Water and house exterior

[tom_sawyer70]

We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or issue somewhere in the front of the house. When we get an inch or more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4 feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.), warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that might be better than others, etc.?

Thanks in advance, Dave

[hallerb]

check for clean gutters free flowing downspouts, that move water far away from home.

run garden hose into downspout for a couple hours, any water inside home

hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from home for at least 20 feet.

none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before hiring a expert

how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?

[Michael B]

[hrhofmann]

When you vacuum through the hole, are you putting the hose in and then down toward the bottom of the cinder block, or is the water as high as the top of the cinder block? Who put the hole there? Has this been a problem ever since the house was built?

[tom_sawyer70]

Gutters are clean, I clean them twice a year and verify downspouts are clear (one has a tendancy to clog, so it is on my list of things to do).

Interesting thought to try.

The grade probably could use work, but wouldn't this be covering a bigger problem if there is a breach?

I will do ... and thanks for the feedback (which is why I wanted to ask before hiring).

House is 40 years old, we've lived here for 7. I don't know about the past ... we had the problem once in the first 5 years, subsequently had removed some shrubbery (which may have been helping keep the water away) and have had it twice in the past 2 years.

[tom_sawyer70]

[tom_sawyer70]

The water is as high as the cinder block. The nozzle is not small enough to fit down in it.

The hole is in the corner under stone stairs down to the family room, behind the pipe that feeds the fin-tube hot water line. It's basically a small square but I don't know if it was just a shoddy job or whether they put it there for a reason ... this house has had some interesting "opportunities" uncovered over the years. It wouldn't surpise me if it was a known issue prior to our habiting it.

I don't know. The house is 40 years old and we've been here 7.

[Tony]

Would a weep hole on the outside let it drain by itself?

[aemeijers]

Don't do bandaids- figure out where the water is coming from, and fix it. The block should never fill with water, in a properly-constructed and graded house. Without a whole bunch of pictures, close-up and showing the whole area, all any of us on here can do is guess. Strongly recommend having a good foundation contractor look at it- and NOT one of those ones where a salesman will stop by and make a high-pressure sales pitch for an interior drainage system. (BTDT, threw his ass out. The correct place to stop water is outside the wall, no matter what anybody says,) Somebody that knows what they are doing should be able to narrow down the cause in a few minutes.

From previous wet basements I have known, I suspect the half-buried floor needs to have the backfill dug out down to the footers, the walls properly sealed, the perimeter drain repaired or installed, and the whole thing backfilled and graded properly. You also need to look at gutters and valleys where the roofs comes together- split-levels love to create ponding situations with the runoff. Could be something as simple as the front porch is frost-heaved, and it is draining water behind or to one side of it. Just no way to tell without seeing it.

-- aem sends...