Well, as you water test, you may have to go past the footing top.
And remember to backfill with stone after proper water proofing.
1 Like
Jeff, it looks as if it is just a standard tar coat. This is very common even in new construction. The problem being is that its not the way it should be done anymore due to all the variables that can cause it to fail.
It looks as if this could be in a narrow alley which has the potential to accumulate water shedding off both dwellings on each side. A great way to eliminate water to ground penetration is to divert via gutters, drain tile, impermeable soil pitched away to shed water from the foundation.
The picture of your interior wall is pretty bury as stated but it does seem to have a crack or even two which would be at the top of the footing and base to the wall. This is a very common spot for failure as it is an intersection of a 2 part construction system. I speak from experience when I say that the lowest man on the totem pole (the least paid and experienced) is the one elected to tar and seal the foundation prior to backfill. It is also a possibility that the drain tile at the base of the footing could be plugged and or crushed impeding proper evacuation of water. This would be coupled with the issue of the crack and heavy rainfall. Either way the only way to know for sure is to dig, explore and correct accordingly.
Hope this helps and good luck!
I would start with the simple first. Remove the insulation/vapor barrier to eliminate the condensation possibility. Second, I see a high efficiency vent pipe. Wall penetrations can leak. Vent pipes can condensate. Suction lines are also wall penetrations. I also see a window. Another wall penetration. Once those possibilities are eliminated, these guys above have given great advice.
1 Like
all good stuff/replies above
block wall… yes - no?
Jeff,
to determine IF there is an exterior crack, cracked parging and before you call any waterproofing co’s, you can do a water test with a hose if you like. Pretty often w/block basement walls (and brick walls)
you will not see a crack in the wall on the inside of basement but there can certainly be 1 or more on the exterior and it’s because of ext-cracks, cracked parging that many basements leak-seep.
so again, to rule that possibility in or out you can do a water test on dry day, lay the hose a few inches away from the wall, directed at the wall and the problem/leaky area, as in this short video…
allow the water to soak/wet the top of the basement wall down, don’t wet anything ABOVE grade yet.
let the water run, flood that area, and see if any water begins to enter onto floor, you may need to run the water up to 45 minutes, full blast- not a trickle. If water begins to enter on floor where bottom of wall ‘n floor meet then you do have an ext-crack in the wall = exterior waterproofing is needed but ONLY of that small area, say about 5-6’ long and all the way down to footing 'n drain tile, and it’s gotta be done correctly , waterproofed NOT damproofed, and backfilled with most-all gravel for best long-term results
If you don’t leak and did the water test correctly then your problem is elsewhere and the gents above mentioned quite a few possibilities.
2 short videos, homeowner has dementia, he was almost ripped off by FSM for $20,000, he only leaked-seeped in one lone area, water would appear on his floor only upon a long rain, he would see the water at bottom of the block wall–floor meet
he did his own water test w/hose, he got water in on floor in 10 minutes he said.
water was entering because there was a vertical crack on exterior of wall, this crack is NOT visible on the inside of basement.
again, all i’m saying in this post is IF you want to determine if there is an exterior crack, cracked parging in the wall in that area, do a water test.
if there is an ext-crack in wall, it can be hand dug all the way down, there IS enough room, don’t need to remove part of fence and at moment i don’t think you’d need to move AC unit. I tried zooming in on the exterior photo but still can’t tell if block or poured wall lol, i do see THIN tar was applied as Michael and Jeff mentioned, that sure looks like damproofing, it was likely sprayed on or rolled on = does not last, hold up all that long plus builder likely backfilled with same soil that was excavated which often is clay, silty junk, and they often backfill with other crap such as bricks,wood, cans etc which impedes water from A to B, and that junk when backfilled also allows pockets of water below grade against the wall, not good.
I don’t mean to get too far ahead as Jeff’s problem could be something other than an ext-crack in wall but while my dumb azz is here, IF you need ext-waterproofing of ‘that small area’, all the way down to footing, done and backfilled correctly cost should be around $2,000 depending on depth to footing
Now some homeowners don’t think things through and get several estimates and 1 or more of the est’s may be $500 - 1,000 LOWER and they bite on that, the cost instead of thinking it through and seeing what the higher bidder is doing differently versus what the lower cost guy isn’t doing such as, here in Mich we have quite a few knotheads who will bid several hundred + less and all of them that i have seen do NOT apply hydraulic cement in-over crack and they do NOT haul the clay away 'n of course do not backfill with gravel (all the same soil, usually clay) well lol, while saving several hundred+ may be appealing to some homeowners what they don’t know is, backfilling with same soil etc as i just mentioned the job will not last anywhere near as long, they’re getting a half azz’d job.
On these smaller jobs, for some homeowners who have an area where we can place the excavated soil in yard, on land, they can save $450–500 off that $2,000 ish quote. Sorry so long.
1 Like
Thanks Brian, this is good advice!
Hi Mike - It’s a poured concrete wall. Here’s a better photo of the exterior.
This is a good idea! It’s raining all week here, and I’ve looked just noticed some cracks above the slab where water seems to be seeping out.
Noted!
This makes make feel a lot better. I thought this would have been much more expensive because of the AC unit. I’ve reached out to one contractor so far that has over 500 reviews, but will be getting multiple quotes.
1 Like
yeah i still cannot see/tell 4 sure but looks like you may have a crack in wall. Be best to SEE that part of wall, top to bottom.
you could also have, or only, a deteriorated rod hole or two - if so rod holes can be fixed from inside as long as they are done correctly.
if you do have a crack, best to get err done on the outside
Jeff, question for ya… how many feet is it from the basement floor to the BOTTOM of the basement window?
imo, online reviews on google or FB and others are CRAP, almost all paid for $$$ aka BS, only one imo that has some HONEST reviews is Yelp
If i were there, say again, i would want to SEE that part of WALL from top to bottom BEFORE giving any quote, just saying
how did your est’s go Jeff?