Interior and Exterior water proofing.

1931 year old home.

Home had an interior basement system installed. The interior system was no longer being used. (I wonder why :slight_smile: ) There were 2 sumps that were abandoned with standing water. (Stinky, smelly and nasty) Concrete floor recently painted with numerous cracks and high levels of moisture.

Exterior excavation was done and they replaced 1/2 of the one foundation wall with concrete block. Rest of foundation was Terra Cotta Bricks. Entire exterior was excavated.

My issue is with the floor. The stinky smelly water needs to be removed. I recommended the floor and pumps be evaluated.

There was mold at portions of the interior panels and since exterior was done I recommended removing all the panels.

There was an area of damaged Terra Cotta. You would think they could patch these areas when the excavation is done. 11, 000 dollars

What do you think about the floor and pumps. The water needs to be removed. I would reinstall the pump(s)

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I think the floor needs to be evaluted and the pumps replaced.

Your finding some nice stuff there Dave.

Sometimes,efflorescence etc on a basement floor could have been caused by the water/salt that is/was coming in from cracks etc on outside of the wall and just like efflorescence on basement walls, efflorescence might be BEYOND-the-surface of a wall/concrete floor thus,won`t be able to get it all off.

Also, ‘if’ there is a storm trap cleanout you might want to recommend they check it and if needed…snake it.(lateral line)

Could also snake the tiles that empty into pit just to make sure there isn`t any blockage in those tiles.

Dave,

I’ve never seen a basement waterproofing system fail, except (of course) if the electricity went out. Then a generator will have to be put in place.

I wouldn’t recommend specific fixes to alleviate this particular moisture issue. What if your one suggestion fails?

I’d simply write this up as “Recommend basement waterproofing company evaluate existing basement system. Inoperative today, which is causing excessive moisture build-up throughout the basement”.

Lets just say the interior system is no longer in use. (It did fail as they had to replace a section of wall)

I did recommend the floor and pumps to be evaluated.

(JB) Yes, there are some interesting finds and why I love inspecting.

The foundation replacement has nothing to do with the basement waterproofing system. I wonder if that was the old bulkhead location.

I would disagree.

Being a pourous terra cotta foundation and having the panels cover the entire wall it is possable that the system trapped water in between the panels and the foundation therefore resulting in deterioration. There are other spots that you could see the bowing and I was really wanting to remove the panel to see what damage was behind.

But anyways I think this is a good example of why not to install an interior waterproofing system.

You mean…an improperly installed interior waterproofing system.

A professional waterproofing system will not affect the foundation…period.

The bowing that you are seeing is hydrostatic pressure from the exterior.

](Bob Vila - Home Improvement, Home Repair And Home Renovation)

I still disagree!! I personally think the moisture that is trapped between the panels and foundation can cause mold & deterioration.

Like this…


foundation_bowed.jpg

I never disagreed with that. Moisture will definitely cause a Mold build-up, but a professionally installed waterproofing system will not affect a foundation’s ability to support a building.

I’m telling you that I bet it’s… hydrostatic pressure.

Why Foundations Fail

David,

How do you use the Protimeter to test concrete moisture levels? I have not had much success using the same meter with concrete.

John,

I don’t use a moisture meter to check the level of moisture on concrete foundations. Most concrete foundations will have a high moisture level no matter what the conditions are. Yes, even dry foundations have a high moisture content.

Foundations that seep or leak moisture are obvious and remediating these foundations all depends on the conditions that exist throughout the property. I investigate all seepage issues while I’m on-site and inform my clients which steps to take in order to properly remedy any existing seepage issues in their prospective home.

Ummmm,these inside system companies are NOT identifying WHERE the freaking water is entering,they NEVER waterproof the exterior of wall(s)…and THEY`RE experts??? huh? Chtt!!!

They dont ever recommend/bring up the possibility there can be a problem in the lateral line.ALL they want to do is bchtt people into a water----diverting system,the only damn thing they do.

When homeowners have cracks,loose cracked parging on the outside of block walls,they never fix this chtt.

What about underground roots against the outside of walls?
They never remove these.

What about the homeowners who have cracks or bowed walls due to lateral soil pressure?
They don`t remove-relieve-lessen ANY of the lateral pressure which
CAUSES alot of cracks/bowed walls…jeses kristmas.

They also create/drill freaking HOLES in block walls…not worried about
the possibility of MORE radon gas entering peoples basements?

What about mold,efflorescence? Not worried about this either…
behind that blccchtttt moronic vinyl sheeting they place against walls?

What about termites and other insects that will continue to enter exterior cracks when these morons only install inside systems.

What is professional about not identifying and correcting the above?

Sure hope they waterproofed the outside and backfilled w/gravel (pic 2)

Cuz if they didn`t,the cracks on the outside are still OPEN and soil,possible roots etc are still against the wall.

David,
I do not test concrete now, tried a few times. Actually, I was referring to Mr. Macy.

Hi. David and hope you are well and all is good.

The replaced portion of the wall in your picture appears to be regular CMU and mingles in pretty good with what you call terra cotta.
My version of terra cotta is this as pictured below.

http://ts3.images.live.com/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=841713393982&id=bde70011514b84317c7d432146aec478&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sandkuhl.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fblocks.gif

It must have been replaced due to structural problems with the wall.

These blocks were originally call Structural Terra Cotta Blocks.
AKA as Hollow Structural Tiles
Strucvtyural Clay Tiles
and Structural Clay Load-Bearing Wall Tiles.

Why would they go to the trouble of ecavating the exterior and not replace the whole lot of those terra cotta tiles as you call them?

Seems like a waste of money, if the complete assemble is not replaced as a whole.

Hopefully there is a water proofing system that was installed.

The high moisture in the floor system and the water at the sump could be indication of hydrostatic pressures from the exterior if the perimeter underdrains were not properly installed.

If it is that there is still a moisture problem after those remedial repairs to the exterior, something was not done right.

Taking a moisture reading on concrete floors with a moisture tester of the one you used might prove inaccurate.
The relative humidity readings of a concrete floor acceptable to flooring manufacturers is 75%.
No more than 3 lbs. of moisture per 1000 sq. ft…

Chances are there is an improper vapor barrier under the floor anyways, just contributing to the problem.

The sump pumps have to be replaced so they are functioning.

I would defer this whole thing to professionals that deal with this type of issues with moisture problems.

To many variables in the circumstances of the information you have provided. I would walk away from something like this and defer it to other experts in this type of scenario.

Good luck in your findings.

Hope all goes well. :):smiley: