Water Problem Questions

[dvd_knockouts]

I just bought a new house that was built on fill dirt that sat for maybe 6 months prior to building. The builder built 8 houses on this filled in area, 4 ranchers and 4 split levels with a full basement.

My neighbors that own the ranchers constantly have water in their crawl space. Even weeks after it rains the mud in the grawl space is soft and they seem to think it's coming from under the foundation.

My house has a basement, but I have recently noticed cracks in my basement:

Could this be because the water is coming up under my foundation? What is the best way to find out? Someone suggested to me to drill a hole through the concrete slab and see if water comes through during a good rain. Does this sound like a good idea?

If water is getting underneath my foundation - what possible problems could I have? Is the best way to fix it by install a sump pump?

[Tony Hwang]

[Sacramento Dave]

I would not drill a whole threw the Floor or walls, There is most likely a vapor barrier you would penetrate it. Most concrete gets those cracks I would not be worried about them unless they start spreading open The cracks are most likely from settling. Your basement is dug down into the ground so sure your going to get water under it.Are you getting water threw the cracks? Is so I believe the make sealers. If there's no water coming up leave it alone.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Hair line crack on concrete is normal. Foundation concrete floor is floating, it is not fixed to the walls. Sounds like those houses were built on a lot where all necessary things such as soil testing, drainage, site grading, etc. were not done.

[dvd_knockouts]

The place I live does not enforce many regs - so I would guess none of those things were done. Any other suggestions?

[tbasc]

Organize the owners and pay for a forensic engineer. The engineer would investigate and produce a report. The report would outline problems, causes and solutions. It might be used to negotiate with the builder. It could be the basis for a fix for the development. TB

[hallerb]

get a soil engineers opinion. if the fill wasnt properly compacted ypu and others could be in for a world of hurt. go this immediately before the builder goes out of business or disappears

[Sacramento Dave]

You haven't answered the Question or I missed something . Are you getting water threw the cracks? Water in a crawl is not uncommon. Getting engineers and soil experts won't solve the problem will eliminate any residual cash laying around. Most likely builder is incorporated can just close shop, start a new CO. new name. your talking years of legal cost. Main question What is the ground water hurting ? Not the concrete

[Norminn]

A lot would depend on soil type, slope of the lot and surrounding land, rainfall, drainage from downspouts, water table, etc. Your city or county may have websites with info about soil and water tables. Have sanitary and/or storm sewers? Live near lake? On a hill? Desert? There are drainage problems a homeowner can correct without major effort, like correcting slope away from foundation, extending downspout drainage, but you have to understand the cause before you can think about correcting it. Ask some questions anonymously of your local building code folks; they should be able to offer some constructive input. Don't drill any holes through your slab. You might also examine the builder's permits and inspections to see if there were corrections he should have made but did not.

[dnoyeB]

Water through the crack would be pressure relief. If there is water under the foundation then he may eventually get the foundation to heave and water to enter. He shouldn't wait until that happens to decide he has a problem.

So far his cracks look normal. They look hairline in the pictures which is for me nothing to be alarmed about. Unlike the cracks in my basement floor which are about 1/8" wide.

Get professional evaluation now. I think engineer is good choice. If you ask one of those basement waterproofing folks that are capable of doing the repair they are guaranteed to claim they find all kinds of water.

I dont personally have a problem drilling a hole in the floor. My basement has 3 pipes layed and the vapor barrier was broken for each. Its only going to be a problem if your water is high. And if your water is high you should get a sump anyway. Then there is also Radon..