I came across this article on FH some time ago and was wondering if anyone has ever put it into practice or has any opinions on it’s efficacy.
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/qa/inground-gutters-keep-basements-dry.aspx
I have a basement water problem on my daughters house that I need to do something about. Options include:
1. excavating all around the perimeter, installing foundation drains at the footing and waterproofing the exterior walls.
2. breaking up the perimeter floor in the basement and installing interior drains and sump pump.
3. This Foundation gutter system.
Most of the water is coming in along a sidewall at the footing block joint. Not groundwater. It has a fairly steep grade on the side so adding more slope may help but I have little confidence that it’s going to cure the problem and give her an always dry basement. The water is washing down the sidewall and following the basement wall down to the footing.
Of the three solutions the foundation gutter system is obviously the less labor intensive and costly one. I would probably go with the EDPM option as the watershed so it should have a very long lifespan. I think I could skip the xps foamboard. underneath.
Replies
I would recommend a perforated pipe at the low side of the "gutter" to take the excess water to daylight, a sump, a dry well etc to keep the situation under control better that the drawing shows.
There is another option as well...an interior surface mounted drain which works well on block foundations. You drill holes into the base of the blocks at the voids and epoxy a gutter system to the surface of the wall. Given that water will take the path of least resistance, it will fill the voids and drain into your "base board" drain system which you then route to a sump. Its worked for 35+ years in my parents home. You can generally isolate the system to the trouble spots as well meaning you don't necessarily have to wrap the entire foundation. They are commercially available and I believe you can source for DIY now whereas when they installed theirs it had to come from a dealer.
There is another option as well...an interior surface mounted drain which works well on block foundations. You drill holes into the base of the blocks at the voids and epoxy a gutter system to the surface of the wall. Given that water will take the path of least resistance, it will fill the voids and drain into your "base board" drain system which you then route to a sump. Its worked for 35+ years in my parents home. You can generally isolate the system to the trouble spots as well meaning you don't necessarily have to wrap the entire foundation. They are commercially available and I believe you can source for DIY now whereas when they installed theirs it had to come from a dealer.
I've done a variant on this on 5 houses with good results. I dig a trench from the edge of the foundation out about 6" beyond the drip line, about 6-8" deep. Using stakes, I install a PT 1x4 around the outside perimeter of the trench and backfill a little bit of clean soil (no sharp rocks) to create a 'bowl' from the foundation to the 1x4, then lay in 6 mil plastic, an inch or so of crushed stone, perforated 4" pipe, then cover with more crushed stone. The pipe goes around the entire house and is pitched slightly to daylight.
All that is accomplished by the system depicted is to lengthen the path, and time, for a unit of water to flow from the surface to the footing. So instead of seeing rain water during or immediately after a storm, it may take an additional day or so to enter the basement.
You will need a drainage system to collect the rainwater and transport it to someplace downhill. And, preferably, not into a neighbor's basement.
On The Other Hand
sapwood wrote:
All that is accomplished by the system depicted is to lengthen the path, and time, for a unit of water to flow from the surface to the footing. So instead of seeing rain water during or immediately after a storm, it may take an additional day or so to enter the basement.
You will need a drainage system to collect the rainwater and transport it to someplace downhill. And, preferably, not into a neighbor's basement.
I think the rain water that is coming in is washing down the sideway and following the basement wall to the footing joint. In the same way that a porch with a roof keeps water from the foundation wall I think this system would also accomplish the same thing. I don't see the water running off the edge of this 4' wide section of EPDM and then running back to the basement wall. But as you and others and I think also the author of the article stated, a drainage system could be installed at the edge of the "gutter" and the water directed to a safe area.