Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
People in Michigan hate renting houses without basements. But then at one point or another they all leak. They all have a hairline cracks and you get that call.
What do you do? Do u spend thousands to waterproof the wall on the outside? Do u give them a dehumidifier and call it done? No rooms in there so they shouldn't sleep in there.
I tell them when they move in that the basement is not water proofed. I just throw a dehumidifier down there. I also make sure to plug it in and set the humidity level myself as the tenant will never do it.
The best answer that I have ever found is to use Sani Tred to water proof the walls and floors. I also install a 2" pipe in each corner to prevent under-floor pressure.
stephen
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Originally posted by @George P.:
People in Michigan hate renting houses without basements. But then at one point or another they all leak. They all have a hairline cracks and you get that call.
What do you do? Do u spend thousands to waterproof the wall on the outside? Do u give them a dehumidifier and call it done? No rooms in there so they shouldn't sleep in there.
Tell me of this sanitred you speak of. What is it and why is it worth the money? Pvc to relieve pressure? Wheres does the water go from the pvc?
The best answer that I have ever found is to use Sani Tred to water proof the walls and floors. I also install a 2" pipe in each corner to prevent under-floor pressure.
That's a great short-term solution that we will sometimes use in rentals. The problem is that it doesn't relieve the static pressure behind the foundation walls, and eventually you're going to see some wall movement.
J Scott can you recommend anyone you have used for interior drain tile before. Need to get this done in a rental but dread looking for a contractor after my latest saga. Please PM if you prefer to posting.
Not if you install a vertical pipe in each corner - with the top at or just above grade. Water rises up into these pipes and relieves underfloor and wall pressure. Or that has been my experience anyway. My father didn't believe this so I added a small pipe nipple near the floor level and attached a clear tube to run up alongside the 2" pipe so he could see the levels rise and fall. <g>
He wasn't from Missouri but he would have fit right in there I think. <g>
The best answer that I have ever found is to use Sani Tred to water proof the walls and floors. I also install a 2" pipe in each corner to prevent under-floor pressure.
That's a great short-term solution that we will sometimes use in rentals. The problem is that it doesn't relieve the static pressure behind the foundation walls, and eventually you're going to see some wall movement.
The best answer that I have ever found is to use Sani Tred to water proof the walls and floors. I also install a 2" pipe in each corner to prevent under-floor pressure.
stephen
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Originally posted by @George P.:
People in Michigan hate renting houses without basements. But then at one point or another they all leak. They all have a hairline cracks and you get that call.
What do you do? Do u spend thousands to waterproof the wall on the outside? Do u give them a dehumidifier and call it done? No rooms in there so they shouldn't sleep in there.
Tell me of this sanitred you speak of. What is it and why is it worth the money? Pvc to relieve pressure? Wheres does the water go from the pvc?
The water just rises up in the pipes - it 'seeks it's own level' from under the floor. The water level in the pipes will equal the water level outside the walls in the soil. So long as the tops of the vent pipes are above grade the water cannot come out the top. Without giving it a place to go like this the water tries to push the floor up and the walls in. And sometimes it succeeds. <g>
I had leaky basement in one of the rented out place and I first thought of an temporary fix but later on thought of having an inspection on it. I called up a basement solution team of Doctor Rooter, Toronto, to get it checked and they informed me that there were multiple cracks that needed to be fixed. It cost me more than 5K, but was a great job done. They dig out the land till the wall fully was revealed. Then coated the wall with a good sealing, and then from inside also gave a temp fix to the cracks. A French drain was set to get rid of the deposited water. The whole work was finished in three days, but I was totally satisfied with the work they've done. Tenants too were happy with the work done, and I'm just hoping the money spend won't go wasted.
We had a lot of rain in Michigan this week. I had some leaky rod holes so I bought compressed swell plugs to try. They say it stops water immediately by compressing the plug in the rod hole and then it permanently seals when water hits it and swells. At $5 a plug it is more expensive than hydraulic cement but looks easier and faster to apply. I will reply back when we get another heavy rain to see if they work.
I just saw this and thought I would share some of my experiences with this really quickly. My thoughts on all of this are quite simple. In my 5 separate basement fixes 1 of which I did myself...I have found that the best possible way to fix a basement and make sure it will give you a lifetime (or at least any of our lifetimes) repair is to dig up the outside.
The interior repairs are fine too, if done correctly, but the ultimate long term fix is to dig up the outside down to the footing, replace the weeper, clean the basement walls, check and repair any cracks, and install your water barrier materials (there are a few) such as the delta system. The black plastic with the dimples. This needs to be sealed at the top and allows any water that gets to the wall to run straight down to the footing were the weeping tile can get the water out and away from the house. Either to the sump pump or in some cases to the storm system in your area.
To increase the effectiveness of the repair and reduce settling you can back fill with 3/4 clear stone right up to a foot from the top and then fill the rest with top soil.
When you have this all opened up...it's a good time to think about future usage. If you want egress windows, now is the time to add them as well as the big widow wells and proper drainage for any window wells too.
With egress windows in place you can now finish your basement as a separate apartment, add a few bedrooms and much more. Check with your local code requirements. You'll need a permit likely to do the basement repair anyway.
The main problem that currently exist won't fix themselves if you repair from the inside. Usually years of accumulated silt have filled the clay weeping tiles, the earth on the outside of the home is pressed tightly to the concrete foundation leaving water no where to go. This leads to long term damage from frost heaving on the wall. If the water can't be moved away from the wall you run the risk of structural damage to the wall. Even if you get the water to stop coming inside the home you still run the chance of frost damage without digging up the exterior and ensuring that water never stays in contact with the concrete.
Sorry that was supposed to be brief...hope that helps explain some more about this. The cost for an exterior repair is often not that much more than fixing from the inside, but has a much longer and more beneficial result. Of course there are many circumstances where this is too hard to do because of the location of the home and access to perform the repair.
Here's to dry basements everywhere.....here here...
We had a lot of rain in Michigan this week. I had some leaky rod holes so I bought compressed swell plugs to try. They say it stops water immediately by compressing the plug in the rod hole and then it permanently seals when water hits it and swells. At $5 a plug it is more expensive than hydraulic cement but looks easier and faster to apply. I will reply back when we get another heavy rain to see if they work.
i used that company to come and polyurethene spray the cracks. they drill every 6-8" and squirt it with 3k psi guns. not the hand guns that barely get in the cracks.