OT: Basement has small leak how can I fix it?

[Im Lon 2]

Where I'm at there is a lot of clay in the ground, so when it get really dry the ground cracks. Since it has been a really dry summer the rain yesterday just went straight to the basement walls.

I have a small leak that is where the floor meets the walls around the edge. I didn't know if there was some type of putty, paint, or anything that would help seal it.

I know they have paints out there for sealing wall from moister but will it hold against a small leak?

 

[scbadiver]

I had a similar problem with a hairline crack in the wall from the floor up about 2 feet. I packed/rubbed/pushed Hydraulic cement into the gap and, so far, it has held for about 3-4 years and it leaked badly before. You can get a little bucket of the mix at Lowes for a few bucks if you want to try it. The way I understand the stuff it expands as it cures to make a seal, and you can put it on when the wall is still wet without any problem. HTH

Robbie

 

[Dert42]

personally i would get a professional basement place to deal with it.

 

[capncapo]

Lonnie,

Believe it or not many basement leaks can be eliminated simply by sloping the grade of the dirt around the house away from the house.

You might try getting some soil and placing it around your foundation while making sure that it slopes away from the foundation.

 

[Boosted Rxp]

get drylock fastplug at depot or lowes one or other,used it on a buddies place after 3 contractors couldnt get it fixed

 

[chriscobb]

I have to agree with the drylock fast plug....

 

[panaboy95]

i have used fast plug before it will stopa leak up even when it is still coming in you can basicly just watch the leak stop as it cures. but mix it outside it is some dusty stuff don't breath it in.

 

[Im Lon 2]

Thanks guys.. I'm going to try the Drylock this weekend.

Does it have a color?

 

[caesura]

Some wise words from Capo.

I had a very leaky basement at one point. The biggest problem area was the concrete block foundation on the older part of my house (1941). Out of the long list of things I tried the most effective were grading the yard and french drains.

Trapping water behind the wall may keep you dry but can't be good for the house.

 

[frenchie]

i used drylock on cracks and then sloped dirt around house the get water run off away from house and not puddling up.

 

[Sk8r]

Another veteran of leaks here: water seeks the lowest point to exit---so where the leak starts and where it ends may be yards apart.

I like the sound of that drylock stuff...if it swells to fill the crack. I have also used the waterproof paint: goes on like cement-on-a-brush, and was capable of waterproofing brick and cement that had leaked despite every other treatment, wicking rain right through a wall.

 

[Nanook]

I will testify that Capo's idea will work very well in most cases.

dave

 

[Im Lon 2]

The part that kills me is that the side of the house that has the eve. So the rain off the roof goes else where.

I have some Hydraulics Water Proof stuff left over from a different job. Sounds like the Drylocks stuff, but not sure.

 

[DrBDC]

Is it on a side of the house where you can dig? If so I'd try to dig and place some drainage in the ground too. Maybe even a sump pump after that. Then when you have the side of the foundation exposed you can put stuff on that side as well and really get a more permanent fix.

 

[caesura]

Try walking around the outside of your house in the pouring rain.

 

[Amy83820]

I had a old (1930s) house in South City and had the same problem. It seems that the problem is drainage more than anything. If you patch the leak, it will come in somewhere else. The houses were so close together that the water doesn't drain anywhere. The only thing that helped us was to make sure the gutters were clean (so they wouldn't overflow when it rained). Where do your downspouts point?
You are probably going to have to regrade. How far away is your house from your neighbors?