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OT: How to fix basement leak

Judge Smails

Judge Smails

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2001
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We bought this house about 6 months ago. There is this man made hole in my basement wall. It is about two feet from an identical hole that is where our water comes in the house, copper line attached that brings water upstairs.

iwuk2fir.jpg


That is steel wool plugging it up.

We had some heavy rain a few days ago, and water came in this pipe/hole and flooded about a 10'x10' area in our basement. Maybe an inch or so of water was there, it looked like.

I have no idea what purpose this hole/pipe serves, other than to allow my basement to get wet. A) No issue with closing this, right? B) What would be the best way to close/seal this?
 
Is that pvc pipe I see there? Looks like the water is coming in from there. Can you cap it?
 
It looks like it's leaking around the pipe, too. If you can get it out of there and patch the entire hole it would be a better fix
 
Judge Smails said:
We bought this house about 6 months ago. There is this man made hole in my basement wall. It is about two feet from an identical hole that is where our water comes in the house, copper line attached that brings water upstairs.

iwuk2fir.jpg


That is steel wool plugging it up.

We had some heavy rain a few days ago, and water came in this pipe/hole and flooded about a 10'x10' area in our basement. Maybe an inch or so of water was there, it looked like.

I have no idea what purpose this hole/pipe serves, other than to allow my basement to get wet. A) No issue with closing this, right? B) What would be the best way to close/seal this?
Click to expand...

It looks like it was a misplaced location for your water service when the house was originally built. Using a hydraulic cement patch is a good first step but that PVC sleeve in the wall would need to removed and the concrete needs to roughened up in order for the cement patch to bond to the existing concrete.
 
They make pvc plugs to fit it. Use pvc glue
Your problem is where is it coming from
Probably an old electric run from an out building or swimming pool
Once you seal it, water may back up and it will reveal the source
 
Do you have a floating slab or french drain type of basement. Are the walls cinder block? Just patching it may just cause your cinder blocks to hold the water. Best to patch it from outside if possible.

I have a floating slab and drilled holes at the bottom of the cinder blocks near the gap. This allowed the water to drain into the gap then work its way underneath the slab to the sump. I also have ground water flowing near or under my house and heavy clay soil that drains poorly. It has been about 8 years since I did all of this and have had no issues. Sometimes it is best not to try to fight the water from getting in, that may be fight you will never win, but just try to direct the water where you can deal with it.
 
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PSU1282 said:
They make pvc plugs to fit it. Use pvc glue
Your problem is where is it coming from
Probably an old electric run from an out building or swimming pool
Once you seal it, water may back up and it will reveal the source
Click to expand...

It's faces the front of our house. Nothing out there but the front yard and the street.
 
Judge Smails said:
We bought this house about 6 months ago. There is this man made hole in my basement wall. It is about two feet from an identical hole that is where our water comes in the house, copper line attached that brings water upstairs.

iwuk2fir.jpg


That is steel wool plugging it up.

We had some heavy rain a few days ago, and water came in this pipe/hole and flooded about a 10'x10' area in our basement. Maybe an inch or so of water was there, it looked like.

I have no idea what purpose this hole/pipe serves, other than to allow my basement to get wet. A) No issue with closing this, right? B) What would be the best way to close/seal this?
Click to expand...
The easiest solution is what I did. Buy a house without a basement. Problem solved overnight!
If not, use Thoroplug hydraulic cement. I was the Thoro System Products President for a number of years, so I'll throw in a plug for a great plug :)
 
Judge- I just reread your first post, didn't pick up that the house is new to you.
a few suggestions
-make sure you know where the water is coming in, may be more than one spot
-if it's only the one spot, the best fix would be remove the pipe entirely and fill the entire opening with hydraulic cement
-if it's more widespread, you may need to trench around the foundation and improve the drainage
-but first- check your gutters and downspouts- sometimes a splashblock(s) or downspout extension(s) is all you need to keep water away from your foundation in the first place
 
Just bought a house last week and I wish the only thing I had to fix was a single hole.

Whole place needs rewired and the only way to efficiently and safely do so is to redo the whole basement.

Your pipe, perhaps maybe at one time your furnace was somewhere else and that pipe leading outside was part of the vent.

Aside from plugging the pipe on the inside, anyway to access the hole on the outside or is it buried?
 
Nitt1300 said:
Judge- I just reread your first post, didn't pick up that the house is new to you.
a few suggestions
-make sure you know where the water is coming in, may be more than one spot
-if it's only the one spot, the best fix would be remove the pipe entirely and fill the entire opening with hydraulic cement
-if it's more widespread, you may need to trench around the foundation and improve the drainage
-but first- check your gutters and downspouts- sometimes a splashblock(s) or downspout extension(s) is all you need to keep water away from your foundation in the first place
Click to expand...

It was a small area of water, and you could see in the picture, the water route from this hole was wet. Nowhere else was wet on the wall. The area on the ground that was wet was right around this hole.

