DIYbanter - View Single Post - Damp basement

(Jay Chan) wrote in message . com...
I have also seen small pools of water on the floor (near the wall)
in one corner.

You may want to check the gutter and downsprout near that corner. The
gutter may be stuffed with leaves, and the downsprout may be throwing
water right at that corner instead of pouring the water far away from
the house foundation. Better yet, clean all the gutter and downsprout,
and check if the gutter and downsprouts function well in a heavy rain.
I find that using a water hose to simulate raining just doesn't show
all the problems in the gutter and downsprout -- nothing shows all the
shortcomings in the gutter and downsprout like a heavy rain.

I was told that you need to extend the downsprout far away from the
house foundation. I extend mine to 5 feet away, other people said that
10 feet is better.

People also suggested to make sure the grade around the house
foundation is sloping away from the house, not directing the water
back to the house foundation.

If you still have water problem in your basement after you have done
all these, you may need to ask your neighbors to see if the ground
water in your area is high.

What I am wondering though is should I also drylock paint the floor as
well?

If I remember this correctly, the manufacturer only recommends people
using DryLock on the wall; they don't say anything about using it on
the floor. I am under the impression that DryLock is not designed for
floor application. Moreover, you may need to remove the DryLock if you
need to use thinset to put ceramic tiles over the basement floor, and
removing any paint from floor is a "tough" job. Therefore, my
suggestion is to explore all the other alternatives before you paint
the floor.

I used to have water problem in my basement. After I had painted
DryLock on my basement wall, I still had water coming through from
where the wall meets the floor. I finally fixed the problem by
directing the downsprout at least 5 feet from the house foundation
(and I also use a dehumidifier). I still have one more thing to fix
(the downsprouts that pour water from the roof to the first floor
overhang); nevertheless, the basement water problem is pretty much
under control.

Jay Chan

You're absolutely right that the only way to know what's going on is
to put on a raincoat on and take a look around the house during a
heavy rain. I just had a problem with water showing up in the
basement and couldn't figure out why. Turns out one of the 4" pipes I
had slipped over the end of the leader was leaking there big time
during heavy rain. Using a hose, you'd never see it.