Water in the basement.
Specialist · Newark, NJ · Member since 2017 · 80 posts · 66 votes
Hey guys.
I just bought my first house, moved in last month. A couple of weeks ago, we had a very wet weekend and I noticed water stains in the baseboards of my finished basement. No French drains, no sump pumps. I’m located in Newark NJ. It’s gonna snow soon, really bad.
What should I do, and any advice on where I can get the money to waterproof the basement? Can I afford to wait a couple (5) of month before I get a contractor in there.
I already plugged in a dehumidifier, it seems to be pulling out 5 pints every 36 hours.
What should I do?
@Maimouna Sow
Are your downspouts trailed away from the house? Do you have a blocked gutter thats over flowing?
You need to figure out what the root cause is; where is the water coming from?
I don't know how long you have. You will gather this info when you get your various estimates. All I'm saying is do not react out of fear and emotion. Get your facts on the situation and then take the next step. Good first step is your plan tomorrow to look around outside. Next time it rains, see if there is pooling water near your house's edge.
Watch a few videos with this guy to see what can be done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSrdJjlQopA
They're located about 1.5 hrs from Newark. Maybe they can make a drive out there: https://g.page/Hydroarmor?shar...
@Maimouna Sow
Yeah that can be an issue, I don’t know you’ll have to talk to a contractor in your area. Upstate NY has frozen soil so the season for concrete is over. Unless you use a lot of space heaters...
@John Reilly
Very helpful!
Thanks!
@Maimouna Sow I have considerable experience with this at my rentals.
Most water issues can be corrected with proper sloping near the house and good gutters. A landscaper can build up dirt near the house and slope out 3-4 feet. Then they can put plastic down with rock over it. This will shed the water away from your foundation. Gutters are the next thing. Make sure they are not clogged, because water running over gutters can go right into your foundation. You can install gutter extensions to force the water farther away from the foundation.
If these simple steps do not fix the issue, it may be necessarily to install drain tile and a sump pit to collect the water. Very often when you have "wet basement experts" come to look at your problem, this is all they suggest. That is because they will recommend what they sell. My advice is don't go for the expensive solution without trying the landscaping and gutter fix. I have fixed several problems that way.
I think @Nick Rutkowski mentioned it is too cold outside to do concrete work, but you shouldn't need to do any work outside. They can install interior drain tile. all they need to do is remove the trim piece by the floor and they will cut out 4-6 inches of concrete by the wall. They will install drain tile that channels water from the wall to the drain system. It collects in a sump pit. It is all done inside, so no need to dig outside.
As far as immediate steps to take, I would remove your trim pieces near the floor. You can drill holes in the sheet rock where the trim pieces were. This can help with water trapped behind the sheetrock. If the problem is bad, you may need to remove 1-2 feet of sheetrock at the bottom of the wall. It is probably not necessary to gut the entire basement, because the water damage is almost always just at the bottom.
Out of curiosity, was this basement just recently finished before you purchased the property?
I should also caution there are other ways that water can get in. Window wells, leaky pipes, cracks in a foundation are just a couple other ares to consider. Water can travel weird paths, so the source is not always directly where the water shows up.
@Maimouna Sow
17 yrs as an adjuster in chicago, 10 yrs building homes. I see your issue twice a week. Remove 4’ high of drywall to the corner. If you have poured foundation, see if the water is coming in from a crack in the wall. If so, it’s an $800 fix. The fact you don’t have a sump and they’re was no damage before tells me it’s likely not a 15k-20k repair, unless they hid the damage. But others have said about the gutters...VERY true. Proper drainage is paramount.
Hey guys.
I just bought my first house, moved in last month. A couple of weeks ago, we had a very wet weekend and I noticed water stains in the baseboards of my finished basement. No French drains, no sump pumps. I’m located in Newark NJ. It’s gonna snow soon, really bad.
What should I do, and any advice on where I can get the money to waterproof the basement? Can I afford to wait a couple (5) of month before I get a contractor in there.
I already plugged in a dehumidifier, it seems to be pulling out 5 pints every 36 hours.
What should I do?
as a CMI, CBA, CMA, CMR , IAQ Oxidation Specalist for over 17 years,
mold requires moisture over 50% Rh to sustain it, over 17% on substrate.
Drop both these asap ie remove food source paper based materials and moisture mold dies.
Bleach only removes color and odor wont kill root structure.
Best is oxidation ie UVC, o3, H2o2, dry heat over 125 deg and plant based surfactant cleaner all speeds up the process and is safe non toxic.
mold test maine runs $75-100 sampled by generalist sent to certified 3rd party microbiologist with quantitative test results over qualitative preferred. 30 or less CFU is expected range.
if need court expert or Osha complaint hire an industrial hygienist $450-600 per report.
.i charge $85 ea. Min of 4 get good overview to create written protocol. I helped many clients reduce sellers asking price on their house with my findings.
EVERY HOUSE REGARDLESS OF AGE HAS MOLD SPORES. depends on amount, specie, toxicity and "visible' mold vs invisible typically the latter is biggest concern.
Diy kits are notoriously inaccurate, and typical sit on self dry out and subjective to operator error or recontamination with technical reports made scare you into being manipulated into purchase of some kind. But they are cheap and require much more time due to passive not active spore collection process.
Banks or insurance typically require air sample outside as baseline. But only grows on surfaces can stay airborne for years. So recommend test both.
Pooling water starts with negative or neutral grading issues. Full new french drain system seaked walls and all moisture fixed with all bells whistles protections typically $6k in my area.
start with obvious external then work in.
1. Outside Grading, try minimum 1 inch drop every foot. 12-14 in from soil to bottom of exterior substrate and 2-4ft wide perimeter around foundation of fast draining rocks stones sand etc from extreme edge to first tree shrub or bush or grass. No vegetation, roots along foundation. Extreme case backhoe area to reseal concrete or stone foundation
2. Seal wall both sides. Install exterior perimeter drains, use downspouts gutters min 4ft beyond foundation ends
3. Quickrete can help but ensure wont push water away to weaker area thats not sealed properly.
4. Then only then try interior french drain or sump pump. And dehumidifiers.
5. Ensure all snow pushed away from foundations not up against them. Dont over saturate ground or sealant with abnormal levels of compacted frozen water ie snow held in place. Creates cracks and micro thaws melts in place thru entire winter. Get water rain snow away from foundations. Let sun and wind have priority instead.
@Nicole A.
Thank you!
Yes. I’m actually really worried! But how long do u actually think I have? Of course tomorrow I will check the gutters and stuff tomorrow, and the slope of the thing and all of that. And I already have a dehumidifier in there, running.
But how long do I have to make a permanent change, (French drain, sump pump) before the rest of the house actually does get threatened.?
Cause I don’t really have money right now, I mean I could dye the money, and pay it off... but with everything going on,
It takes 48-72 hours for mold grow once substance has absorbed directly over 17% moisture or air has over 55% humidity it can absorb it just from air. So heed advice to run direct drain and or direct vent 24/7. Keep it on lowest humidity settings. If really bad Go rent commercial dehumidifier and air scrubber at local home depot or sunbelt rental both near you.