Standing water in basement during home construction

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Our home is under construction. The entire house is framed, the roof and shingles are complete, the house wrap is done, and all windows are in. There are no exterior doors installed. There is no power to the site so while there is a sump pit, there is no sump pump.Tonight, we found 3" of standing water over the entire basement floor. The water is not in a certain room or corner of the basement. It's literally the entire floor. There is no evidence of water on the main level above ground.Is this a normal occurrence during construction? Where is that volume of water coming from? Is it just coming up the sump pit because there's no pump yet?

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PRO

PPF.

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Talk with your builder.

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jeffcarp
Original Author
2 years ago
Obviously, I will do that.

I was hoping for some independent input so that I can properly evaluate his answer and I can perhaps ask additional, intelligent questions.
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haylo33
2 years ago
We’ve had a temporary pump in the sump pit since the basement was done. We had a storm move through a few days ago which knocked out power for a while and we also got water and mud from the sump pit. I can’t imagine all the water we would have without the pump. I’d get your GC to get a pump out there asap. And look into battery back up for your sump which is what we are working on now so this doesnt happen again
K B
2 years ago
3 inches deep across the basement with no sign of water on the ground outside would make me very cautious. Did your GC consult a civil engineer as part of this process?

I would be concerned about the waterproofing of the basement and whether footing drains were done correctly or may have been damaged when backfilling. Do you have any idea of what the water table is and whether your basement is below it? I can't imagine that to be the case and yet it is something I would double check on from stories I have heard.

I may be mistaken but I thought that sump pumps are supposed to be a backup system in case water gets through rather than the main way of dealing with drainage. This is definitely something I would want to have a sit down to make sure I understood everyhting including maintenance of this type of system. Will a battery back up be sufficient? If this much water is coming through the sump pit, will the pump be running all the time to keep up?
3onthetree
2 years ago
Hopefully by now the G.C. brought in a trash pump since you first posted, but some water in the basement during construction is common. Your foundation drain tile is dumping water into the sump pit, whether from after a rain or if there is a high water table, and you've got no sump pump to discharge it yet. Water seeks level, so the 3" is where it was at within the adjacent ground. That is not necessarily a problem, as water level fluctuates and no information was given about that anyway.

What is not common is this happening during your phase of construction. Usually, temporary power is brought to the site by the time the foundation walls are poured (either at the pole or a roughed meter box) to be ready to frame. A good G.C. will have a pump plugged in because you do not want that much water sitting there when closed in. It most likely won't cause mold on the underside of the first floor within a day or so, but if it sat long enough and you are in a hot humid spell I wouldn't take that chance.
D B
2 years ago
This is typical of building in my region. If the power goes out, or if there is no temp power installed, the basement will fill with water.

Basement dam proofing is designed to redirect ground water to the footing tile. The footing tile then channels this water to the sump pit or to a daylight drain. In your case, I can logically assume you have no daylight drain, so the water has filled the sump basket, footing drain, and is now filling your basement.

At the framing stage this is not a huge concern, and an easy fix. They need temp power and a sump pump installed. Once the water is gone it will take awhile for the saturated concrete & wood to dry. When the building envelope is complete a dehumidifier is a builder's best friend. They help the drying process significantly reducing the probability drywall cracks and flooring issues in the future. If I have a particularly wet site I will rent a commercial dehumidifier and place fans throughout the structure while the electricians & plumbers do their rough-in.

Best of Luck
HU-580308442
3 months ago
Hello @jeffcarp, I am facing the same issue during construction. For us, as of now only the walls have been built. Rest is left but I was shocked to see the basement filled with water. Would you be able to let me know what finally happened in your case and if you found it to be normal during construction?
PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
3 months ago
Most likely there is no grading done to slope the grade away from the foundation also there is no gutters and leaders installed so all the runoff water from the room collects near the foundation and that is what causes the water to get into the basement not to mention the ground water. If they install a temp sump pump that will get the water out and dry out the basement.

Good luck
worthy
3 months ago

Gone baby gone.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 months ago
The architect may have misunderstood the client when they requested a cottage on the lake.

Standing water in basement during home construction

PPF.

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jeffcarp
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Standing water in basement during home construction

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jeffcarpOriginal Author

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jeffcarp
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