We've been having some torrential downpours lately (3 inches in 1/2 hour). As a result, I've had some water leakage into my garage. In addition to improving that the outside drainage, I want to seal the outside wall area where the brick meets the foundation. What sort of sealant would be best?
Thanks,
Jean
Flashing comes to mind.
Sealing should not be the issue, the issue is getting the water away from there. I would guess you have some sort of ledge of the foundation material that goes beyond the facing brick above it. If the top of the foundation was sloped away from the wall, the water would go that way. Any "seal" you use will fail, but if you provide a place for the water to go away from there, it will work.
Those 'weep' holes are there for a purpose. About a billion smart builders have decided they are necessary. Maybe you are smarter than they are, but I doubt it.
Replace all the sheetrock and insulation in your garage with waterproof building supplies and you needn't worry about a small leak.
Jean:
Does your garage have gutters?
That's a good point, if those are weep holes, sealing them up will just make things worse, much worse and could be the cause of the problem.
Okay, maybe I need to clarify some things:
-The house and garage have gutters.
-There are no downspouts draining into the affected area.
-The drainage system is basically a swale between my house and the neighboring house. The distance between houses is roughly 7 feet. The neighboring house is graded much higher.
-The swale cannot be any deeper than it already is because my electric line, water main, telephone line, and TV cable line are buried in that area.
-Recontouring the swale for optimum drainage would be an exercise in futility because my neighbor likes to walk thru that area many times per day (even though the area is usually wet) and he manages to flatten out the ground.
-Due to the above-mentioned utility lines and a couple of utility junction boxes in the yard, it is impossible to install drains of any kind in the area.
-So, it seems to me that the only permanent fix is to seal any possible water entry points.
The leakage is probably at the base of the lowest course of brick -I can see a couple areas where the mortar is not solid and the location of the water in the garage coresponds roughly to the location of these voids. (Note: these voids are not weep holes.)
A neighbor suggested that I use some fibered asphalt cement (the kind you can apply to wet surfaces) to seal the voids. He had the same leakage problem and this cement stopped the leaks. My initial posting was an attempt to see if there are any other sealants out there that would be good for this application.
Jean
Jean wrote: .. .
Ah, those famous words. Sorry but it never works. The only way to keep a home dry is to move the water away from the house. You home is your castle, not your boat.
I suggest you consult with a good contractor, engineer or local authority to see what your options are. Then work with your neighbor if at all possible to find a solution.
It may help you to realize that brickwork is itself not waterproof. Waterproofing, flashing, etc., has to be done with this in mind by someone experienced in the field. Ventilation is very important. Attempting to seal up brickwork will often only succeed in trapping moisture inside the structure. Weepholes are usually provided to allow water to drain from behind brickwork.
Don Young
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