French Drain?

Specific Inspection Topics Structural Inspections
1

In light of all the metro Detroit area flooding this week… we noticed our basement is the only one that didn’t flood in our neighborhood. This is a 1930 bungalow and 20 years ago a waterproofing system was installed (based on some building permit research) and I think it’s a French drain. Looks like the house originally had a sump pump that was removed when this system was installed, so I’m guessing it drains out to the sewer through the lower sewer line that has the floor drain and laundry tub. There is new concrete poured one foot out around the entire perimeter of the basement and most of it has a 1/4" gap between the floor and wall. Someone caulked part of it (not knowing the purpose of the gap) and that is the only place water comes in. I’m wondering if I should remove the caulk to allow the water to drain? Can anyone shed some light on what we have here?

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While quite a few homeowners had basement back-ups, many others did NOT. Had nothing to do with whether they had an interior system previously installed.

Yes Art, it looks like some sort of interior system was done, but that does not at all mean the inside system ‘stopped’ the water from WHERE it is actually entering into the hollow blocks.

Quite a few homeowner had something like this occur (news story-link)
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/48646722.html
—Heavy rains overwhelm pipes, flood basements with sewage
…Too much too quick… 'The aging sanitary and storm sewer system was unable to handle the deluge,4 etc inches of rain.
'The massive amount of water seeped through cracks in the sewer laterals and main pipes, then flowed back into homes, often combining with sewer water.

…‘Any blockage in the lateral from homes to the main pipes compounded the problem…Kappel pegged CLOGGED laterals as the CAUSE of MUCH of the basement flooding’

Here is one of many photos I could post, where there is some efflorescence etc on some of the blocks, like YOURS.
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing29#5443386684182876274

And here’s the rest of the photos from that house/job… and where the water was ACTUALLY FIRST entering into the hollow blocks causing much or all of the efflorescence etc on some of the blocks inside
http://picasaweb.google.com/101049034584960315932/BasementWaterproofing29

If you want to remove the caulk, that’s up to you. One point is, whoever put that inside system in did NOT ‘waterproof’ the basement err umm, they did NOT STOP the water from where it is STILL ENTERING.

Umm, anyone want to know what Uncle Bubb’s has seen during/after the recent g dang rains/flooding…huh? lolol
Well, one thing is, as usual, have seen previously installed interior basement systems that did not stop the freaking water from where its entering peoples basements! In other words, same old shtt! People were sold interior systems, were LIED to etc, and they continue to leak… and they are out $5,000 - $20,000. Dang skippy.

Fire on High/ELO live in Germany http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdDe2hTYE4c