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    kutra's Avatar
    kutra Posts: 117, Reputation: 1
    Junior Member
    		  
    #1

    Feb 23, 2010, 01:56 PM
    Minor basement leak due to melting snow.
    *Sorry for the repost, but I posted this question earlier in an incorrect forum*

    Hi:

    There are a few trickles of water coming into my unfinished basement because of the huge Mid-Atlantic snow storms that we have had. The water is coming in from the upper corner where the ceiling meets the wall that faces the outside. It is happening for the first time, and my guess is that it is because of the unchatracteristic amount of snow that's now melting.

    Is fixing this leak from the inside of the basement an option? I have heard of polyurethane foams (available in Home Depot) that can actually be used even if the water is trickling through the cracks. Is this something that a novice like myself can do? Or is there anything else that you can suggest?

    Please advise.

    Thanks,
    K
    tickle's Avatar
    tickle Posts: 23,796, Reputation: 2674
    Expert
    		  
    #2

    Feb 23, 2010, 02:09 PM

    I am considering this:QUIKRETEŽ Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement as an alternative to anything else I have heard of using. I have the same problem as you. I believe you can ask about it at Home Depot. I believe a lot easier then using foams. You can read about in Google.

    Tick
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
    Uber Member
    		  
    #3

    Feb 23, 2010, 03:27 PM

    What your probably experiencing is "ice dams". The gutter is not able to free flow and ice is causing the water to go under the shingles at the edge.

    The short-term fix is get the snow off the edge of the roof. I did that with the 3' of snow we had. The gutters still have lots of leaves in them, but were frozen solid.

    The cure is to install Ice and water shield for the first few feet of the edge of the roof. I would have to look up what the distance is. The recommend a distance from the inner wall projected to the roof. A projected horizontal distance from there to the top of the roof.

    This is basically self-adhesive HEAVY roofing paper. Installing a drip edge also helps.

    I did this a few years ago for a portion of a porch roof. Removing 4 courses of shingles, patching the shingles and re-installing wasn't fun. I also replaced about 2' of the roof sheathing and installed a drip edge.

    The damage to the drywall on the ceiling hasn't been addressed yet.
    kutra's Avatar
    kutra Posts: 117, Reputation: 1
    Junior Member
    		  
    #4

    Feb 23, 2010, 03:57 PM

    KISS:

    So what you are saying is that fixing it from the inside won't work? For the novice that I am, going up the roof is out of question for me!

    Regards,
    K
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