Service
Basement leak repair
A leak is water with one way in. Find it, and the repair can be small. Guess, and you pay for a patch a foot away from the real hole.
Find the entry point first
Look while it is leaking. Trace the wet upward to the highest damp point, which is the source, and circle it in pencil. Water runs along ledges and down pipes, so the puddle is rarely under the hole.
If it only leaks in certain storms, try a garden hose on a dry day. Have someone run it on the ground outside for ten minutes at a time, starting low and moving along the wall, while you watch inside. The section that makes it drip is the one to show the company.
Where single leaks come from
A crack in a poured concrete wall
Thin vertical cracks form as concrete cures and most never move again. They are sealed by injection: ports are set along the crack and a resin is pumped in until it fills the full depth of the wall. Polyurethane swells and stays flexible, which suits a wet crack. Epoxy bonds hard and is chosen when the wall needs to be glued back into one piece, which is an engineer's decision.
A pipe or cable through the wall
The water line, the sewer pipe and old oil or gas lines all pass through holes that were packed with mortar decades ago. The packing shrinks and a ring opens around the pipe. It is cleaned out and resealed, usually with the same injected resin.
A basement window
Window wells fill when their drain clogs with leaves, or when there never was one. Water rises to the sill and pours in. The fix is outside: clear or add the drain, lower the soil in the well, fit a cover.
The top of the wall
Water coming over the top of the foundation means the ground, a patio or a bed outside is too high against the house. No sealant inside will hold it. The grade has to come down.
Block walls are different
Injection needs solid material to push against. A concrete block wall is hollow, so resin pumped into a mortar joint runs off into the cores. Water in a block wall also travels sideways inside before it appears, which makes a leak look like a single point when it is not.
For that reason a leaking block wall is more often handled by draining the cores at floor level. That work is described under interior basement waterproofing.
What to ask about a leak repair
- Which resin will you use on this crack, and why that one?
- Do you need the wall bare? Who takes down the paneling or shelving?
- If water appears beside the repair next spring, is that covered or is it a new job?
- Is the warranty for this crack only, and is it written on the invoice?
Leak questions
It only leaks when rain blows from one direction. Why?
Wind-driven rain soaks one face of the house and overloads the gutter on that side. Check for a gutter that overflows there, a window well on that wall, and gaps where brick meets the foundation. The hose test above will usually find it.
Can I wait and see?
A small seep that dries between storms can be watched, as long as nothing stored nearby is getting wet. Mark the damp edge with a pencil and a date. If the marks keep moving outward, or the crack grows, stop waiting.
Montgomery and nearby towns
Ready to have someone look at it?
Call and describe what you are seeing and when it happens. You will be put through to an independent local waterproofing company, and they arrange the visit with you.
Phone calls may be recorded. See the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.