Fixing A Leaking Cellar

[nomad8]

I have an old stone house with large badly leaking cellar walls. The water comes from underground streams prevalent in my area ( Maryland) rain and melting snow.

The cellar walls are mainly rock with crumbling sand between. . I currently use a sump pump to divert the water.

How can I fix this problem? At least to slow down the flow?

Your help would be appreciated.

Allan

[Rob-J]

I think would need to install drain tile aound the house and have it run off into a dry well. Does your sump run constantly? If so, (or at lease very often) then maybe you could install a second pump and make sure it is diverted far from the house.

[R.C. Crawford]

The water leaking into your basement relieves the hydrostatic pressure behind the wall. This helps to keep the deteriorating wall from collasping. Therefore you need to be careful to "not" stop the leaking into the building until you stop the hydrostatic pressure on the outside of the wall. The above suggestion to install drain tiles is excellent.

[barry martin]

Allan:

N > I have an old stone house with large badly leaking cellar walls. The N > water comes from underground streams prevalent in my area ( Maryland) N > rain and melting snow. N > N > The cellar walls are mainly rock with crumbling sand between. . I N > currently use a sump pump to divert the water. N > N > How can I fix this problem? At least to slow down the flow?

The "trick" is to get the water to flow somewhere else more easily. You might consider a French Drain -- dig a trench around your basement walls, partially fill with large rocks and/or perforated drainage tube; add a layer of smaller rocks and cover trench. The water should find it easer to flow in the tube and/or spaces between the larger rock than try to get into your basement.

Note: be sure to keep the opening where the water is to exit clear. If blocked by ice or snow it won't do any good.

- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

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