How would I remove the pipe? It's 6 feet of so below ground level.
 
Judge Smails said:
It was a small area of water, and you could see in the picture, the water route from this hole was wet. Nowhere else was wet on the wall. The area on the ground that was wet was right around this hole.

How would I remove the pipe? It's 6 feet of so below ground level.
Click to expand...
well, first check your gutters and downspouts.

The BEST way to fix the hole would be from the outside, but if it's minor drainage issue that's easily fixed it may not leak again. I'd chisel out as much of the pipe as I could, enlarge the hole a few inches, and then fill the remainder of the pipe and the entire hole with as much cement as I could stuff into it. The unknown is how bad is the drainage on that wall. That you will find out over time- hopefully it's a minor fix.
 
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lionroar88 said:
This needs to be fixed from the outside, not inside. You have to dig down to the hole, remove the PVC pipe (if you can), chip away about 2 inches around the circumference of the hole about 1/2 inch deep, and fill with hydraulic cement. Then, once dry, coat with a sealer. Let that dry, then back fill.
Click to expand...
Exactly, any other repair attempts from the inside will likely result in additional water problems sometime in the future ... could be months ... could be years.
 
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Curious why you didn't have the previous owners take care of this prior to closing.

I'd recommend going with a contractor to fix the hole instead of doing it yourself. Reason being that if/when you sell the house and you have to indicate on the sellers disclosure that there was water infiltration in the basement, you can say it was fixed properly by a licensed contractor instead of a diy job.
 
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Curious, why wasn't this disclosed in the house inspection when you bought the house? Was it hidden behind stuff? Was it visible but not an issue?

The prior owners, you would think, would have had water leakage at some time in the past. IMHO - worth pursuing.
 
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If you attempt to 'fix' this from the inside by patching the hole you won't be able to ensure you fill the entire hole, and seal the seam. Also, if you use a sealer on the inside all you are doing is trapping the water in the cement foundation, water and cement are not a combination you ever want to allow for extended periods of time. Water weekend cement, and when the ground freezes, so will the water in your cement foundation - over time this will result in fracturing of the cement and potentially foundation failure.

The ONLY way to fix this correctly is what I posted above.
 
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People always focus on the basement, but the starting point for water problems needs to be the roof. Go outside with a raincoat the next heavy rain and see how the gutters and downspouts are performing. Where is the runoff going? The runoff needs to go 10 feet away from the house. That can be done with downspouts or landscaping.

One mistake people make is to mess with the soil grade next to the house. It should be downhill AWAY from the house and ideally a heavy clay soil so it does not absorb too much water.

Another mistake people make is to put a lot shrubbery right next to the house, and they put in potting soil. Well the combination of loose soil and shrub roots basically creates an underground funnel for runoff, and that water is going to exert pressure all along the foundation. It depends on the soil conditions underneath your house, but depending on where the clay layer is, sometimes your house can be like a boat sitting in water, and the hydraulic pressure pretty much guarantees that water is going to find a way into that basement one way or another.

Take care of your runoff, make sure it is not soaking in right next to the house. THEN and only then turn your attention to the basement. Waterproof coatings are great, but you may also want a drainage system and a sump pump if you want to be sure you have a dry basement.

All this depends on the soil, how your builder built the house, lots of factors.

But the No. 1 thing (and very inexpensive by the way) is to just pay attention to where the water goes in a rain storm.
 
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tboyer said:
People always focus on the basement, but the starting point for water problems needs to be the roof. Go outside with a raincoat the next heavy rain and see how the gutters and downspouts are performing. Where is the runoff going? The runoff needs to go 10 feet away from the house. That can be done with downspouts or landscaping.

One mistake people make is to mess with the soil grade next to the house. It should be downhill AWAY from the house and ideally a heavy clay soil so it does not absorb too much water.

Another mistake people make is to put a lot shrubbery right next to the house, and they put in potting soil. Well the combination of loose soil and shrub roots basically creates an underground funnel for runoff, and that water is going to exert pressure all along the foundation. It depends on the soil conditions underneath your house, but depending on where the clay layer is, sometimes your house can be like a boat sitting in water, and the hydraulic pressure pretty much guarantees that water is going to find a way into that basement one way or another.

Take care of your runoff, make sure it is not soaking in right next to the house. THEN and only then turn your attention to the basement. Waterproof coatings are great, but you may also want a drainage system and a sump pump if you want to be sure you have a dry basement.

All this depends on the soil, how your builder built the house, lots of factors.

But the No. 1 thing (and very inexpensive by the way) is to just pay attention to where the water goes in a rain storm.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with 'where the rain goes'... he had a hole in his foundation - water is going to follow the path of least resistance. While everything else you say is true... in the case you HAVE to fix the hole. lol
 
Nitt1300 said:
well, first check your gutters and downspouts.

