Basement Seepage

I had the same problem and thought it was a gutter issue then I thought it was a landscape issue too. I ended up having PermaSeal come out and they fixed it. They were fantastic!!! It was money WELL spent!!!! And they didn't rip me off either. I am a very cost conscious person, i was money well spent. Everytime it rains(which seems to be a lot this year)I am so thankful for PermaSeal.

Hi S.,
My brother is a builder and I worked for him for 12 years prior to having my children. There are many possible reasons for your water issues. First and foremost, you want water to run away from your house. It sounds like your yard may not have been graded properly. You need to look at your gutters and downspouts and make sure downspouts are long enough to carry the water away from your house. Your window well drains may need to be cleaned as well and I had covers put on mine to keep debris out. We've had so much rain, that if one or all of these issues were not done properly, the water will find a way into your basement as it did. You will need to have someone look at your inside basement wall as well. I used ABD Waterproofing in Glen Ellyn. He uses epoxy to fix cracks and this is the best method. I would look at all the things I mentioned. You need someone reliable to evaluate your yard. I'm not sure where you live, but maybe you can ask around. I would start with the yard, but all issues need to be looked at. We had this problem at our previous home. We fixed everything and our basement stayed dry. It's all fixable, but unfortately it's going to cost some money to have the grading and inside foundation repaired. The rest you should be able to do yourself. Good luck!

Got to WGN.com website, they advertise a place called permaseal...they seal the walls, floor of basement to stop leaking. I have only heard ads, never used them. But hear good things.

I am pretty sure my husband can help you.

He has his own company. He is with the BBB and is with the Concierge department with Coldwell Banker....He also works with Done Right with the Chicago Tribune. He has done this type of work for many years and has an excellent reputation of doing good work and giving good prices.
He truly gives the satisfaction that he truly does desire to help. He gives free estimates....and if you would call him and tell him your problem over the phone he will tell you what you need done. Oh, and by the way...before this he worked for the city doing the sewer and water systems. He's done part of the Dan Ryan...and has done new homes and so much more.

Establishing Firm Foundations Waterproofing.
# ###-###-#### Robert Garcia

Hi S.,

We am in the process of a home renovation, and I think we have solved all of our seepage problems that plagued us since we moved in 25 years ago. One was a chimney issue. We took off the chimney and found rotten wood all behind it. It had been leaking into our house for years - in spots not near the chimney. Also, our sidewalks in the back were tilted toward the house causing seepage. In another place, it was a gutter issue. We live on a hill, so drainage is a big issue. We had to get an engineer to do a site plan before we could do our renovation, and we have hired a landscaper to implement the site plan. At one time, we did have the outside walls sealed and that did help in one area. I think it usually involves multiple issues. We are getting a good test with all the rain we've been having. Good luck with finding a solution. If you live in the western suburbs, I will be happy to refer you to the engineer and landscaper we are using if you need one.

We used Allied Concrete in Plainfield and were very pleased.

Hi S.;

We have hired Permaseal to take care of seepage at both of our homes and they are professional and have done two excellent jobs.

Good luck!

there may be acrack in the foundation. you can check with a company that seals basements with seepage . i have that same type of problem. it may be costly. but i am on fixed income so i've bought a heavy duty shop/vac.

It does sound like you have some grading issues with the landscaping, and that's likely one thing that will help this situation. Water needs to flow away from your property...you can lower the dirt level of the ground to help with this. Many times in this situation a sidewalk sloping away from the property can also be poured so that you have concrete butting up to concrete instead of dirt to concrete.

Secondly, it sounds like you have some foundation issues that need to be addressed. There are breaches somewhere in that east wall that need to be sealed. When the water table in the ground becomes too high, the ground is so saturated that it can't absorb anymore water. So it will find its way into any tiny cracks you might have in the concrete.

If you want a referral in the city, I have used QuickStop waterproofing. It's a family business and they do a great job. I've always worked with one of the sons, Gus, and he recently just opened his own branch of the business. His number is ###-###-####.

Good luck!

I have a guy who gives free estimates that may be able to help you. Hes awesome. I had a simular situation and he fixed it. His name is Mike and his number is ###-###-####. He does weekend appointments. Very Helpful!

It might be a grading issues with the landscaping. It might also be that you don't have a sump pump that is able to keep up with the water hitting the foundation.

First thing I'd do is get a bigger sump and see if that doesn't help. We were having some serious seepage issues and a bigger sump seems to have resolved most of them. Also check to see where your current sump is dumping the extra water. Is it to the east side of the property?

I don't trust contractors. They are more interested in making money than in actually helping you. I'd do some research and see if you can figure out what the problem is on your own, and then, call in someone to help if you can't manage it alone. I know the city of Wheaton has a water specialist. You could call and see if they'd discuss drainage issues in your yard with you? We had a guy come out because our backyard --the easement area --turns into a lake in the winter after thaws.

It is a combination of issues. First make sure you have the downspouts end at least 5 feet away from your property. This will keep the water from just going right back to your foundation. You may want to get rain barrels for that side of the house, that will catch lots of the water that comes off the roof, and later you can use it to water plants or trees or what have you.

Second you need to make sure that the ground slopes AWAY from the house. You can also dig up the whole side and install a system of drainage - you layer rocks on the bottom with sand. We looked into doing this but burying our sump pump so it went directly into the sewer system took care of the majority of our issues.

We still had swampy areas on the sides of our yard so this year I planted native plants. The roots of native plants soak up the water better. Their roots go down 12 FEET instead of a few inches so they soak up the extra and store it for when there is no water. Basically you would have nature helping you with the extra water and soaking it up so it doesn't go towards your foundation.

We had this problem with our house and that is how I learned all this.

Hi S.,

I had the same problem with my old house, and as one of the other moms stated she used Permaseal. I also did and my basement was dry from then on. ( My parents also used them) They come in and look at everything and then give you your options. I was completely statisfied with them. My parents also have not had any trouble with their basement.

Good Luck,

D.

I think that landscaping should help. Have you called someone to look at your seepage? It may be hydrostatic pressure because of the flooding in back. You can always ask a landscaper some will specialize in regrading. If you still have problems after regrading, the Crack Team does a good job and seem to be very honest and they guarantee their work. They told us about our hydrostatic pressure which was due to location of the sump pump line. Our landscaper re-routed and buried our line and it seems to have worked. Good luck.

same problem but my fiancee build houses, so first bring in some dirt and and pack it along the wall outside of house up high, then you can buy this tar like stuff paint it on your basement walls and it seals it

Permaseal will come out and give a free estimate. I used them and haven't had any problems since.