Need basement waterproofing advice... Please help!

[whkid]

I purchased a 1920s Connecticut home with a finished basement. We have had basement leaks in strong rains (the water rolls along the floor from behind the drywall so i have not yet seen the source of the water -- some say from underneath the floor due to hydrostatic pressure and some say the wall is the culprit) and its been frustrating to get someone to try and diagnose the issue because they always come in after the leak is finished and can only take an educated guess. They are good contractors but they have incomplete information.

I bought this house 2 years ago and have basically determined that when the prior owners finished the basement, they didnt take enough precautions to guard against leaking from very old foundation walls... they were too optimistic i guess

So i tore down the drywall along the wall that has been leaking and found the following: (1) very wet batting insulation installed right against the foundation wall - no breathing space (possible mold source?) (2) crumbling parging along the wall (3) moist areas where the parging has failed (4) crystalline white powdery substance around the cracks which i assume is efflourescence - I understand this is normal for a foundation this old and (5) metal studs with rust stains near the bottom of the studs and some along the top at screw holes -- and rust inside the bottom "runner" where the metal studs slide into the base to hold them plumb.

A complicating factor: I have the old style leader drains where the leaders go into iron drains next to the house and tie into the sewer line under the house - hoping to abandon those to run roof water to daylight. These could be leaking under the foundation perhaps? However, the problem wall is the high part of the grade on my lot and the yard drainage is poor at best. There is a blue stone patio against this wall on the outside so the pitch is flat at best next to the house. I imagine the water just pouring against the wall down there from the yard.

Also - the prior owners DID install a PVC pipe interior "french"/trench drain system under the slab that goes into a pit with a sump pump. When i have had these leaks along the floor - the sump pump is running but is NOT overwhelmed. The water is certainly coming up from the floor -- but i dont have evidence that the water in my basement is coming through the floor... in fact the evidence tells me that is coming over/through the wall (see rust stain issue above)

Ive attached pictures for people to review and advise.

My questions are:
- how bad is this wall?
- would you recommend an exterior solution (excavate, clean, repair, install waterproof membrane) or
- interior solution (redo trench/french drain system, repair cracks along wall, reparge, etc.)
- or both?

My concern with exterior is (a) age of house -- could weaken the foundation after 90 years of settling (b) cost of exterior work due to patio

Also - any general advice on how to do more investigation?

Thanks all. Much appreciated in advance.

[JacobPM]

WHKid - Glad we can help to answer some of your questions. I'll try to answer them in Series here.
(1) very wet batting insulation installed right against the foundation wall - no breathing space (possible mold source?) (2) crumbling parging along the wall (3) moist areas where the parging has failed (4) crystalline white powdery substance around the cracks which i assume is efflorescence - I understand this is normal for a foundation this old and (5) metal studs with rust stains near the bottom of the studs and some along the top at screw holes -- and rust inside the bottom "runner" where the metal studs slide into the base to hold them plumb.
For "1" - batting without paper is less of a food source for mold, but removing it anyway would be a good idea. 2,3,4 and 5 are all to be expected with a wall this age. However, it's been seen with "young" or newer construction walls as well. Just be glad that they used Metal instead of wood, then you'd really have some problems.

These could be leaking under the foundation perhaps?
Many pipes that run, especially ones that have been there that long might have come into contact with tree roots, or other methods of clogging. I wouldn't rule this out as a possible source. Nor would I rule out water collecting against the foundation in and around the Patio area. If water builds up enough against the foundation it can simply pour over the top of the wall and trickle down - this might explain some of the rust spots at the top of the metal posts - however, moisture can come through any joint, crack or separation in the wall, so it's quite common for issues with rust to appear that far up the wall, even when the joints are the cause of the flooding.

- how bad is this wall?
- would you recommend an exterior solution (excavate, clean, repair, install waterproof membrane) or
- interior solution (redo trench/french drain system, repair cracks along wall, reparge, etc.)
- or both?

The wall is old, the aggregate visually didn't seem to be stired enough - so the openings and cracks that you see in Image 3 could be running vertically on other walls as well. Without doing an in person inspection I can't tell you if the wall is still structurally sound or not.
-Recommend Interior system - why? - The plaster layer is failing and needs to be replace, or not - ether way the wall has some openings that will allow water in anyway you slice it - therefore an interior system would give you better protection options for finishing the basement back up after install. The interior solution would also include a waterproof membrane after patching the walls - repair cracks, then install the vapor barrier over it.
-It also sounds like the pipe may not have been installed properly, or have enough openings to deal with volume under the floor if you're still flooding and the pump isn't being overwhelmed.

