What the crew fixes
Most people who call about a wet basement say one of these things:
- Water comes in every spring when the snow melts.
- It puddles where the wall meets the floor after a hard rain.
- The basement got wet when the river was high.
- One wall is always damp and the paint is peeling.
- There is a white crust on the wall and it smells musty.
- My sump pump runs all the time, or I do not have one.
- Water drips through a crack in the wall.
- I want to finish the basement, but I am afraid it will flood.
Each of these has a cause and a fix. The inspection finds where the water gets in before anyone sells you a system.
Waterproofing methods your local crew may use
Inside drain and sump pump
This is the most common fix for Kalamazoo basements. The crew cuts a narrow trench in the floor along the inside of the wall. They lay a pipe with small holes in gravel. Then they cover it with new concrete. Water that comes through the wall or up at the floor joint flows into the pipe. The pipe drains to a sump pump, which sends the water outside.
It works on block, poured, brick and stone walls. It does not tear up the yard. It is often paired with a plastic sheet on the wall that guides water down into the drain.
Sump pump install or replacement
Some basements only need a better pump. The pit may be old or too small. The pump may run nonstop when groundwater is high. A new pump with a tight lid and a check valve may solve it. A battery backup pump keeps water moving if the power goes out.
Outside waterproofing
The crew digs down to the footing outside. They clean the wall and seal it with a coating or sheet. Then they lay new drain tile at the bottom. This stops water before it reaches the wall. It costs more and digs up the yard. It is often used on one bad wall, or when the old outside tile has failed.
Crack sealing
One leaking crack in a poured wall can often be sealed from inside. The crew pumps in a foam that fills the crack all the way through. See foundation crack repair.
Gutters, downspouts and soil slope
The cheapest fix comes first. Downspouts that dump next to the wall send roof water straight to the basement. So does soil that slopes toward the house. Longer downspouts and soil that slopes away can stop a lot of leaks. A good inspector checks this before suggesting anything bigger.
Window wells
Basement windows below the ground sit in a window well. If the well has no drain or cover, it fills with water. Then the water comes in around the window. A cover, a drain or a new well can fix it.
When water and wall movement go together
If a wall is cracked sideways or bowing in, water is only half the story. The soil is pushing on the wall. Waterproofing alone will not stop that. See bowing wall repair.