We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or
issue somewhere in the front of the house. When we get an inch or
more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between
the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4
feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through
the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get
the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet
and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask
for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.),
warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that
might be better than others, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

On Dec 2, 9:48�pm, "
wrote:
We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or
issue somewhere in the front of the house. �When we get an inch or
more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between
the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4
feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through
the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get
the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet
and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask
for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.),
warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that
might be better than others, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

check for clean gutters free flowing downspouts, that move water far
away from home.

run garden hose into downspout for a couple hours, any water inside
home

hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from
home for at least 20 feet.

none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before
hiring a expert

how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?

Water doesn't care, it goes to the lowest spot. But it's
amazing how often the simple stuff gets overlooked.

On Dec 2, 10:07*pm, " wrote:

hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from
home for at least 20 feet.

none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before
hiring a expert

how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?

On Dec 2, 9:49*pm, Michael B wrote:
Water doesn't care, it goes to the lowest spot. But it's
amazing how often the simple stuff gets overlooked.

On Dec 2, 10:07*pm, " wrote:



hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from
home for at least 20 feet.

none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before
hiring a expert

how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When you vacuum through the hole, are you putting the hose in and then
down toward the bottom of the cinder block, or is the water as high as
the top of the cinder block? Who put the hole there? Has this been a
problem ever since the house was built?

On Dec 2, 10:07 pm, " wrote:
On Dec 2, 9:48 pm, "
wrote:



We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or
issue somewhere in the front of the house. When we get an inch or
more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between
the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4
feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through
the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get
the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet
and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask
for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.),
warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that
might be better than others, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

check for clean gutters free flowing downspouts, that move water far
away from home.

Gutters are clean, I clean them twice a year and verify downspouts are
clear (one has a tendancy to clog, so it is on my list of things to
do).


run garden hose into downspout for a couple hours, any water inside
home

Interesting thought to try.


hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from
home for at least 20 feet.

The grade probably could use work, but wouldn't this be covering a
bigger problem if there is a breach?


none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before
hiring a expert

I will do ... and thanks for the feedback (which is why I wanted to
ask before hiring).


how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?

House is 40 years old, we've lived here for 7. I don't know about the
past ... we had the problem once in the first 5 years, subsequently
had removed some shrubbery (which may have been helping keep the water
away) and have had it twice in the past 2 years.

On Dec 3, 5:53 pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On Dec 2, 9:49 pm, Michael B wrote:



Water doesn't care, it goes to the lowest spot. But it's
amazing how often the simple stuff gets overlooked.

On Dec 2, 10:07 pm, " wrote:

hows the slope of the grade around your home? it should be away from
home for at least 20 feet.

none oif this is rocket science and you should check this before
hiring a expert

how old is the home and how long has it had a water problem?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

When you vacuum through the hole, are you putting the hose in and then
down toward the bottom of the cinder block, or is the water as high as
the top of the cinder block? Who put the hole there? Has this been a
problem ever since the house was built?

On Dec 3, 5:53 pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
When you vacuum through the hole, are you putting the hose in and then
down toward the bottom of the cinder block, or is the water as high as
the top of the cinder block?

The water is as high as the cinder block. The nozzle is not small
enough to fit down in it.

Who put the hole there?

The hole is in the corner under stone stairs down to the family room,
behind the pipe that feeds the fin-tube hot water line. It's
basically a small square but I don't know if it was just a shoddy job
or whether they put it there for a reason ... this house has had some
interesting "opportunities" uncovered over the years. It wouldn't
surpise me if it was a known issue prior to our habiting it.

Has this been a
problem ever since the house was built?

I don't know. The house is 40 years old and we've been here 7.

wrote:
We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or
issue somewhere in the front of the house. When we get an inch or
more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between
the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4
feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through
the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get
the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet
and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask
for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.),
warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that
might be better than others, etc.?

Would a weep hole on the outside let it drain by itself?

Tony wrote:
wrote:
We live in a tri-level house that has a apparently has a crack or
issue somewhere in the front of the house. When we get an inch or
more rain in a 24 hour period, we get water build up somewhere between
the cinder block foundation and our first level of floor (which is 3-4
feet below the earth surface) and I have to basically shop-vac through
the hole between our plaster wall on top of the cinderblock and get
the water out before it rises to the point that it soaks the carpet
and pad.

I need to have someone inspect the issue to fix it, but wanted to ask
for infomation, tips or recommendations for when I call.

Are there things to look for in a professional (certifications?.),
warranties to ask about, ways in which they might do the job that
might be better than others, etc.?

Would a weep hole on the outside let it drain by itself?

Don't do bandaids- figure out where the water is coming from, and fix
it. The block should never fill with water, in a properly-constructed
and graded house. Without a whole bunch of pictures, close-up and
showing the whole area, all any of us on here can do is guess. Strongly
recommend having a good foundation contractor look at it- and NOT one of
those ones where a salesman will stop by and make a high-pressure sales
pitch for an interior drainage system. (BTDT, threw his ass out. The
correct place to stop water is outside the wall, no matter what anybody
says,) Somebody that knows what they are doing should be able to narrow
down the cause in a few minutes.

From previous wet basements I have known, I suspect the half-buried
floor needs to have the backfill dug out down to the footers, the walls
properly sealed, the perimeter drain repaired or installed, and the
whole thing backfilled and graded properly. You also need to look at
gutters and valleys where the roofs comes together- split-levels love to
create ponding situations with the runoff. Could be something as simple
as the front porch is frost-heaved, and it is draining water behind or
to one side of it. Just no way to tell without seeing it.

--
aem sends...