moisture basement

[Bri999]

Hi, I am having problem with water leaking into the basement of a cottage. There was initially no eavestroughing on that side of the cottage but I put new ones up - they drain to downspout properly and the downspout is directed approx. 6 feet away from building. The water comes in through the foundation blocks only on that one wall (seeps in - no definite cracks or leaks). The rec. room on the opposite side of the cottage is getting a musty smell. Any ideas besides a dehumidifier (which would be a very temporary solution)? There is a septic tank with the exiting pipes along that wall so digging down the side of the wall outside would be a problem. The system was just inspected and is relatively new with no evidence cracks/leaks etc. The grading on that side of the cottage isn't exactly away from the building - maybe just bring in some fill and grade it away? Any advice would be great. Thanks. D.

[mark Ransley]

many coats of UGL waterproofing paint can reduce water problems

[JNJ]

I have been looking at basement water solutions for a while now -- we have a stone foundation that has been more than a little problem for us.

2 solutions stand out among recommendations -- DryLok and SaniTred. The former is generally recommended by folks with concrete block foundations and everyone I've spoken to has had good luck with the product. It's available at Home Depot for a reasonable price so it merits a try. As for SaniTred, they have all sorts of testimonials but I am yet to find anyone on the newsgroups or forums that has actually used the product. You can read more about SaniTred at their website at as well. We'll likely give this one a try in our basement -- the basement is only 16x36x5 (or right thereabouts) so it would be a cost effective solution for us.

Grading is always a plus -- if you're seeing surface water pooling/collecting around the foundation of the house you need to get rid of it --if you do not, nature will be more than happy to assist. :) Grading is one option, a drain system is another -- I'd give landscaping solutions a try first since they're typically not too difficult and easily reversible.

James