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    • #48156
      ertnat
      Participant

      Experiencing problem with water entering house crawl space. Not sure of where or how. After very heavy rain, water pools in low areas along inside of foundation. The house is seven months old and has a brick veneer exterior.
      Talking with different people including the builder and several contractors yields solutions to the problem which vary from (1) french drains around entire preimeter of inside of foundation connected into an outside drain to (2) just backfilling the inside of the foundation so it is higher than the outside grade plus foundation drains. Would this trap water in the space between the brick and foundation cement blocks in the areas where it might be coming through?
      Sealing from the outside is thought to be excessively expensive at this point.

      Anyone with experience with this problem and a fix that worked for you?

    • #253634
      Unregistered-http://www.brmoldbusters.com
      Guest

      The majority of water problems in crawlspaces/basements can be traced to faulty exterior grading or gutttering.

      Next time it rains hard, don your raincoat and walk around the house looking for places where the water might be spilling over the gutters:

      – Are the gutters working? Or does water overflow over the edges of the gutters?

      – Where does the downspout of your gutters point the water? Is there a splash guard and/or piping to move the water away from the foundation?

      – Is the grading OUTSIDE your foundation correct? I.e. it should slope away from the house. And it should be clayey, hardpacked soil, not sandy or other porous soil.

      – Is the soil touching above where the foundation meets the beginning of the first floor? If so, water may be entering through this juncture.

      Before you spend a bunch of money on french drains, also check out the following:

      – Does the foundation extend into the water table? If so, there may not be many good options other than a french drain, sump pump, or similar system to move the water away.

      – Did the builder happen to forget to put the plastic lining between the foundation’s exterior and the dirt? This is a building code requirement in NC, though perhaps it isn’t where you are located. Also if the dirt outside extends very far above where the plastic ends, you can get moisture problems.

      http://www.brmoldbusters.com

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