LESLIE: Terry in Illinois, you’ve got The Money Pit. What’s going on at your house?
TERRY: I’ve got water coming in my foundation. I live on a concrete slab. And I have 2 foot of block work on top of the slab, on one side of my house, before the plate starts. And I believe water comes in through the block.
TOM: So, concrete slabs and concrete block are very hydroscopic, which basically means it can sort of draw the water up into those surfaces sort of against gravity. So if you have a lot of water that collects in the grade, especially that foundation perimeter, perhaps, because of an overflowing gutter or because the soil is too flat or it slopes into the building or it doesn’t have the right kind of sort of mulch and it’s sort of just hanging there and being very spongy or maybe you have some sort of landscape bed, all those things that keep water against the house can lead to this issue.
TERRY: It’s got to rain 3 to 4 inches of raining before it does it.
TOM: So you’ve established that it is consistent with rainfall, which is good news because that means that it’s under your total control to stop. So I think this is a good opportunity for you to evaluate all the exterior drainage that contributes to that – and starting with the gutters and making sure the downspouts are extended at least 4 to 6 feet away from the house on that side is really important.
If it does rain heavy, you have to opportunity to go outside and actually watch what’s happening with the water. That can be very instructive, because you’ll see exactly why the water is collecting in that house and coming up into the wall and into the carpet as it is. You’ll be able to see what the issues are. I’ve seen this happen from something as simple as a blocked gutter to things that are more complicated, where perhaps the gutter is just overwhelmed by the volume of the water and maybe you need a larger gutter or more spouts.
TERRY: I was just going to repaint my block interior wall here with masonry waterproofing.
TOM: Well, you can do that but clearly, for whatever reason there’s …
LESLIE: It’s coming from somewhere.
TOM: Yeah, it’s coming from somewhere and the water is collecting enough against that house to be able to draw into those places. So, there is a source of water.
LESLIE: Something could have become disconnected, something underground, perhaps, has detached and the water is just going where you don’t want it to.
TOM: Right. If you’re getting leakage consistent with rainfall, then the solution is adjusting the way that water is flowing around your house. So I would take another hard look at it and like I said, if you do happen to get another bad rain, take a look outside and see what you’re seeing. There might be something simple that you’re missing, Terry. Alright? Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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