Who is the duty expert on water intrusion?

scorecard72

Good Morning All,

I have a water intrusion problem in my crawl space. I have had the house for 2 years. I believe there are 2 issues here. There is one corner of the crawl space that gets a pretty steady flow of water when it rains hard. There is a concrete wall that looks like a bad repair job was done to try to patch up the water leak but it didn't hold. So I assume this flow of water is coming from a compromised foundation.

Issue 2 is during those really really bad rains all corners of the crawl space concrete floor show signs of water. This I'm assuming is ground water. My problem is how do I address both these issues the right way the first time.

Who is the duty expert on water intrusion? What's the difference between a foundation specialist or a structural engineer? I heard someone on a similar thread talk about hiring a geologist. I am considering hiring someone with a thermal imaging camera to see if they can figure it out. I want to get to the root cause of the problem.

Btw I have already addressed the gutter lines. Yes there also is areas around the property that currently have a slight negative grade so I already know these need to be addressed. I have had a few of the waterproofing companies suggest the perimiter drain system. I'm not totally against this but I'd like to stop the water from entering the space in the first place. So my question is who do I call?

Thanks for your help

Bondo

Ayuh,... I'd start with somebody to regrade the yard,...
Not allowing water near the foundation is easier than dealing with it After it gets there...

amakarevic

what is the location ?

scorecard72

I'm in Orange County, NY

Ron6519

Post pictures of the area.
Ron

scorecard72

I have attached photos of the crawl space.

Attached Thumbnails

         

 

bob22

Just curious, what is the big gray boxy thing?

scorecard72

That's the dehumidifier.

scorecard72

Let me try to expplain what you're looking at. The crawlspace is divided into 2 halves. One part is concrete the second part is bare earth. You can see the second part in pic 4. through that big hole in the wall. When the spring comes I intend to pull all the insulation down. Most of it is falling down anyway and install a plastic barrier. The concrete part is where the water comes in. You can see the culprit in pics 1,2, and 3. That is the area that is taking in the water. The sump pump is very close to that spot. If you look at the wall it's obvious the previous owners tried to seal that hole up. This was my first home and I did not know what to look for during the home inspection. I can obviously install a drainage system around the perimiter of the crawl space but I want to find out why exactly water is coming through that hole. Who should I talk to?

itsreallyconc

the only way to prevent wtr from entering is to excavate OUTSIDE, waterproofing the walls, & installing a toe drain that leads to daylight ( gravity drain ),,, there's no silver bullet but neither is it brain surgery

anything done inside is water management,,, from what i can see, the only thing done right is placing the dehumidifier on a riser btw, i'm not a big fan of extension cords OR having them lie on the floor !

' why ' water is entering: a, it runs downhill; b, once it starts, it won't stop by itself; c, its taking the path of least resistance.

welcome to the world of hydraulics & physics say hi to paul & paulie for us !

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if you hear it from a guy in the apron store, be VERY suspicious the mtl/method will work,,, when it time to build something together, they won't answer phones NOR help
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scorecard72

Good observation. I need to get an electrician down there to add a few more outlets. But in the meantime I will get the cords raised. Thanks. What the hell is a toe drain? I'll look it up thanks.

loneframer

In pic 1, that looks like an exposed footing of some sort. Judging by the different wall surfaces, it looks like a tie in of at least one addition to an original foundation. I'd like to see an outside pic of that area. There's nothing that can be done from the inside to prevent water from getting in . As someone else posted, anything done from the inside is merely water management.

itsreallyconc

' toe drain ' is used more often in dam construction but the method's the same,,, a more relevant term would be ' footer ( or foundtion ) drain ',,, typically that's the 4" corrugated flexible hdpe pipe you often see set around a structure's foundation,,, it should NEVER be placed lower than the footer & should, if possible, drain to daylight per gravity.

JUST placing the pipe w/o the rest of the rqmts is pointless as the pipe will fill w/silt - you also need waterproofing compounds ( hot or cold applied ), filter cloth, clean stone fill ( # 57 ), & a ' miradrain ' like fabric w/NO filter cloth attached - look at delta drain

good luck - ' someone else '

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if you hear it from a guy in the apron store, be VERY suspicious the mtl/method will work,,, when it time to build something together, they won't answer phones NOR help
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scorecard72

Unfortunately the area outside that coresponds with the crawl space crack has a enclosed deck directly above it so for right now I can't provide pics. I do know the previous owners added a bedroom over the garage. I don't know the extent of all the additions done though. I'll try to find out.

ccarlisle

I've said this on other threads, but you can get someone to come in (I use a plumber) and camera-scope your french drain/weeping tile system (that is on the outside) and many times via the drain access on the inside. It may tell you something and may not - but for $350 it's a lot cheaper than tearing down decks and such.

Check it out; if your weeping system is blocked or non-existent, it'll tell you that. But IMO it's money well spent as it might just pinpoint a local problem that can be fixed relatively easily. At least get their opinions...