water gettin into basement

flashme18 · 06-05-2008, 01:51 PM

2 different areas...one we cant figure out where the water is coming from...is it possible for water to seep in from under the basement floor? my closet was wet and mold was on a few items....can mold grow in under 24 hours??? the most recent storm was the night before i found the water. the previous storm was bout 5 days before that. So it had to have been a cumulative effect.

The second is in the corner of the basement which has wood paneling..there is black and whilte mold on the baseboard, but none on the carpet...this is behind my bed!!!! lucky i caught this now...

im about to try and take off the baseboard and paneling and check for cracks in the foundation...if i find where the water is getting in right away, what should i seal the problem area with?

here is 3 pics

**Termite** · 06-05-2008, 02:38 PM

Water can enter from under the slab, especially if your home doesn't have a functional sump pump in a sump pit. Water will always find a way in the home if it is the path of least resistance, so step one is to find a way to convince it to go somewhere else. A sump pit and pump will often help, and installing one is a DIY job. Extending your downspouts away from the house will help, as will maintaining sloped grade away from your foundation.

As far as sealing cracks, you really need to epoxy most foundation cracks if you want to really solve the problem. There are very specialized products that you can buy (Simpson brand comes to mind), but it is best left to pros, who can inject the epoxy under pressure the entire depth of the crack.

flashme18 · 06-05-2008, 04:47 PM

there is a sump pump in the house..its in the southeast corner of the house...the pictures are in the northeast corner of the house...and the water that probably came in through the floor is about 15 feet from the sump pump

im wondering if the sump pump is not fully functional...it definitely pumps some water because it leads to a pipe outside that you can hear and see water flowing out of ..but i havent heard the pump go off and i live in the basement..i moved home about 15 months ago..and from what i remember those things make a noticeable noise. and i cant say i notice the sump pump making any noise..

i took off some wood paneling and the baseboards, but there is sheetrock behind it and insulation behind that..so im gonna have to rip it out to see what is there..and hope the issue is where i removed the paneling and rock...

but im gonna have to put the project on hold, as im going away for a wedding this weekend..what a pain in the butt!