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    Flowerchild1946's Avatar
    Flowerchild1946 Posts: 17, Reputation: 2
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    #1

    Mar 19, 2007, 10:06 AM
    It doesn't make sense
    Our home was remodeled in 1968, at that tome there was a garage under the house, which we closed off and made into a basement. I have no idea how the drains were done. Now, after all these years our basements has water backing up from the drains ( Not the ones for sewage, thank God. What should be our first step in finding how the drains are run? We have a sump pump but the drains are full and the water is comong from them hope I make a little sense.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
     
    #2

    Mar 19, 2007, 10:30 AM
    Sounds like you mean the foundation drain pipes are your problem, right? I don't think I've got a good picture yet. Your sump should be piped outside where it can drain onto the ground surface. Is this exiting pipe part of your problem? Another question, how was the gargae door opening sealed when you made the garage into a basement?
    Flowerchild1946's Avatar
    Flowerchild1946 Posts: 17, Reputation: 2
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    #3

    Mar 19, 2007, 11:11 AM
    Yes, it's the foundation drain pipes giving us the problems. The sump pump is working fine carrying the water outside, the problem seems to be the drains are so full that before the water reaches the pump it's coming up through the drains, also there is water literally running into the basement from the walls at the floor. The entrance to the old garage was completely torn out and new foundtion built up to house level, I see no water at this end of the basement whatsoever. I feel we have a blockage somewhere but don't know where to start to correct it. There are a couple cracks in our basement floor that have been there for years ,now all of a sudden they are seeping water too.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #4

    Mar 19, 2007, 11:21 AM
    Doesn't sound good. You can't rod out this type of pipe and it does sound like it is failing. As horrible as it may sound you can have an excavator dig a new trench around your home and replace all of the tile with fabric covered PVC. Your original tile was probably terra cotta or glazed tile used 40 years ago. It breaks, crushes and fills with silt over the years.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
    Home Repair & Remodeling Expert
     
    #5

    Mar 19, 2007, 12:29 PM
    There is an improvement you could try. There is a product out there, one name is Beaver Dam, that is a plastic gutter that gets glued to the corner of the wall/floor. It is 1 in. wide and about 4 in. tall. It catches the water before it gets onto the floor and diverts it to your sump pit. I tried googling Beaver Dam and found 15 pages of schools and resorts. I saw another brand at Menard's home store yesterday so I'll try to get you a name. I did the cheapskate route a few years ago and glued a vinyl drip edge to the floor with construction adhesive. It still works but don't know how much longer.

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