Basement is flooding

[Ali Gencarelli]

Hi, 

I'm looking for some advice. I have a basement that floods everytime it rains. I've tried a sump pump but that doesn't seem to be doing the job. I've read about painting the basement with a polymer type paint to prevent ground water from leaking in but the basement opens into the crawl space under the house and I'm afraid that any water from the crawl space will just be trapped and have no where to go we are talking about 12 to 18 inches of water. If anyone has any experience with this I'd like to hear how it all worked out. 

Thanks

[Greg Scott]

In most cases the solution is to keep water away from your foundation.  Make sure your gutters and downspouts are pushing water away from the house.  Look at the grading of the land. Sometimes ground shifts over time.  Land that one sloped away from your house, carrying water away, now may slope towards your house.  Make sure the water moves away, even if you have to build a french drain.

I wouldn't waste time on paint, which simply won't stand up to water standing against the foundation.