OT: Basement leaking through crack

[TheGrog]

Came home tonight to find water pouring in our (almost) finished basement. It is coming in through a new crack in the foundation that goes around the sewage exit pipe. Pretty good rate (about 15 gal per hour). :headwallblue:

Cleared all the gutter drains and diverted as much as I could away from the house, but the ground just can't absorb it.

I know I am screwed now, but anyone know of (or work for) a good company that can properly seal the crack?

 

[rmeugene]

I am not a professional but before we finished our basement we had some small leaks…nothing like you are experiencing. But I was able to stop all leaking - knock on wood - by regrading the ground outside the foundation. I found that most all of the way around the house was sloping towards to house and the drop was a good 8"-12". I roto-tilled about 4'-8' out from the foundation and graded it away from the house. Again…not sure that would fix your issue but it is something to look at that is not costly.

 

[ReeferMark]

Grog,

Check out seepage.com. I had them come out about 7 years ago to seal two small foundation cracks and have NOT had a problem since! It will smell something terrible after they finish for just a few hours, but it was sealed.

Mark

 

[wipe]

Took the old paneling off the wall on a remodel job of the basement and tons of dirt and sand was piled behind it. I had seen water over there a couple times
Big crack full length of the foundation (good thing it was on the driveway side the dryer side). Had a guy come out and put little nozzles in the crack he drilled em in every 6inches or so and then covered em with hydraulic cement injected from the bottom up with something like Great Stuff.. The great stuff forced itself up into the middle of the driveway thought I had a mushroom growing. Its been dry ever since.
Try hydraulic cement it sets up fast.

 

[kawicivic]

This is the proper way to do a repair around a pipe - similar to what wipe is talking about. This company is local as well:

http://www.emecole.com/products/pipe-penetration-kit-for-diy.html

This is the same stuff that the basement leak companies will use.

 

[xtlosx]

We had some normal foundation cracks and use permaseal. They are local, and a really great reliable company... the cost was actually not even a big deal. Hasn't leaked since! I highly recommend them.

 

[lexiz1]

Bentonite

Bentonite

Bentonite is the answer!! I had the same situation at my house 4 years ago. Large crack from top to bottom of my foundation. And to make things worse, it was right behind my electrical panel and meter pedestal outside. Every time it rained it looked like a waterfall out of the bottom of my electrical panel!

Bentonite is a super absorbent product that expands when it gets wet so it will seal the crack every time it rains. All you need to do is dig out some of the area outside the house (~3-4' down), create a slurry and slowly pour it into the hole.

Ive suggested this to a few others and they loved the results. And the best thing is that it will only cost you about $40. Its been four years and I STILL do not have any issue. I picked a bag up from McCann in Addison. Hit me up if you have any questions.....

 

[mrandersonxd]

15g/hr you say? That sounds a little worse than a "foundation crack". I would have your sewer and water checked. I am a licensed plumber and can tell you that sewage pipes tend to break off right outside the foundation walls from settling. You will not notice this right away because its so suttle that it tends to work for a while before seeping back into your house(it probably is already doing this and just exiting thru your sump pump).

While your sewer may not be "backed up" it can still leak back towards your foundation which will eventually lead to more problems for you.

 

[jfuka78]

As a lisc plumber also, 15 gal and hour is not just a small leak. Is it just coming from around the pipe or? Any pics? I also came home to a leak in my foundation. Thankfully I am just starting to finish that room and just the drywall was hung

 

[TheGrog]

Update:
It stopped once the temp dropped and not a drop since. It was coming from the crack above, around and below the pipe. No pics. I did put hydraulic cement in the crack and we will see when the next thaw comes (hopefully soon). The issue is the sump is on the opposite side of the basement so have to manually clean up.
I don't feel it was the septic field as we are on a hill and the field starts quite a bit down from the house, and grades down (about 10 feet total). Since this was the only time we have seen water, and the crack is now more than just a hairline (about 1/4" wide at parts) I feel that is the culprit.
On looking around outside, there was a large drift that was acting as a dam on that side of the house and the water was pooling up against the foundation so I think that may have contributed. I have since chipped two outflow tracts away from the house.
Good suggestions everyone. I will be having it repaired from outside in the spring. The problem is that it is right below our deck so I will have to tear up decking to get to it. ugh.
Stay tuned