Skip to content
Rehabbing & House Flipping

User Stats

27
Posts
5
Votes
Donovan H.
  • Residential Landlord
  • Flat Rock, MI
5
Votes |
27
Posts

Basement water issue / responsibility

Donovan H.
  • Residential Landlord
  • Flat Rock, MI
Posted Oct 21 2014, 09:51

Actually, this is for my personal residence.  I live in a recently built sub (2005).  I've had an off-and-on flooding issue in my basement since purchase three years ago.  I had many a basement waterproofer come out.  All said I just needed a bigger pump.  After spending thousands of dollars trenching, adding drains, upgrading to three pumps with battery backups), I was fine for a year then flooded again ... The incoming water outpaced the three pumps running full bore.

Extremely frustrated, I called the city water department in for help.  They were at my place multiple times over a two week period before bringing out a robot.  You see there's a retention pond behind my neighbor's property.  The overflow flows into a drainage system for the sub.  I have two catch basins on each side of my yard.  These are connected to each other and to the overflow for the pond.  The city sent the robot through the pipe between the basins with a camera.  BINGO!  Turns out the pipe T's right under our concrete patio and opening towards the house ... About 5 feet from the basement wall exterior. The robot couldn't turn to see if this was even capped off, but is likely the problem even if unconfirmed.  Basically, when the system is full ... It's dumping water through a 12 inch pipe directed at my basement from 5 feet away.

Now, is this my problem?  The subdivision's?  The city's?  If this is my problem, who do I even call to fix this sort of thing?