[militarymedic23]

Looking for some advice on the recommended approach to the following scenario:

Prior to moving into my current house, previous owners addressed an issue with basement walls being just outside the plumb-line limits. Had a company come in, they put up X number of braces, all anchored into the basement floor.
I noticed that during the more intense rainstorms that water was coming up in the same area as those posts. Linking things together, I'm about 99% sure that water is coming up through the bolt holes these guys drilled.
This house is a early 50's build. I've already found some very interesting things that probably should never have happened with the construction, but can't change the past. Given what I've seen so far, I can only imagine the prep work and pouring of the basement was probably far from ideal. So I have to take into the possibility that the holes drilled for the wall supports were drilled through whatever minimal thickness of a floor and are pretty much a direct channel into the basement for water.

Last year I tried contacting the company, but go figure they wouldn't even respond to me.

So, taking into account all that fun stuff, now I'm on the mission of trying to refinish the basement area, make it look decently presentable. Plan to sand or strip it back to basics, put a nice new coat of paint. At some point I'll have to tackle where these braces are.

I'm not sure what the best option would be, sealing around the bolts (already rusting decently in 3 years), take the bolts out, fill with ___?? re-seat?
If I can't get this company to even respond I'm hoping I can tackle something or most of this project on my own.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,... Stoppin' the water is priority #1,...

This is usually done outside with regradin' to move any surface water away from the house,...
If necessary, with a footer drain surroundin' the foundation,...

 

[militarymedic23]

Should have mentioned, I've already sunk about 6k in a driveway prep and grading away from the house. huge improvement from the first time it flooded.
I had went to goodwill and bought around 20 lbs of old towels to use for mopping up water. After the grading I only had to put down one or two, just enough to catch a puddle around the braces.

Since the summer I've also built up flower beds around the house and laid down a decently thick layer of cedar chips. gutter spout is extended and runs about 10 feet away from the house.

I think the current grading is sufficient for keeping 95% of the water away from the house, but there is still a puddle or so that forms along that wall when it rains hard.
for the little amount of water that is there, excavating to install a footer drain seems overkill.
I think these bolt holes are the primary problem. Seems obvious when the only water comes up right were the bolts are.

Wouldn't there be an option to drill or cut out around the current bolts, fill and set new bolts (stainless?) so everything is sealed?

 

[Canarywood1]

Can you put up a picture of what you have

 

[jomama45]

I have no idea where you are, or how the wall restraints are installed as relation to how we do them here, but here's a few thoughts anyways:

- "Here", we need to use corrosion resistant wedge anchors at the bottom of the restraints, as it's a given there's likely to be moisture around them.

- The wedge anchors have to penetrate the footing to be effective. Code actually demands doing so. "Here", we need to use 1/2" by 7" long wedge anchors in most cases.

- If they installed wedge anchors in the floor, as they always do "here", it's going to be extremely frustrating gettign rid of them. About the only way to get rid of them is to drive them through the bottom of footing, and I doubt they're drilled all the way through the footing. You might be able to remove the bolts at the top, and raise the restraints off of the floor anchors, cut them flush, pound them as deep as you can (probably only an inch or 2) and attempt ot patch over them. If the artificial water table is that high in your basement, anything you do to patch them is likely to leak again.

- I have a hard time seeing the bolts being much of an issue, the concrete floor is anything but waterproof on it's own. Water should be pushing out of joints & cracks in the floor as well. I've installed hundreds of restraints in the last 12 -15 years, and I've yet to see any leak around the anchors. Perhaps some pictures are in order.

- I undersstand your frustration with the water, but just know that the wall restraints weren't installed to deal with the water table issues, that requires separate work.

 

[Fix'n it]

i would like to see pics. but, perhaps they penetrated an interior french drain ?

 

[militarymedic23]

View attachment 221705 When I first moved in and noticed the flooding, I could see the water coming out of the walls pretty much. Quite obvious. But after that I was quite observant on where the water was coming from and it was just around the bolts. I could actually see a pattern to the water depending on how much as it expanded away from the brace.

