holes! Holes about an inch in diameter all along the floor near the wall, one is like a little fountain gushing water. Upon closer inspection, there seems to be holes all over the place! All seeping or gushing water.

Now I ask you, why did the previous owners decide to drill holes in a concrete basement floor?! Because for the life of me I can't see why anyone would do such a thing! Of course they tried to fill the holes in some cheap way that didn't work, and painted over them with this grey shiny paint, so we never noticed them until now (paint started peeling off while we wetvacced, apparently not waterproof paint LOL, and it revealed the holes as well, not to mention the little fountains also gave the holes away!)

The neighbor's sump pump used to keep us from flooding, but she got a new one and they didn't put it in as deep as the previous one, so I guess we'll have to get one now. But still... again... why would anyone drill holes two feet apart on the floor near all the walls in a basement? Why!?? Bastaids!

[The.Relic]

That really does suck LadyZ, I very sorry to hear that you are having to deal with the flooding in your basement. I don't know what the rational was for drilling the holes myself, and I certainly wont try to speculate on it. I hope it isn't a finished basement with padded carpenting, paneling and furnishings. Flooding has a tendency to ruin such things. I also hope that you didn't have any possible perishable items stored down there that might have been ruined or damaged.

[ 02-23-2003, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: The.Relic ]

[Cloudbringer]

OH no! UGH! Water damage and houses are two things that don't mix well at all! In fact that's the one thing I'm paranoid about! My parents had a leaky basement and it got a huge crack in one wall. The made the contractor repour the basement, seems they'd left a HUGE boulder touching the wall on the outside, which made the wall crack, but we had little ones everywhere... I still remember the day I found a mushroom growing in from one of them... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Can you install a sump pump soon? I hope so!!! Get a good quality one, but DO NOT go for the higher horse power, Wendy, you don't need that! I had a half hp one that died in a year and after talking to the reliable guys in my hardware store 5 yrs ago, I got a 1/4 hp one and believe it or not it works better and we haven't had a problem with it in all this time. Seems the higher hp ones are more prone to breakdowns and the one I had must have been especially cheap as it even rusted. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Bungleau]

Argghh! Few things are less fun than a flooded basement still flooding, and I'd rather not think about those things, thank you very much!

Once you do get the water out, make plans in the spring to look at your landscaping outside. Odds are that the ground slopes toward the house, which tends to help the water congregate next to the walls and leak in. Build it up so it slopes away, and you'll have less water to contend with.

And obviously, patching those holes is going to be an important task as well. Just pretend every time you're doing it, you're burying a body part of the person who drilled them in the first place [img]smile.gif[/img] It might help...

My sympathies.

*B*

[Ladyzekke]

Relic, check your PMs [img]smile.gif[/img] Oh, and it is "supposed" to be a finished basement. All the floor is concrete with cinderblock painted walls etc., except for one room that is slightly higher than the rest of the basement, with carpet and panelling. It was a CLOSE call today keeping that area dry!

Cloudy, well dunno what we'll get sump pump wise. We ARE I suppose on a low-ground area, with a creek nearby as well. So I'd want to have one that could take care of your "over-average" flood. So do you think the one you have now would be capable?

EDIT: because it's late, I'm tired, and am an idiot and making no sense.

[ 02-23-2003, 12:41 AM: Message edited by: ladyzekke ]

[Ladyzekke]

Originally posted by Bungleau: And obviously, patching those holes is going to be an important task as well. Just pretend every time you're doing it, you're burying a body part of the person who drilled them in the first place [img]smile.gif[/img] It might help... My sympathies. *B*

Oh be sure I will Bungleau!

[Cloudbringer]

Originally posted by ladyzekke: Relic, check your PMs [img]smile.gif[/img] Oh, and it is "supposed" to be a finished basement. All the floor is concrete with cinderblock painted walls etc., except for one room that is slightly higher than the rest of the basement, with carpet and panelling. It was a CLOSE call today keeping that area dry! Cloudy, well dunno what we'll get sump pump wise. We ARE I suppose on a low-ground area, with a creek nearby as well. So I'd want to have one that could take care of your "over-average" flood. So do you think the one you have now would be capable? EDIT: because it's late, I'm tired, and am an idiot and making no sense.

Well, the guy who sold it to me showed me the specs and then said that if I ever had as much water as that thing can pump in an hour in my basement, I'd be floating down the Hudson River with more than a wet basement to worry about! LOL So, I think it should suffice, but ask a pro at the hardware store you go to, if you aren't sure!

[Sir Krustin]

Holes in the floor? Strange to say the least. When things dry up, get them patched with top'n'bond or something similar, then paint with a quality sealer.

Next you'll want to look at drainage - when you have recurring flooding problems it's time to look at rerouting the water. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

One thing I've seen done is a buried drainage system around the foundation of the house with a pump keeping the drainage system pumped dry. This keeps the water away from your basement.

[Attalus]

We don't have basements, much, in Texas, so I am a stranger to them, but we do have a sump pump under our house in the crawlspace. It is a Little Giant brand and has worked extremely well over the years.

[arion windrider]

sorry to hear that ladyz, i hope u get it fixed when the weather calms down... [img]smile.gif[/img]