Basement Issues

[overflow]

We Have lived in house two years. With in last 6 months or so have had the paint start "bubbling off" the block walls.


i also had some rubber horse stall mats on the floor I looked under those and they had water underneath. Just trying to figure out what the first course of action should be.

I checked all down spouts and gutters and they are good.

Any one have any insight?

 

[Rustyferrious]

We Have lived in house two years. With in last 6 months or so have had the paint start "bubbling off" the block walls.


i also had some rubber horse stall mats on the floor I looked under those and they had water underneath. Just trying to figure out what the first course of action should be.

I checked all down spouts and gutters and they are good.

Any one have any insight?View attachment 446726
View attachment 446726

What do you mean by "good"? Where do the downspouts empty out? How old is the house? Is there a foundation drain that leads to daylight? is the site level or sloped? Have you spoken to the neighbors? are they having any issues?

 

[KevT]

The paint issue is effervesance caused by moisture. What kind of barrier was installed between the house and the ground? Any new roots or additions? May have to dig along the outside of the wall and apply a new coat of a bitumen product.

 

[overflow]

Thanks. House is 10 years old. Down spouts into tile that goes to daylight. Slope around house drops off fairly well. Neighbors are 100+yards away. I dug a test spot down about 3 feet and there is no stone and the tar seems to be coming off with the dirt as it comes away from the block.

 

[Looking4new]

It kinda looks like you will have to re-tar the walls. NOT a nice job at this time or year.

 

[KretZ]

Do you have a sump in the basement? Check it to make sure its working. Happened to us, first thing we noticed was paint on the walls of the basement bubbling up. Opened the lid to the sump and it was clear full and the water had been slowly moving and filling the gravel under the slab of the entire house within the footer. Insurance company paid for a company that came out and drilled holes throughout the entire basement and put these industrial condenser/dehumidfier dryer/vacuum deals with hoses in the holes that ran for three weeks. Once a day we would empty the water catches. Real PITA, but it worked.

 

[Streetcar]

Something has changed for you are now getting water in the basement.
Any new planting , landscaping, grade changes. Are down spout drains clear. Do you have sump pump?
These are a couple of ideas to look for

 

[Deere Dude]

Do you have a dehumidifier or 2 in the basement?

 

[jfh28]

The moisture on the floor under the horse mats is a pretty good sign that there wasn't a vapor barrier installed under the concrete slab when it was poured.......so the moisture is just wicking through the concrete.......normally it is dissipating into the air but where you had the rubber mats the rubber is acting as a vapor barrier and so the moisture can't get through it and hence the wet concrete. Unfortunately there is not much you can do about this short of ripping the slab up and installing a vapor barrier correctly and re-pouring the slab........over the years I have tried various sealants and coatings on older homes with this problem with limited results.

The walls are also showing signs of moisture entering the block from outside......my guess is the walls were painted prior to you buying the house which hid the problem. I doubt this is a new problem but is more of an ongoing problem due to poor waterproofing on the foundation wall when the house was built.......your seeing it now because the paint is failing. Again there are sealants and coatings that can be applied but they aren't a lasting solution because of the hydrostatic pressure being applied from the moisture outside the wall........permanent solution is excavate around the foundation and install new waterproofing..........probably not what you wanted to hear.......but moisture problems need to be stopped outside the envelope of the foundation.......once moisture is inside all you can really do is collect it........I also suggest that you get some dehumidifiers running in the basement so mold doesn't become an issue..........Jack

 

[jfh28]

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