I have two pics of the bottom of the restraint. Top is anchored to the 2x6 joists and braced properly depending on the location.

 

[throrope]

Your desired solution aligns with the Danish boy's thumb. As above, you have a water issue that won't go away until the water has another place to go. This sounds curt, but I'm trying to be frank (not Curt or Frank).

I suggest you leave as is until funds are available to pay for more than band-aids.

 

[militarymedic23]

ok, but what exactly would you say is going to be the proper fix for this and the rough average on cost?
I recall doing multiple tours of the house before buying and none of the pics I took or the inspectors showed any type of water issue along this wall where the current restraints are.
I might be a bit bull headed on this but I'm having a hard time letting go of the idea that the water issue is due to the restraints/bolts being placed.
This house is anything from close to the bottom of the pile for quality. The possibility the basement slab is thinner than it should be, highly probable. The crew doing the install might have done things correctly but you can't fix stupid for how the house was built.
I'm not planning on staying in this place long, maybe another year or two as long as my fiance and I can find another place within budget.

 

[militarymedic23]

jomama45, I'm actually up in appleton. If that possibly helps in what you may have been thinking for location.

 

[Bondo]

I might be a bit bull headed on this but I'm having a hard time letting go of the idea that the water issue is due to the restraints/bolts being placed.

Ayuh,.... The water comin' up through the bolt holes, is the same problem that caused the wall to bow in the 1st place,...
Water, Outside, tryin' to get in,....

Ya gotta divert the water, Outside, so's it ain't tryin' to get in,....

You said it's pondin' in that area,....
You said ya built raised gardens in that area,....
What ya need to positive drainage away from the house to move the surface water away,....

Stoppin' the bolt leaks will cause the water to find another way in, 'n put more pressure against the bowed wall til it does,...

 

[militarymedic23]

Ah I see where you are going there.
The flower area isn't raised, just existing flower beds around the building that I graded towards the driveway, but also put on a lot of cedar bark. Figured that would help in some water absorption and help divert water away vs just having plain dirt there.
One thing that may add another factor in with this picture is the sump pump area. It's a pit in the floor that looks like someone took a half stick of dyno and made a hole. More than likely it was a pit made with whatever crap (old cinderblocks) before the basement was poured. Just enough space to let water collect and a sump pump sits perfectly in there. As far as I can tell any water from around the house all drains around to this. Sounds like a waterfall in the spring with all the snow and incoming rain. Nothing else goes into the pit as the rest of the plumbing goes straight into the sewer system.
Reinforcements were only installed on the northwest corner of the basement wall, so given that, wouldn't the entire northern and or western wall have more significant bowing if there was that big of a water issue?
The previous owner's mother was the original owner of the house, so it's been the family for 50 something years. Never got a decent answer as to when the basement wall may have started to bow, although it could have been 40 years ago and never moved since.

Like I had mentioned, the amount of water that pools around the bolt holes is about 90% less than before the grading. But if this little bit more of water that is coming up requires excavating in order to redo the drain around the foundation, then it won't be something I can afford anytime soon.

 

[jomama45]

The pictures show clear evidence that there's been a history of water pushing through the first course of block as well. Even if you were to find a way to seal the anchors, you're going to have to contend with water coming through the wall-to-floor joint, and that bottom course of block in the future. It's an extremely common issue in heavy soils, water lays next to the foundation, finds ways into the block on the exterior, travels down the hollow cores of the block wall, and saturates the bottom course of the wall. Many attempts have been made through the years to control mortar damming at the base of these walls (think of all of the mortar that falls inside the cavities as the wall is being constructe) and allow a direct, efficient path to teh bleeder tile that instersect the footing below. Unfortunatley, in the 1950's, block were relatively new yet, and it's rare to find any attempt built in to control the water inside.

This is just one of many systems available to control interior water w/o having to dig up outside. They have some decent interactive diagrams ot help understand what's really going on with your basment. It's still not cheap, but the good news is that the majority of the work is manual labor, and this is a DIY forum afterall............

https://www.mtidry.com/basement-moisture-existing-construction