If there is a bed of gravel under the concrete floor it will help collect
the water to the sump.
THe french drain drains off water so there is no hydraulic pressure against
the concrete foundation and the interior stays dry.


"B" wrote in message
.com...
A sump pump needs drain pipes leading to it, so in your case a new sump
well
won't do much.
And don't build a french drain around the house either. You are trying to
"repel" water, not collect it against the house.
-B

"Art" wrote in message
link.net...
Install a sump and pump in a corner of the unfinished portion and
hopefully
that will lower the water table enuf to solve the problem. If not a
french
drain around the outside of the house. I assume your gutters work and
the
grade slopes away from the foundation walls or fix those first.


"Ted Fairhurst" wrote in message
. rogers.com...

I'm looking for advice on whether or not I should waterproof my
basement
walls in order to eliminate dampness on the basement floor.

The dampness appears to be the result of moisture rising through the
2-inches of concrete. Our house was built about 85 years ago. It has
a
clay-brick foundation, possibly without any weeping tiles.

Since the basement is partly finished, installing a new, sealed and
insulated floor is not an option. I wonder if waterproofing the walls
and
installing new weeping tiles will likely solve the floor dampness
problem.
Some people have suggested that waterproofing the walls will only
prevent
wall dampness. They say that water might well still enter the
basement
through the floor.

Any advice on this point much appreciated.

Ted Fairhurst