On 5/27/2011 4:29 PM, bob haller wrote:
On May 27, 4:27 pm, wrote:
On Fri, 27 May 2011 10:29:50 -0700 (PDT), leza wang

wrote:
I live in toronto/ontario/canada. i have water leakage in my basement
especially in winter. the side of my house is mud and on top of it
they put concorete blockes. the grade is good (slop is good) and the
water wont stay anywhere, keep moving . i see some cracks or open
space between the basement window and the group from the outside and i
think that allow some water to go thro.

The other side of the house is fine no water leakage and the ground is
mud.

I have 3 questions

1) the crak between the basement windows and the groud, how to fill
it? with cement or something else? what do you recomend?

get spray urethane foam and fill the gap. Make sure it is URETHANE,
NOT LATEX!!!!!



2) about both sides of the house (one is mud and the second one is
concorete blocks), do you think it is good idea to pure old car oil on
it (so it becaome water proof soil ?) i thought of getting old car oil
and just pure it in the groud?

DO NOT put engine oil in the ground. You are setting youself up for
HUGE FINES from the department of the environment and or the city of
Toronto.

3) OR is it better idea, to put a neylon first and then pure sand on
top of it and grade the sand good so the slop will granttee the water
move and then put another concerte blokcs on top of both to give
anothe protection?

Thanks a lot.

Ket a good slope on the ground and make sure your eves troughs are
working properly. Best way is remove the blocks and dig out about a
foot of soil, 3 feet out and fill with CLAY, well compacted, then put
the soil and blocks back on top. Give the clay a good 3" to 4" slope
away from the house (minimum) over that 2 feet., and make sure the
soil and blocks have the same slope.

think interior french drain with a sump pump if necessary.

its impossible to seal water out, far better to redirect it

1. BS. I have seen hundreds of bone-dry basements in areas with high
water tables and slopes leading (almost) to the house, so it is clearly
possible. But it is best to do to do it as house is built- retrofit
solutions can get a lot harder. But having said that, part of proper
building is managing subsurface and surface water as you backfill the
foundation hole and landscape the yard. So, yes, you do want to redirect
the water, but do so OUTSIDE the wall. I don't care if you have the best
interior drains in the world, if the concrete in the wall is wet, even
if only at the bottom, it is less than an ideal condition. And if you
have subsurface water rising from below, again, that should have been
addressed as house was built, either by raising the house, forgoing a
basement for a slab or crawl house, or putting a drainage grid under the
floor slab.

2. But in the instant case, OP is clearly in well over their head, and
needs professional eyes on the scene to provide advice. We all can make
all the SWAGs we want, but without seeing the foundation inside and out,
we are just guessing. It could be minor, or the house could be a pack
the bags and walk away situation. Same masonry contractor I recommended
that OP consult in the stucco thread can also likely provide advice
about the basement.

--
aem sends...