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(David) wrote in message . com...
I am considering installing a french drain along one side of the house
that faces an uphill grade with a fairly high water table and heavy
clay soil. On heavy back-to back downpours I have water coming up to
the bottom of the basement slab. It does not intrude inside the
basement because at that poont it is handled by the sump pump, but
would I do better to divert the water away from the slab?

A related question is this: Will I compromise the structural integrity
of the slab/foundation/wall by digging out the perimeter of the wall
all the way down to the footings? The house is 20 years old and has a
solid concrete slab floor and cinderblack foundation walls.

Thanks,
David

The water is not making it to the basement floor, it is being handled
by the existing sump pump and this only occurs on heavy rain
conditions, so it sounds to me like everything is working like it
should. It's certainly not abnormal, that's what the existing sump
pump system is there to handle.

If you want to divert some more water away from the house, which
certainly isn't a dad idea, rather than excavating all the way to the
footings, I would first try putting a surface drain in to intercept
the water. Also, all the water from your roof is being carried away
from the house, right?