basement puddling during winter warm-ups

[pseigman]

Hi,
We're having a problem with puddling in our basement. Our house was built in 1978 and we've lived here 2 years now. It has happened both winters - usually on warmer days (after a freeze - live in Northern Virginia). The water seaps between the basement floor and the wallboard.

We thought it was a water table issue or a drainage issue outside of the house, so we replaced our drainpipes with non-aerated ones and corrected the grading along the side of the house (for under $500). This did not resolve the problem.

I cut through the wallboard today and found that the kitchen drainpipe goes down through the floor in the same vicinity. There is a lot of mold there as well. I haven't isolated the problem but I'm thinking maybe the sewage pipe freezes and then the thawing may somehow be causing a problem.

Any thoughts on this matter on the best course of action or who the best person to call would be extremely helpful.

Thanks,
Pete

[Plumber2000]

Hi Pete,

If you run water in the drain for a long period of time, can you see seepage around that pipe.

[pseigman]

You're exactly right! While running the water in the kitchen sink, there is a lot of dripping coming into the basement outside of the pvc pipe (somewhere further up within the wall).

[Plumber2000]

You need to find this spot and fix it. Once you find it, cut out bad spot and replace with new pipe and fittings.