Another Basement Water Issue

Post Reply | Watch this Post

OK... I stumbled across this message board by luck and from what I can see it's pretty decent. How can it not be, it's Bob Villa's right???

Anyway, I went through and read about the wet/leaky basement articles I could find, but I don't think any of them had any thorogh answers. Sorry if I missed some...

I recently bought a house that was built in 1942. It's an all brick cape cod and my wife and I love it. We want to finish the basement but... You guessed it, I have a slight water issue. I live in Eastern PA and for the last year it has been raining more then normal and from what I understand the water table is high. I don't have any issues with water coming in through the walls, except at 1 small area. My problem is it is coming up through a few cracks in the floor. At one spot it comes up where the 2 sides of the basement floor come together. I guess at the joint. A previous owner of the house chisled a flow pattern to the drain and the rest of the water wants to head there as well so it's not like I have a pond in my basement, but when the water comes up through the joint it is like a small stream. On the other side of my basement a large amount of water comes up through a crack and that doesn't run to the drain. I have to sweep it there. I probably have 10-15 cracks in my floor where water is coming in, some are very small...

OK... Now that I've giving all the background, what do I do? Do I install a sump pump or will one of the paint on sealers work? I've been reading and of couse water proofing companies say there means are best, but the sealing compains claim their's is the best method.

I'm thinking the sump pump in my situation may be best. My thinking is that the water will run along the bottom of my basement floor in the hole for the sump pump and when that gets filled it will be pumped out. I'm worried about just sealing it because I don't want to seal one area to have water coming in somewhere else. I've also read with the sealer that water will then stay in the pores of the floor or walls causing corosion. Is this true??? I've read with a sump pump method that dirt/soil can be mixed with the water allowing it to be washed away and pumped out, eventually causing walls and floors to crumble because there is no dirt to hold it... Is that true?

Last but not least... I'm a little curious of the legalities of this. The seller's disclosure said, and I quote, "A small amount of water gathers at the drain during heavy rains". I know the water tables are high, but even on the slightest rain water comes in and not just at the drain. A neighbor has the same issue with her basement so I'm sure the issue was there before I bought the house.

Thank you in advance for any response and help you can give me...

Jesse