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Why do I have Water Coming in on the Floor Where the Basement Wall and Floor Meet?

Homeowner: Why do I have water coming in on the floor where the basement wall(s) and floor meet?

Water comes in on the basement floor where the basement wall(s) meet because your drain tile has become clogged and can no longer accept water. Usually, this will begin in the furthest corner from where your sump basin is installed.

There are many early homes built without any drain tile. In the 50's and 60's basement drain tile was made of clay. When sentiment and tree roots clog this type of tile, usually the tile cannot be cleaned as it breaks very easily. Later years, the use of black corrugated flex pipe (stilled used today as drain tile) can become plugged solid over time. When plugged, it is also hard to clean (or impossible to clean) as it punctures easily. Unfortunately, drain tile may have been installed improperly: not enough pitch to sump basin, or when the concrete floor installed the concrete may have filled the drain tile. In these instances, the homeowner would need to have the drain tile replaced.

Homeowner: How would you fix it?

Waters Basement Services would replace the drain tile with a white perforated drain tile to collect the wall and floor water into the sump basin and then pumped out of the basement. Cleanouts would be installed in the drain tile to enable drain tile cleaning. Drain tile should be cleaned at least once a year (or more often depending on your soil type). With the cleanouts the homeowner can clean their drain tile with a garden hose, or have us perform this service. Equally important is maintaining proper grading along the foundation, and the gutter downspout placement. You always want water to shed away from your home.

Drain tile is the essential ingredient in effective basement waterproofing. For drain tile to operate correctly, your drain tile needs to be free of debris that can build up over time. Basement floor drains work the same. Floor drains need to be free of debris and be able to flow out into the storm drain. When the storm drain becomes overwhelmed with stormwater, this water will pour into your basement. You can have a backflow preventer installed or plug the floor drain, which prevents water from entering your basement when storm sewers become overwhelmed and cannot take water out.