Foundation leaking

[mrhtbd]

It appears the previous owner had an addition put on and the contractor used inferior block for the walls. Now they are allowing water to seep in. I am going to have to dig around the outside and seal the wall. I know it's a tough job but, you know, it gots to be done.
Anyway, anyone know what kind of sealer works good?
Use any other kinds of cover? Any tips? Thanks

 

[HugelyGifted]

did you narrow down where the leak is coming from? is the entire wall leaking? your planning on diggin out around the foundation by hand? if your going to seal an entire basement wall from the outside your looking at digging down about 8-10 feet...the entire length of the wall...your gonna need a backhoe to do this job right. your definately not gonna want to shovel this by hand, unless you really are out of your fucking mind! LOL. your best bet might be to hire a contractor. my cousin worked for several years for a company waterproofing basements, and depending on the kind of leak, MOST can be fixed from the inside. post up some more details and i can ask him.

 

[mrhtbd]

The addition has a crawl space below it with a concrete surface. There's about four feet between the concrete and the bottom of the floor joists. The addition is 30' by 12'. The front end wall is wet about three feet up. There is a small pool on the concrete (about 6'x6'). The long wall is wet along the bottom (about 1' up).
The other end wall has a split between the course of block. The split is about 5' long. Water is coming in there, along with dirt and ants. There is a small pool near there on the concrete (about 4'x4'). I know I will have to cut out the grout and redo it on the inside of that wall.
On the outside corners of the long wall are two downspouts. They only protruded out from the house about 3'. There was Boston Ivy along two walls. I tore it all out this weekend.
Also, the sump pump drain exited the house about three feet and was actually turned up four inches from the exit point? There was a tree there and they put the pipe in over a root.
I hacked through the roots and dug a trench away from the house this weekend. I put the end of the sump hose into a 10' piece of 6" plastic pipe and laid it in the trench to direct the water away from the house. I will also connect the downspout to this as well.
The other corner, I dug a trench and used another 10' piece of PVC to direct that spout away from the house as well. There is a slope on that side of the house and the water won't drain back.
I at least have to dig down four feet at the back 12' wall, re-grout the course between the block and water seal that side.
I don't see how they can get a back hoe along the long side of the house, it is steeply sloped and there is a full grown oak tree ten feet from the side.
Thanks for listening. Any tips are welcome.

 

[HugelyGifted]

if its tight they would probably use a small track hoe, or a bobcat or skid steer loader with a hoe on the front. it would hopefully be able to get in there and save you from all that manual digging. sounds like the downspout and piping to your pump could have been a major factor in the problem.

ill run this by my cousin and see what he has to say..any suggestions etc.

 

[gilly6993]

get a professional to do it if you can....

 

[HugelyGifted]

he told me that the poor drainage could be a major contributor to the problem. if too much water was seeping back into the drainage bed around the foundation. but if the wall is cracked it will more than likely need to be fixed. depending on how large the crack is it should be able to be fixed from the inside. he said to use a product called "mor flexx". it is in a tube and you apply with a caulking gun. its a mortar and stucco sealant. should be able to find it at Lowes, Home Depot, or most hardware stores. its a grainular, yet flexible sealant that will seal the crack and still flex if the wall expands, contracts, or moves in any way, avoiding a recrack. he said go down when its dry if possible, and wire brush the crack to remove any loose debris etc. and go over it with a shop vac if possible. make sure you get any dirt or loose mortar etc out. then apply the sealant as directed on the tube. this should fix up your problem. if its more involved, he suggests calling a professional, esp if it needs sealed from outside. just his advice. hope it helps. if you need more help, pm me and i can ask him if he can recommend anyone in your area. not sure if he might know someone. hope this helps boss.