My basement leaks and before I spend thousands of dollars to waterproof the inside, I want to find out what I can do about the outside.

I have a hunch that part of the problem comes from groundwater saturation. When it rains, the water penetrates the ground, saturates the area, and then seeps into my basement.

What can I do to divert the flow of water away from the house and maybe keep my basement dry?

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks, Rainmaker(ironic now, I know)

Now that’s funny. Rainmaker asking for help with ground water.

First things first. Do you have gutters on your house and are they clean so the water flows to the downspouts? Do your down spouts dump on the ground or go in to a pipe? Next time it rains, see if these pipes are backing up. These down spouts usually go in to the drain tiles. They, in time, fill with silt and tree roots blocking their flow.

If you are dumping water on the ground, be sure it is flowing away from the house. I like to get at least 6 feet from the house. Is the ground around your house slopped away from the house or is it allowing water to run back towards the house?

Sealing the inside basement walls is a last resort measure. I prefer digging up around the house, properly sealing the walls from the outside. Dig up the old drain tile and replace with new plastic pipe. Make sure that it is below basement floor level. Properly back fill with gravel and sand and return the dirt.

If digging is not possible, then sealing the inside might be OK. Do not try some of those “Do It Yourself” paint products. Ground water must have a place to go. Pros use small holes drilled at the bottom of the walls to relieve this “Hydraulic” pressure. Then they channel it to a drain or sump pit. This hydraulic pressure can push the paint right off the wall.

If you don’t have a sump pump in your basement, you may need to add one if you are truly having a problem with ground water.

Hope this helps. I am sure others will have ideas also.

Here is a goverment pamphlet on the subject.

Pamphlet

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Walks On Water,

Rainmaker?
Is your property built on level soft ground at a low elevation and will naturally have a High groundwater level
A partial solution(which drains waterlogged sports pitches) is to use Land drain pipes but they have to be placed strategically to drain the water away to a septic tank or outfall
I found this site which explains how it works has some clear diagrams too
The soakaway method is also worth investigating?

Sealing the inside will not help. You do need to divert the water or pump the water to a sewer. Imagine putting a plastic coating over the walls... the water will still be there causing cracks and concrete to deteriorate but you'll have a coating in place. The coating will fail and you'll have a bubbly water saturated wall with cracks larger than when you started.

What type of foundation do you have? Do you know if there is drain tile installed? Do you have a sump pump?

First step is to check that water from the roof is being diverted - so as WoW states, check your downspouts and gutters. Then check that the grade around your house is pitched away. You might also want to check that your neighbors downspouts aren't dumping onto your property.

The solution is to install proper drain tile around the perimeter of the house with gravel fill over it so that the ground water is directed to the sump pump or at least away from the house.