[carl morgan]

Basement is 10 feet below ground level. A strait step down incline walkway slopes from outside ground level to basement double doors
Six feet in front of the basement doors is a drain installed 2 inches below the basement slab, so water runs down the incline and enters the drain before it reaches the basement doors. The problem is when debris clogs this outside drain, water flows into the basement. Once the water has entered the basement, instead of continuing in a straight line to the drain in the middle of the basement, it turns left and goes into the spare bedroom. This happens because the slab is uneven. What material can I use to build up a "V" starting at the basement double doors so water will flow to the inside the basement drain?

[creahands]

Change outside drain to a trough drain. They come in sizes starting at about 1''. This will give u more area to receive water and is less likely to get clogged by leaves.

Chuck

[carl morgan]

I didn't describe the outside drain.it is a trouth type drain that stretches across the outside incline. In the middle of this trouth, is a 3 inch opening that connects to a 4 inch pipe which runs 60 feet over the hill. Debris clogs the trouth and the 3 inch opening. I will try to build a removable debris catch before the trouth drain. I found a company in Texas that makes Patchcrete(the same company that makes flocrete, which I read about on this site). You can build up Patchcrete to 2 inches, and it is impervious to water. I'll probably use that inside the basement to channel water to the basement slab drain.

[jefferson17]

Certainly if you can implement a system to prevent the drain from clogging that would be great. But let's take your request at face value.

You would need to thoroughly clean the slab using either a strong solution of TSP or muriatic acid. The former is preferred as the latter smells BAD and the fumes can be quite dangerous and it's hard to provide good venting in a basement.

After cleaning the surface, coat the areas that you wish to build up with some kind of applicable latex primer or paint-on waterproofing (concrete won't stick to concrete). Then you can put down some metal lathe and a dry mix of mud (portland cement mix, etc). It can be readily formed, packed-down and form whatever shape you want. Wear a mask when mixing the stuff up - you don't want any powder to get into your lungs. Moisten the surface down well each day for 14 days for maximum compression strength.

Good luck!

[speedball1]

Six feet in front of the basement doors is a drain installed 2 inches below the basement slab,

Since you have 2" to play with why not simply cut a grove in the slab leading to the drain? Back to you, n Tom

[carl morgan]

Thanks for the suggestions. I used the primer on the slab, then applied the patchcrete for build two 1.5 x 1.5 inch dams starting at the basement double doors. These dams form a "V" and angle toward the inside drain located 15 feet from the doors. So now the water flows toward the drain instead of turning into the bedroom. The only drawback to this solution is whenever I have to move something from the bedroom, the concrete dam is an obstacle.

[jefferson17]

Thanx for the suggestions. I used the primer on the slab, then applied the patchcrete fo build two 1.5 x 1.5 inch dams starting at the basement double doors. These dams form a "V" and angle toward the inside drain located 15 feet from the doors. So now the water flows toward the drain instead of turning into the bedroom. The only drawback to this solution is whenever i have to move something from the bedroom, the concrete dam is an obstacle.

Well... there is the "workaround" and then there is the perfect solution. The best thing is preventing the water from getting in. Aside from leaves, any decent trench drain should NOT clog easily. Not at all. But... since they are usually set in concrete, that can be a real pain and expense to fix or replace.

Unless you really want to go nuts and cut into your foundation and install a pipe to a new trench drain near that door to re-route the water (I wouldn't wish to do that and wouldn't want to recommend anything that could violate the integrity of your foundation)...

Then the best solution, IMO, is still potentially pricey. You could use SLC to level out the surface (first clean and prime it, etc). Then you could FEATHER a second thin layer of SLC on top of that (still need primer to make it stick), to just barely pitch the floor toward the basement drain).

But... SLC isn't cheap - it's like $30-35 a bag. Usually you can only go up to 1/2" in depth. But this differs by brand. I never have needed to use slc any deeper than this, as I use it to encase radiant heating (like a charm).

If you do this right, the floor would seem very level to the eyes and feet. But it would have a very slight slope where you WANT it to be. Short of "stopping the water from coming in" - if you want a REALLY good solution then this is it but... there are costs associated.

I'm guessing that you don't necessarily live in this house, or it wouldn't be all that tricky to check for clogs here and there. You may also wish to consider some kind of moisture alarm, so that you have an early heads-up when that outside drain isn't doing it's job anymore.

Best of luck!