Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Roger2561 on November 16, 2017, 05:16:40 PM
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Hi all, Most of my basement has poured walls and floor except for the last 2 feet at the top, it's blocks. Over the last few years I have noticed water seeping through small cracks in the mortar, only in the bulkhead area, but it has been getting steadily worse for the past couple of years. Is there something I can apply to the seams to keep the water outside? It's an unfinished basement. Thanks. Roger
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I would think hydraulic cement would work for that
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Best thing and its not easy nor fast, but dig it up and seal it from the outside. Seal it from the inside then if it gets water in em and freezes hard enough…..
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Best thing and its not easy nor fast, but dig it up and seal it from the outside. Seal it from the inside then if it gets water in em and freezes hard enough…..
I was afraid someone was going to say that. I guess that's best way to fix it. I'll have to wait for warmer weather to tackle it. The down side to that is it's the bulkhead to the basement and the pavement for the driveway goes up against it. What do you recommend I use it to seal it? Thanks. Roger
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Did our grain pit with foundation sealer on the outside before backfilling.
You may have to power wash the blocks once exposed to get a good bond.
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Agreed, excavation and sealing is best. However, I own 3 houses that had cracked mud joints at one time and excavation wasn't an option for any. I chiseled out the loose mortar inside, and had a closed cell foam contractor come in and inject all the joints before spraying the entirety of the block wall. My personal residence has been this way for 9 years now, and I have yet to see a drop of water inside nor anything shift. Had 2 rentals done the same way, in 2014 and this past August, both are doing great as of now yet. 2 are in REALLY wet, yucky clay and the third is in sand, but somehow the one in the sand had the worst infiltration. On a side note though, rain gutters. Divert the water away from your wall and the issue will solve a lot of itself. I did the gutters in June here and waited until August to do the foam, and the infiltration was cut easily by threefold. Twas down to merely a damp block from a visual trickle before, and it rained like 5 days a week all summer. Gutters are fantastic
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Second the gutters. Especially if you can dump em in a drain tile to get it clear away from the house.
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Another vote for gutters here if you don't have them, also make sure the grade slopes away from the house to keep any water running away from the house and not toward it.
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Another vote for gutters here if you don't have them, also make sure the grade slopes away from the house to keep any water running away from the house and not toward it.
The bulkhead opening where the weeping is happening is on the gable end of the house, no place to put gutters. I believe you're onto something regarding the grade, the driveway slopes toward the house. It's been this way all my life. This is the house I was raised in. The down side to this is the drive is paved, so there's no way to slope it away from the house without tearing up the driveway, that's out of the question due to the lack of funds. Is there some kind of in ground gutter system that I can install at the edge of the driveway that will move the water away from the house? Thanks. Roger