Bottom Line: Have a proper Basement Inspection done, highly consider a full interior solution with waterproofing wall vapor barrier, replace the drain, and repair any cracks to limit any moisture coming through.

[whkid]

Thanks for getting back to me. I really appreciate it.

I have a few questions:

1. You mention a vapor barrier. I thought that vapor barriers are for moisture/condensation and not water. Dont you still have a problem if water is coming into the basement interior even though you have a system to catch it? Why isnt an exterior solution recommended to keep the moisture OUT in the first place?
2. This is a finished basement. I assume you would have to tear out all the drywall and possibly restud in areas to make enough clearance for a vapor barrier? how messy/destructive is an installation like the one you recommend on a finished basement area?
3. how is the vapor barrier tied into the drains along the floor?
4. my flooding has only happened 3x in last 2 years - once in Nov/Dec 08 when we had 5 inches of rain in 1 hour, once around Easter this year when we had 3 days of non stop rain, and another time it was seriously raining. Does that tell you anything?

thx again!

[JacobPM]

question 1:
A vapor barrier in this case is a thick, woven poly that lines the walls. It not only deals with moisture and condensation but it strong enough to deal with actual liquid water. So it will do both.

Exterior systems rarely, if ever, have clean outs. They are best installed at the build of the home - this avoids many of the normal complications such as digging up the lawn and potentially causing structural issues. Exterior systems also clog much faster and will eventually fail again due to soil coming into the system. An interior system can be cleaned out, maintained, repaired easily (if necessary) and protects against moisture and liquid water.

Question 2:
Depending on how the studs are installed i can be as simple as removing the base plate or as complex as removing the last 2 feet from the walls. This gives you two advantages. 1-the vapor barrier will be installed correctly and 2- you can replace any rusted studs/base plates as necessary. Once the system is installed you can build again right on top of it.

Question 3:
The Vapor Barrier is connected to the Grate Drain system via use of a product called Flexi-Flange. This flange is attached to the vapor barrier and keeps the concrete from pinching it shut at the floor/wall joint. The gap that forms under the concrete at the bottom of the vapor barrier carries any of the water trapped behind it to the drain directly.

Question 4:
Yes. Yes- It's flooded before and it can happen again; each time it could become worse. Water pouring through the openings and separations can wear out these paths and make room for more water. It could have also been the series of conditions leading up to the flooding, but it doesn't mean that those conditions won't come around again. It's better to protected than not.

There is some basic information about our products that we use on our Pioneer Basement Waterproofing Products Section (http://www.pioneerbasement.com/gratedrain.php) page. It also touches on sump pumps and other things that will be installed at the same time.

If you have any questions at all about how to get an inspection done, call the office directly: 1-800-649-6140 / Even if you're out of our service area, there are contractors all around the US and Canada that we can get you in contact with that also install the same products.

[whkid]

So if I install this vapor barrier, I assume you need yo scrape down the wall to remove big chunks of aggregate and parging that are
Failing- which I would think would require all the walls to come down, and then- how do you deal with sealing cracks that show up in the future behind the vapor barrier??? Do you have yo take the VBarrier down?
Also - I'm in west Hartford, CT. Is that in your service area? Would you come out and discuss options and give an estimate?
Thanks very much for your help
J

[JacobPM]

I've seen our crews do some amazing things, even with the walls hanging from the joists. However, an inspection would be the first step in determining anything.

Ideally, yes, it would be a good idea to remove as much of the loose material off the walls as possible. This keeps the barrier from clogging at odd points.

Depending on what would be required for crack repair, we'd do that and put the vapor barrier over it. Concrete in all forms eventually cracks, but the vapor barrier will take care of any of the moisture or water that comes through. If in the future you want to seal a crack, it's a detailed process, but yes, it can be removed.

I'd suggest calling our office to set up an appointment for a free basement inspection to get you on your way.

[whkid]

I left a vm and email for the office for an inspection.

[JacobPM]

Brilliant. Good Luck!