How to Drain Water Away from Your Home

Musty smelling basements, damp air and efflorescence (whitish powder or crust) on the walls are signs that you could have a drainage problem. If water is getting into your basement, you need to figure out where it is coming from, and how to get it away from your house.

Things You'll Need

• Downspout diverter
• Waterproof concrete sealer
• Hose or pressure washer
• Silicone sealant
• Perforated pipe for French drain
• Hydraulic cement

Instructions

Detective work

1. Determine if the moisture is noticeable only at certain times (spring melting) or on certain occasions (just after a heavy rainfall). These are indicative of a gutter or grading problem.

2. Figure out how the water is getting into the basement. Is it in the same place, such as a small crack in a corner,or seeping through an entire wall? Poor grading is a likely cause, but sealing the walls could help.

Leaky gutters

1. If your gutters or eaves are leaking , use a hose or a pressure washer to rinse out the gutters and downspouts.

2. Renail or reattach any sagging gutters. Ensure the joints between sections are sealed with a silicone sealant.

3. Ensure a downspout diverter is attached to the downspout and aim the diverter onto a hard surface (i.e. driveway) or extend the spout so it spills out at least 5 feet from the house.

Check grading

1. Determine if the grading around your foundation is steep enough. Modern building codes require that land slopes away from the foundation a minimum of 6 inches in the 10 feet around the house. This is a minimum; more slope will drain away more water, faster.

2. Build up the land close to your foundation so the grade will channel water away from your house.

3. Install a French drain to take the run off from the downspout will carry water away from the foundation. A French drain is a small trench with a perforated pipe surrounded by sand or gravel that directs the water flow away from the foundation.

Waterproof walls

1. Consider applying concrete waterproof sealer directly to your inside walls. Waterproof sealer comes as a powder that you mix with water and apply with a long bristled brush. The sealer actually gets into the pores of the concrete and forms a waterproof crystalline structure that will stop water infiltration.

2. If your basement wall or floor has any cracks, widen them by undercutting the edges so the bottom of the crack is wider than top. This will help hold the patch in place.

3. Fill the widened crack with hydraulic cement. Hydraulic cement actually expands slightly as it cures, so it will effectively block the water's path through the crack.

Tips & Warnings

• The majority of moist basement problems are caused by poor drainage. Ensuring your gutters are working properly and you have good grading around your home will eliminate most problems.

• Hydraulic cement and waterproof concrete sealer are available at home stores.

• Waterproofing from the inside is a viable and effective option if you have access to the walls and floors. When dealing with a finished basement, waterproofing from the outside may be the only option. This requires removing the soil all around the foundation and installing a waterproof membrane. This is a major job and may be something that is best left to the pros.

• Hydraulic cement will irritate your skin and mucous membranes. Read and follow the manufacturer's directions and be sure you wear gloves, eye protection and a dust mask if you are working with it.