Water Leak in Basement

We have water leaking in the basement. It happened when it rained heavy last couple of times. The leak is from floor-wall joint. It is hard to tell if there is a crack in the wall because of drywall. I pulled the carpet. There is no crack in the floor. There is a clean out door for fireplace ash pit right above (1 foot above) the leak area. I opened the clean out door and saw water dripping in to the ash pit. I ran out in to the yard and noticed that the glutters on either side of the chimney were clogged. I removed the clog. I don't know if I fixed the problem.

1) is getting water in to the ash pit normal?
2) After measuring the hight inside the pit and outside the pit relative to the clean out door, I found that the ground level (including a layer of some burnt coal) is about 2 inches higher in the pit compared to the basement floor level. Do you think I should clean the pit and lower the level so the pit level is lower compared to the basement floor.
3) do you think I have a chimney leak (brick chimney)?
4) do you think I have a crack in the foundation wall?
5) Do you think the water I get in the basement is from the ash pit?

Sorry I have asked too many questions out of frustration. Please help. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Hi,
It sounds like we're taking about a small amount of water here so the simple act of cleaning the gutters has most likely solved your problem. Make sure your downspouts lead away from your house also.

When the leak is at the wall/floor joint it is often an indication that the water level below the floor has reached and started to exceed the floor height. As you have already concluded this is not a good thing, but frequently it is caused by a house lacking gutters, blocked gutters, or downspouts that terminate near the foundation.

Given your description of the situation I'd say its unlikely you have a crack in the foundation wall. It just sounds like groundwater is being forced up under your basement floor which unfortunately is not an uncommon problem. Making sure rainwater drains away from the house is the first , cheapest, and easiest fix to do.

Also, does your chimney have a cap on it? If not when it rains say 2 inches you can generally be assured 2 inches of rain is going to fall down your chimney into the ash pit. Its probably better to install a cap on the chimney as opposed to digging the ash pit deeper as the cap is a permanent solution no matter how much it rains.

-rick

Hi Rick,

Thank you very much for your reply. Yes, we are only talking small amount of water. And also, yes, I do have a chimney cap - the type that closes when you pull the rope from the fireplace. It was in closed position.
Can you comment on the ground level difference in side the pit vs the basement floor. As noted before, the pit level is higher compared to the basement floor. Am I supposed to clean the pit and make the level lower than the basement floor? Any idea why the water in the pit is not going in to the foundation (so the sump pump can take of it)?

I don't think we're talking about the same thing when it comes to chimney caps. I think what you are describing is the damper for the fireplace flue to prevent heat from escaping from the house when the fireplace is not in use. Chimney caps are permanent and non adjustable. They sit on top of the chimney and are either made of stone or metal. They are solid on top so rain can't fall down, but are open around the sides to let out the smoke. Because of the way brick chimneys with fireplaces are built its unlikely rain will ever fall into your fireplace, but it can continue down the flu into the ash pit.

>>Can you comment on the ground level difference in side the pit vs the basement floor.
It is not unusual for the ash pit to be higher (or lower) than the basement floor because it is not poured as part of the basement floor, but as part of the footings under the basement walls. The ash pit floor is really just the footing for your chimney.

>>Any idea why the water in the pit is not going in to the foundation (so the sump pump can take of it)?
Sump pumps are good at keeping the overall water table lower than your basement floor. The do keep you from suddenly finding 5 inches of water in your basement. They aren't as useful when your problem is water running down against your foundation. The water is going to find the easiest way in which often times is under the footing and up through the floor, not all the way over to where the pump is.

Again make sure your gutters are clear and that surface water is running away from your house not toward it. Hopefully this is all you will need to do. If this doesn't solve the problem and you still have water in the ash pit I would look into getting a chimney inspected and a cap installed on it.

-rick

Hi Rick,

You are absolutely correct. What I described is actually damper. I used to have damper in the fireplace itself but it has gotten old and rusted. Since I was getting cold drafts, I went for the damper that sits on top of the chimney.

One more thing Rick... I am not a heavy user of fireplace but in last winter I wanted to please a guest and fired it up. I had ofcourse opened the damper. But I started getting smoke in side the room. In about 10 minutes we almost got fumigated. It was a sub zero outside but very very windy. I then thought it is because of the wind that I started to get smoke in the room. I then removed the burning wood (it is a brand name one that you buy in wal-mart) and threw it in the patio. I then yelled at my self for doing it. I almost made a fire accident (remeber I told you how windy it was!). In any case my idea of firing up the fireplace that day was a bad idea.

Even with the damper on chimney I still get cold draft, so what I have been doing is, I stuff the bottom of the flu with pillows. This is where my previous damper used to be.

Do you make any connection between the some coming in to the house, cold drafts and the recent water in ash pit?

I would really really appreciate your in sight.

Thank you!

Yes, the wind is the reason your chimney would not draft correctly. I have the same problem with my fireplace. I don't think that it is an indication of any type of problem, just be prepared for the possibility your chimney may not draw well when its windy. Sometimes opening a door or window near the fireplace helps create the draft needed to get the smoke going up the chimney until the chimney warms up.

