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Should I be worried about water leaking through the basement wall during big storms?

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Nealtw 
#1 ·
Seems like a stupid question, but please read till then end so you get the reason for my question. I have a 1940 built home in the suburbs of Boston and am in the middle of a basement renovation. We had a storm(4" in a day) passing through today(into tomorrow) and when I went to the basement, I noticed that one of the walls is leaking- I saw the water at the foot of the basement wall and on the floor. The gutter downspout is on the other side of the house(the gutter spans the entire length) and here the water is fed to an exterior drain tile that takes the water away from the house.
I have never seen this much water before(see pics) - a few damp spots, but never so much water(even in previous storms). The funny thing is the storm is still going strong, but the amount of water has lessened. I assume this is a combination of evaporation(day time) and maybe a shift in the winds?
Anyhow, this has me thinking about what to do next in the basement finishing project. In fact I was wondering how much I should be concerned about this. I know the risks of mold and damage in most finished basements, but I hope the materials I used in my basement project will negate a lot of those risks. Please let me know your thoughts.

Walls - Metal Studs, PT wood base plate, 3"(R21) Closed Cell Spray foam insulation, Purple board(dry wall), vinyl baseboard.
Floor - Dricore Subfloor, Shaws Florte LVT(completely waterproof including core).

Since this water seepage is not an issue everytime it rains(or if there is major thawing), Im hoping that this setup along with a dehumidifier would be ok.
Are there any small adjustments I could do to make it work like
- leave an inch gap between the floor and the walls(which may allow the dehumidifier to draw the water out faster.
- Add a small catch basin and grade the floor toward the catch basin.

Thank you in advance for your time and opinions.
 

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#4 ·
I have never seen this much water before(see pics) - a few damp spots, but never so much water(even in previous storms).

So you thought some small amount of water would be ok. Water is stopped from the outside or managed on the inside. If you don't want to dig up and add drainage at the footing on the outside of the house so you come inside and dig drainage inside the perimeter and drape the wall to direct the water below the floor to the drain..

Which do you like?
 
#6 ·
@Nealtw - I have perimeter drains with pumps in another part of the basement, where the main issue was high water table. I could do a perimeter drain here as well, but I was thinking that the dri-core would provide the necessary "breath-ability" to allow the water to dry off in a few days(in conjunction with the dehumidifier).
@joed - So the dri-core(https://www.homedepot.com/p/DRIcore...core-Subfloor-Panel-CDGNUS750024024/202268752) does not help? I see in their product videos on you-tube they say it could be installed on top of a floor with a drain.

I have considered a couple of alternatives; let me know what you think -
1. floor sloped to a corner where either a catch basin or a compact sump(say 3.5 gal) is installed.
2. Slope the floor & install flooring leaving a gap of around 1' from the leaking wall. This 1' will then be left open. There is floating countertop(no legs) that goes on this wall and I dont think the exposed flooring will show.
 
#9 · (Edited)
most prudent men are concerned about ANY water leaking into their family's home

no one w/any sense installs a sump less than 35gal or uses less than a .3hp zoeller pump imo

' I have considered a couple of alternatives; let me know what you think -
1. floor sloped to a corner where either a catch basin or a compact sump(say 3.5 gal) is installed. sloping a floor properly is never inexpensive compared to managing leaking wtr properly
2. Slope the floor & install flooring leaving a gap of around 1' [more commonly defined as a 'slot drain' - usually rarely gets cleaned so its a great bug/pest/critter invironment - as the least, fills w/dirt] from the leaking wall


you mention there's already a system in the home - can you not alter it to include this present issue ? any idea of comparison costs of an arm/leg to the damage resulting from leaking wtr & health risks ? curious - we do this work & i don't know what it is
 
#11 ·
The outside can be waterproofed and the drainage made to work better or a perimeter drain can be put inside below the floor but that also requires the wall to have a drain system that will direct the water below the floor. A little late for the inside option.
 
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