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I suspect basement foundation is leaking

7 years ago

I have a room in the basement where the boiler and water heater is located on bare slab. Everywhere around it is finished in tile. I hardly check there but inspected the room a few days ago and see some small puddles as well as moisture by the joint where the wall meets the floor. I live in Long Island NY and for the last few weeks have been nonstop rain and a few episodes of snow. I know that basements are below ground so is it normal to see this kind of seepage/leak? Has the large amounts of rain caused the water table to increase pushing water through cracks on floor and joints? Does the situation fix itself and I just have to wait?

Comment (1)

art_1
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We get water coming into our garage when it rains heavily and the concrete has cracks in it. After trying sandbags and tarps with little success I was actually surprised that sealing all the cracks up with latex caulk from the inside actually made the biggest improvement. Not quite the same as having the foundation repaired or having a drain installed but it made a huge improvement for us.
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The gas line enters the house opposite the leak, and the existing water pipes were used. Since my post we had a very hard rainfall and the water became worse, so here's what I think: When they were drilling the holes for the exhaust, they may have slightly moved the foundation creating a widening of an existing crack. Furthermore the lawn at the back of my house, in some areas, slopes slightly downward towards the house. My plan is to get a load of earth and raise the level at the back of the house so that water runs off. Not exactly sure if this is the problem, but we'll soon see. Now I know for sure that rain increases the volume of water. If anyone has any other ideas, I'm by no means an expert, and would appreciate all comments.
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Is the part of the house you are talking about the original house, and possibly the rest has been added on to? Let me first say that I know basically nothing about the construction of old homes. I *love* old homes, but I don't pretend to know how they are built. However I remember reading, possibly on this forum about something called "balloon framing". The main thing about their construction was that they were designed to allow air to flow through their walls. I believe it kept the structure sound, even in high winds. Maybe if you google "balloon frame home" and read the descriptions you can decide if this is what you are dealing with... Just a thought ~ hopefully someone with more information or ideas will come along. I could be (and often am) totally off!
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