The BEST way to fix the hole would be from the outside, but if it's minor drainage issue that's easily fixed it may not leak again. I'd chisel out as much of the pipe as I could, enlarge the hole a few inches, and then fill the remainder of the pipe and the entire hole with as much cement as I could stuff into it. The unknown is how bad is the drainage on that wall. That you will find out over time- hopefully it's a minor fix.
Click to expand...

This is the correct approach, but some words of caution when working from the inside. If you have a reasonably functioning waterproofing system already in place you could damage it further if you're not careful.
1) Take out the steel wool and measure how thick the wall is.
2) Start chiseling (rent a small electric chipping hammer) a cone shaped area that starts at about 2-3 inches larger than the pipe diameter, the depth of the cone should be no more than about half the depth of the wall. If you go deeper than half way using a chipping hammer you might blow out a large chunk of concrete out the back and damage the waterproofing and make the situation worse.
3) Once you're done with the cone, then check if the pipe has loosened up, you might be able to tap it with a hammer and pull it out completely. If you can't take it out you'll need to cut out the pipe to the bottom of the cone.
4) Use the hydraulic patch and fill the back half of the hole, wait until it sets up. Follow the patch instructions carefully to avoid shrinking of the patch as it dries.
5) Use the patch material and pack tightly and fill the rest of the hole.
6) Buy some waterproofing paint like DryLok and paint the area after the patch has completely set up.

If this doesn't work, you'll need to waterproof from the outside.
 
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Nittany.Lion said:
This is the correct approach, but some words of caution when working from the inside. If you have a reasonably functioning waterproofing system already in place you could damage it further if you're not careful.
1) Take out the steel wool and measure how thick the wall is.
2) Start chiseling (rent a small electric chipping hammer) a cone shaped area that starts at about 2-3 inches larger than the pipe diameter, the depth of the cone should be no more than about half the depth of the wall. If you go deeper than half way using a chipping hammer you might blow out a large chunk of concrete out the back and damage the waterproofing and make the situation worse.
3) Once you're done with the cone, then check if the pipe has loosened up, you might be able to tap it with a hammer and pull it out completely. If you can't take it out you'll need to cut out the pipe to the bottom of the cone.
4) Use the hydraulic patch and fill the back half of the hole, wait until it sets up. Follow the patch instructions carefully to avoid shrinking of the patch as it dries.
5) Use the patch material and pack tightly and fill the rest of the hole.
6) Buy some waterproofing paint like DryLok and paint the area after the patch has completely set up.

If this doesn't work, you'll need to waterproof from the outside.
Click to expand...

Do it right the first time and fix it from the outside, then you don't have to worry about it!
 
And Judge- if you DO have to have to fix from the outside, do not backfill with heavy fill, and certainly not with clay- backfill with sandy material, slope it away from the house, and top it with something less permeable.
 
Plan Ahaed said:
Curious why you didn't have the previous owners take care of this prior to closing.
.
Click to expand...

So, you think I said, "Eh, f*ck it, seems like no big deal. Should be fine."

Obviously, we didn't know about it. The basement was crowded with their shit, and the home inspector didn't catch it either.
 
Nitt1300 said:
And Judge- if you DO have to have to fix from the outside, do not backfill with heavy fill, and certainly not with clay- backfill with sandy material, slope it away from the house, and top it with something less permeable.
Click to expand...

Backfill the hole with whatever was dug out and tamp/compact it, if you use a loose sandy earth or rock you will allow water to flow easier and collect in the area (reduce the path of least resistance)
 
lionroar88 said:
This needs to be fixed from the outside, not inside. You have to dig down to the hole, remove the PVC pipe (if you can), chip away about 2 inches around the circumference of the hole about 1/2 inch deep, and fill with hydraulic cement. Then, once dry, coat with a sealer. Let that dry, then back fill.
Click to expand...
This.To do this correctly,it needs to be fixed from the outside.
 
Judge Smails said:
So, you think I said, "Eh, f*ck it, seems like no big deal. Should be fine."

Obviously, we didn't know about it. The basement was crowded with their shit, and the home inspector didn't catch it either.
Click to expand...
This is a fix from the outside. If you plug it and it fills with water, it may freeze, then expand. Just dig it out and fix it properly from the outside.
 
lionroar88 said:
This has nothing to do with 'where the rain goes'... he had a hole in his foundation - water is going to follow the path of least resistance. While everything else you say is true... in the case you HAVE to fix the hole. lol
Click to expand...

No, disagree. A house is not a boat. It's not like patching a leak in a hull. A foundation is not supposed to be sitting in water. If there's a lot of water pressing against the foundation, you should deal with that IF possible (sometimes not possible because of the the way the house was situated on the lot, soil conditions etc.) Water against the foundation can cause lots of problems over time -- such as erosion, or even potentially sinkholes... and just waterproofing your basement walls is band-aiding the problem.

If it's possible to deal with the water issues outside, the hole (which I suspect was for an oil tank since removed) hardly even matters.
 
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