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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)22:45:44 No.2970496 My basement leaks during heavy rainfall so I'm guessing there's cracks in the foundation. Is this fixable myself? Do I have to dig outside and fix it from there too?

Showing all 21 replies.
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)22:48:06 No.2970497 >>2970496
Lots of basements leak. It's easier to get a sump pump for this purpose. It turns on automatically when it detects water
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:08:44 No.2970499 >>2970497
is it easy to install one? I checked out a video and it looks pretty intensive to have one as you need to drill a hole in the basement and have piping leading outside the house.
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:26:09 No.2970502 >>2970499
Nah, get some sand logs and build a little damn so the water stays in one area. Put the pump there with a garden hose. No point in getting crazy if it's only during heavy rain.
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:27:18 No.2970503 >>2970502
>damn
*dam
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:30:50 No.2970504 >>2970502
well the leakage has gotten worse over the past couple years so there's obvious foundation issues that need to be addressed. How easy is it to fix the cracks?
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:52:20 No.2970507 https://usa.sika.com/en/construction/adhesives-sealants/joint-sealants/roadway-sealants/sikaflex-2c-sl.html
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:52:52 No.2970508 >>2970504
It's not easy at all to do it properly. You need dig around the foundation wall where the leak is, seal it and put in proper drainage.
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Anonymous
01/12/26(Mon)23:54:54 No.2970509 >>2970507
oops wrong suffix. the roadway version is tool runny for walls
https://usa.sika.com/en/construction/adhesives-sealants/joint-sealants/architectural-sealants/polyurethane/191105.html
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Anonymous
01/13/26(Tue)00:43:35 No.2970519 >>2970508
>You need dig around the foundation wall where the leak is, seal it and put in proper drainage.
Yes. This is what OP should be doing. Everything else is a temporary kludge.
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Anonymous
01/13/26(Tue)03:55:21 No.2970546 >>2970519
Yup. Patching it from the inside is just out of sight, out of mind. It's a bit like fixing a roof leak by smearing blackjack on the inside of the attic. The water is still getting into your decking and will eventually rot it away.
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Anonymous
01/13/26(Tue)05:38:41 No.2970555 Sink a dewatering well outside your house. Pump away and water your yard. Win win.
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Anonymous
01/13/26(Tue)15:56:14 No.2970610 >>
Anonymous
01/16/26(Fri)17:23:37 No.2971157 >>2970519
and OP sgouldn't be doing it, he should hire someone to do it. this is one of those times when it's cheaper to do it correctly.
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Anonymous
01/16/26(Fri)17:50:38 No.2971172 >>2970504
>>2970519
In Europe we drill holes every 5” and inject them it with a gel sealant. The stuff is very liquid so it pulls into all the small cracks and then dries hard so water cant run through it anymore
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Anonymous
01/16/26(Fri)18:42:41 No.2971176 >>2970496
I had significant water intrusion in my garage-basement. I could access 3 sides above-ground.
I hand-dug all 3 sides all the way to the footing. Took a few weekends but a little hard work is good for you.
Installed bump-matt down to the footing, then drain pipe/gravel/fabric. Pipes all connected & drain sloped down a little ways away with a buried sump-pit.
Put the dirt back.
That was 3 years ago. Completely solved the water problem. Had to add dirt after 1 year to address the settling.
So - can you do it yourself? Yeah. It takes work but honestly other than time & sweat, it wasn't bad. If I could have gotten a rented digger back in there, it would have been a one-weekend job.
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Anonymous
01/17/26(Sat)21:46:21 No.2971421 >>2970496
grade the ground on the outside to shed water away from your foundation. i had kinda a similar issue. put a downspout extension on where the water was coming from outside, 90% of the issue went away.
most basements are gonna be considered slightly damp in the best of conditions if they aren't sealed from the outside. which hasn't been standard practice until the 90s really.
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Anonymous
01/17/26(Sat)21:47:51 No.2971423 >>2971172
doesnt fix hydrostatic pressure. if you have enough water that its coming through your walls, sealing it off is gonna risk damaging the foundation, you need to remove it or make sure it doesnt even end up there in the first place.
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Anonymous
01/17/26(Sat)23:11:34 No.2971438 >>2970496
if its not a big leak you can you waterproofing paint and then fix your gutters. that pic looked like my basement i used zinsser, no more problems or humidity
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Anonymous
01/21/26(Wed)14:43:44 No.2972186 >>2970610
yes this is the proper way to do it
if op wants, there are large membranes you can apply to the inside of the basement, idk how good they are though
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Anonymous
01/21/26(Wed)17:22:45 No.2972205 >>2970610
>>2972186
Neither of these designs answer the most important question: Where does the water drain too?
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Anonymous
01/21/26(Wed)18:57:44 No.2972216 >>2972205
it goes into a sump pump