The cold draft is at least partially caused by the fact your damper is on top of your chimney. Heat rises. And so its going to rise up your chimney until it runs into the damper. As the heat rises it forces the cold air back down and out and creates your draft. I don't really think this is a problem either. Just keep doing what you have been.

I don't think either of these things really explain the water.

Hi Rick,

I got the fireplace and chimney inspected yesterday. They did not find any problem with the chimney that would have cuased a leak in the ash pit.

I also had a foundation guy checked the basement yesterday. I don't think I have mentioned this to you before. My fireplace/chimney/ash pit is situated in between two window wells. The window wells are only about 4 feet away on each side. This foundation gut first suspected a crack close to the window well. He looked real close outside but did not find any crack.

As mentioned before my sump pump is in working condition. Do you think it is necessary to get the drain tile checked? My thinking is what if the drain tile in the area where I have the leak is clogged or broken?

As always, I truely appreciate you comment on this.

Window wells are a whole different problem. If they are protected by the overhang of your roof your ok, but if they are not they should either have their own drain or a plastic cover. The plastic covers aren't too attractive, but I have seen more than one flooded basement because there was a heavy rain and the window well filled with water.

Anyway, as for the drainage tiles; As a rule drainage tiles around the perimeter of a house will almost always clog eventually. The two reasons for this are builders do a lousy job installing them. They slope them poorly, they backfill with dirt instead of sand, the drop rock on them and crush them, etc. The second is even when installed perfectly sand and dirt filter in over time and clog them.

If you know your drainage tiles end in your sump pit you could potentially have them checked out. You could try backwashing them yourself with a garden hose or you could have someone send a waterproof infrared camera up through them to check on the condition of them. I would not dig up the ground around the outside of the chimney unless the situation gets worse.

I had a basement waterproofing guy come in and inspect the leak. He did a hose test by leaving the water in the perimeter by the chimney. There was no leak in the ash pit or the basement. He is telling me to bust the drywall and then call him again.

I didn't ask him why he did not fill water in the ash pit. He focussed on getting water in to ash pit from outside all the time. Do you think it is necessary to do this test? Or is it assumed that if there is excess water in the ash pit some how it will seep through the cove?

I am also suspecting clogged drain tile. I have drain pipes in my window wells. Do you think they are connected to the sump pit. I got 6 window wells. If I leave water in these pipes one by one, is the water expected to show up in the sump pit? If that is the case, can we assume that the foundation drain tile system is in good working order and I don't have to worry about busting my basement floor?

>>I had a basement waterproofing guy come in and inspect the leak. He did a hose test by leaving the water in the perimeter by the chimney. There was no leak in the ash pit or the basement. He is telling me to bust the drywall and then call him again.
Water that gets into your ash pit is most likely going to end up in your basement and once that happens there probably isn't much you can do about it. The waterproofing guy is checking for exterior leaks into the ash pit which could be fixed.

>>I am also suspecting clogged drain tile. I have drain pipes in my window wells. Do you think they are connected to the sump pit.

If I was the builder I would try to run them downhill and out to daylight someplace first. This way there is less risk of basement flooding. Failing that I would tie them into the sump pit. Stick a garden hose down one for a half hour and see what happens.

>>If that is the case, can we assume that the foundation drain tile system is in good working order and I don't have to worry about busting my basement floor?
The window wells might be connected with your exterior footing drains but I doubt they are connected with any under floor drainage. Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure.

Since the waterproffing guy did not find any leaks in the foundation from his leak test and all the chimney guys said they did not find any thing wrong with the chimney, I am thinking it will be a wasted effort removing the dry wall. I want to put my carpet back and closely continue watching ash pit. I think the problem was fixed when I cleaned my gutters.

What is your opinion on this approach, Rick?

Also, there is about 3 inch wide mold (samw width as the baseboard trim) on the bottom of the drywall where water leaked. I did not clean the mold yet because I wanted to investigate the leak first. Noe want to do some thing about it. This mold is along the bottom of the wall, about 10 feet long. Is it ok just to clean the mold (Using Tilex mold root remover or some such thing before putting the pad and carpet in its place?

i run into this article that might be of help: Repair that Basement Water Leak
Cheers

I don't mean to state the obvious, but you may just need a better slope of dirt around the outside of your house. That is usually the first thing that water proofers look for. Also, I had a similar problem a few years back. I thought my sump pump was working fine, but it was actually getting old and losing power. I put in a new one, extended the down spouts, and made a better slope of dirt. It fixed the problem of water leaking in at the joint of the wall and floor (called hydrostatic pressure?).

There are many causes of foundation leaks. Some repairs can be extremely expensive, some can be quick and cheap. It makes sense to try the cheap-and-easy repairs first, to see if they work, before digging into the heavy stuff.

Basement leak remedies can take two basic forms:

1. Keeping water away from the foundation.
2. Ensuring a water-tight seal all around the foundation.