New House Has Wet Basement

Added January 24, 2007

Q. One day after we closed on our new home we ran into a major issue. The area experienced some heavy rains and when I arrived at the house I found at least a ½ inch of water in the basement and all of the peel and stick tiles on the floor were lifting.

I couldn’t figure out where all the water came from. Most of the water was on the floor near one of the walls. Can I fix this with a sealant or is a sump pump my only solution?

A: Sounds like this is possibly a standing ground water problem. Not only do you need a sump pump with an interior drain tile system, but some exterior excavation might be in order too. What is the slope of the ground around your foundation? You need to make sure water will flow away from the foundation, not against it.

If water is flowing towards the foundation it can be remedied by re-grading the ground or constructing a French drain to divert the water. Stay away from the sealants, not only are they only a temporary solution, they can actually cause more damage by trapping water in your concrete walls.

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