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Cracks in basement floor
HALFIRISHMAN	03-26-2008 18:01:42
Member Posts: 13 Joined: 04-26-2007	I have cracks in my basement floor and the water table is very high and water is slowly seeping in. I was just wondering what i should use to fill it. Will polyurethane caulk hold up, or should I inject with epoxy? And if at all possible Id like to do it cheap, is there some magical product out there that meets my criteria, any advice would help thanx 1/2 irish

suntacsys	03-27-2008 06:16:27
Member Posts: 1135 Joined: --	problem's wtr table, not crks,, 1st resolve that then address crks,,, there're mtls that resist hydrostatic pressure to, perhaps, 1 - 2 atmospheres,,, however, the wtr'll just find another ingress,,, your bsmt's a boat's hull - usual least expensive fix includes underfloor pipes, sumps, & pumps. best [the original] 1/2-irish yic-yac

HALFIRISHMAN	03-27-2008 17:43:20
Member Posts: 13 Joined: 04-26-2007	So what do i need to do first? Tear the whole floor up? that wasnt really what i had in mind. I know you gave me some suggetions but which of those do you recommend and where do i start. P.S what did you mean by best (original)1/2 irish yic yac? thanks 1/2 irish

Lindy A.	03-27-2008 19:50:03
Member Posts: 1776 Joined: --	Cracks will have to be thoroughly cleaned out (depending on width with a crack chaser) ... nothing you fill them with will bond securely to gunk/foreign matter. Could fill them with a flexible, waterproof, urethane grout such as Sonniborn NP1 (usually available at commercial Sherwin Williams; some SW are carrying other equally to brands). It comes in a caulking tube for ease in application. Another leading urethane grout is that of Sika-Flex. Concrete is like a hard sponge. Water and vapors under pressure from below will rise as they take the natural path of evaporation. You can seal it off one place, but it will usually find another line of least resistance to enter. Can you alter the lay of the land away from your house to provide water run off away from your slab? Have you considered installing french drain system around the perimeter of your house, with a pump or piping to carry water away? If you have a great deal of water, due to natural high water table or seasonal high amounts of rain in your region, you may need to hire a plumber to install a sump pump (can be the type that only comes on when water has risen to a point that it automatically activates it). If have a walk out style house (1 story on front, 2 story on back/walk out); typically being a house built on a hillside, can you provide a pathway for water to travel around the house (such as a dry creek bed look) that would carry the water around the house without backing up against the bottom story front wall? As for waterproofing the basement itself, the best product I know of, that is applicator friendly, is one that is manufactured by Tamms Industries http://www.tamms.com being their Hey'Di K-11 which is a cement based, crystalline waterproofing product (can be rolled, brush, or sprayed). Low in cost, great results. It is a viable solutions for the waterproofing of below grade/basement floors or walls, effectively doing so from the negative or positive side by a crystallization process. There is a bonding agent that improves adhesion (recommend that it always be used). Hey'Di K-11 protects against hydrostatic water pressure. It is primarily used in basements, tunnels, dams, water reservoirs, sewage and water treatment plants, and other underground structures. Types of substrates it can be successfully be applied on are: concrete, medium and heavy weight concrete block, brick, and shotcrete. I have used this product successfully when the need arises for a great number of years. Lindy A

suntacsys	03-28-2008 14:03:40
Member Posts: 1135 Joined: --	notwithstanding the venerable mz. lindy's recommendations, if it were MY job OR, more importantly, my house, my post stands,,, i've used the mtls she notes incl others which've been spec'd on various tank & tunnel jobs,,, they last'd a yr, evidently, as we never got call'd back to repair 'em,,, having more'n a few yrs in bsmt wtrproofing's been a help in this reply. 5 basic rules of water: 1, it runs downhill; 2, it rushes to fill a void ( try scooping out a hole in a tubful of wtr ); 3, it takes the path of least resistance; 4, it seeks its own level; 5, it usually winds up in basements - especially block wall'd bsmts. my OWN house'd be done no different than i posted. best [the original] 1/2-irish-1/2-hungarian yic-yac

HALFIRISHMAN	03-28-2008 18:44:37
Member Posts: 13 Joined: 04-26-2007	Thank you for your advice. 1/2 irish

webwoman	04-10-2008 09:41:14
Member Posts: 1 Joined: 03-03-2008	Because of lots and lots of rain, our normally dry basement is showing its true self too. Ground for acres around is totally saturated; trees can't suck up any more, not place for it to run to. We have redirected all gutter water from the roof. Next plan is similar to the next paragraph. To keep from tearing up the floor, you can also tile around the house; some have gone to footer depth, then divert potential water through or to French drains. Some years it will never be an issue. We do not get enough to justify a sump, just enough to be irritated, then shamed by the misery of other true water victims.

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