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>I am re-modeling a 30 year old house. It’s on a crawl space foundation that leaks a tremendous amount even during a small shower. The water comes from the cracks where the cinder blocks are laid. What can I do to Stop the leaking? I’ve been told that the UGL products work well(Stop leak cement and paint product). The grade outside is slopping away as much as possible and I would like to try to not dig if at all possible. I’ve been told that I can solve this problem on the inside of the foundation. HELP, all advice welcome.
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I plan to coat my new block foundation with the usual 'black tar'. However I have noticed in the past that the continuous coating does get damaged during back filling. I think that I read somewhere that plastic can be glue to the coating before it dries.....resulting in better damp-proofing and more protecting. Any comment or suggestion is welcome. Thanks.
*foundation damp-proofing is important... but i think it is overrated....how do we expect to waterproof a foundation when it doesn't have a bottom..perform due diligence, break the snap-ties off below the surface ((don't let someone cut them off with bolt cutters))... parge the snap-tie holes... and then damp-proof...but ASSUME that there will be leaks and make provisions INSIDE your foundation and below your slab for controlling the water that gets thru...if they can't make a boat or ship leak-proof (and they can't.. that's why they have bilges).. what makes anyone think it's cost effective to attempt it with a house...think systems-approach.....how to handle the water that gets INSIDE your foundation...kind of like the bilges on a ship...
*mauri - several things come to mindFirst, the treatment that your foundation wall should get depends on the subsoil and water table conditions in your area. If 'average' your approach is fine - you can use fibrated dampproofing and protection board before backfilling. Are you insulating below grade? The insulation acts as a protection course. Good practice in our area includes parging foundation walls before dampproofing, with a 'cove' at the bottom. In more severe conditions foundation walls require real waterproofing, such as the Tuff-N-Dri system, Bituthene, Volclay panels (bentonite clay system) or Paraseal to name a few. Properly installed perimeter foundation drains below the level of the basement slab, in average conditions, taken to daylight will in general address the problems that Mike describes. In more severe conditions, underdrains and underslab waterproofing may be called for. Even your choice of backfill is very important. In most cases, good practice in our area for existing poor drainage soils is to use better material for backfill.These are just i some of the issues involved. Here are some links that you might find interesting: link1 link2 link3 link4Jeff
*Just to emphasize the importance of it, parge the block, champfer the transition from block to footer, lay the drain tile next to the footer, cover with landscape fabric and backfill with stone. Keep as much out as you can and study the detail mike mentions. Might as well do it right, now. Best of luck.
*b TVMDCmauri, Some really good advice above. As for the Protection Board, you should consider AMOCOR-PB4 which is a tough extruded polystyrene foam sandwiched between two moisture resistant plastic cap sheets. Comes in 4' x 50' sheets, fan-folded every 2 feet and is about $31.00/200 sq ft. The material goes directly against the tar and protects it during backfilling.Good luck!
*Mauri:You building a basement or a crawl? I think the guys above assumed basement. All the above advice is good, but, if it's a block basement, I think you should consider waterproofing rather than damp proofing - unless your site has excelent soil, excellent drainage and you are going to install a excellent foundation drain system. As far as "the usual 'black tar'", I recommend the type with fiber in it. The additional cost is moderate for the benefit gained. Also, this may seem obvious, but if you "cook" the tar before application it makes it go on easier. Make a "stove" out of 2 cinder blocks and some scrap wood. BTW, re your actual question, I have used the sheet poly on tar method you mention on a crawl foundation in which I was a bit concerned about water and there was no money in the budget for measures above a good drain system and damp proofing. Seemed to work OK. Really don't know what the long term performance will be. That was about 2 yrs ago and havn't heard back about it.Good luck… I don't know what it is about that tar - all ya gotta do is look at an open tar bucket and the stuff gets on ya.
*Have any of you guys used Xypex? It's a microcrystaline formula you can apply with a roller. It soaks into the pours and forms an absolutely watertight seal. Actually becomes one with the substrate. (It's used inside concrete water tanks in commercial/industrial construction. I'll bet Gabe or Wolvie would be familiar with it. Anyway the stuff is guaranteed and is probably an easier application than tar. Not sure how it would work on block though due to possible shrinkage or settlement cracks. It's not meant to bridge over those things. There are bituminous sheets that will stretch to allow for some cracking of the wall underneath without compromising the seal.Best solution is always good water management as has been stated previously.Eric
*b TVMDCEric, Yes, I've used Xypex many times on block walls though generally on the inside. I always apply 2 coats and have never had a call back. For exterior use, they recommend their "Modified" (not bitumen). Click here to go to their website.View ImageBTY, I have used smooth Modified Bitumen over asphalt primer for both subterranean block walls and planters with 100% success.
*>I am re-modeling a 30 year old house. It's on a crawl space foundation that leaks a tremendous amount even during a small shower. The water comes from the cracks where the cinder blocks are laid. What can I do to Stop the leaking? I've been told that the UGL products work well(Stop leak cement and paint product). The grade outside is slopping away as much as possible and I would like to try to not dig if at all possible. I've been told that I can solve this problem on the inside of the foundation. HELP, all advice welcome.
*D,You don't want to hear it but the right way would be to deal with the water on the outside. If you can swing it, take care of it outside. Check the search that hasn't worked and maybe study up on the above products if you only want to work inside. Check your downspout locations, as they may be introducing that light rain right into your basement. Many a water problem can be semi solved by getting the roof water away. Best of luck.
*Sorry, assumed basement. Crawl lets you only take care of the surface you can see. If it's coming in further down, the crawl probably will still be mucho dampo. I suppose visq. on the surface will keep most of the moisture in the ground. Put it down,lap it and seal it and run it up the wall. Don't envy you.