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Plumbing Basements

Odd Situation - Water in Basement

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Two years ago we started a new construction for our house and upon breaking ground, the couple of holes we dug would rapidly fill up with water. Well this stalled our build because we wanted to have a basement. So we decided to to check our land a bit further back and the hole did not fill with water and we could continue with our build with a basement.

Because of this water issue, we had to hire an excavator who can pump out the water to be able to put in our sanitary lines to our house. We noticed when it was complete, the piping that ended to our basement for connection was just pouring out water around the piping as if the water from further up was running along and spilling out into our would be basement. At the time, we consulted our builder and excavator. They said we didn't have to worry about it. It will be fine. Well, two years later we have noticed water issues right where these lines connect in our basement. We have water stains along the the wall and the cracks in the floor.

We want to finish our basement but we need to get these water problems sorted out before we do so. Since we believe the issue is the high water table further up in our land flowing along our lines to our house, how would we fix this issue? I've tried doing some research and i'm not sure if any of these would fix the problem: french drains, planting trees, and building a dam around the lines using bentonite clay. Would these work or are there other ways to do this? What would be the most effective and cheaper way to solve this issue?

Thank you!

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Comments (2)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
4 years ago
It sounds like it could be underground stream or like you said high water table. Usually most engineers or excavation guys will suggest to keep the basement floor at least 12" above the water table.

I would consult with an engineer and do a few soil tests before you start spending money. Most likely they will suggest an interior french drain... cut the basement floor along perimeter, allow the water to by-pass the foundation and install pipe and stone under the slab tied into a sump pump. I'm surprised they didn't do that from the get go when they knew there was a water issue.

Good luck
T M
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate all the information you gave. It was helpful.
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