Basement Leak from small hole in concrete foundation floor.

[bjferri]

1937 home has a small hole, perhaps the size of a nickel and approx 2 feet from wall, in the concrete floor.

Extremely heavy rain pushes clay up through the hole, not a lot, but creates a mess nonetheless.

What can I do?

If I plug it will this cause fractures in basement floor caused by stress?

[jadnashua]

I doubt it would cause the floor to fracture, but who knows...I'd probably dig, clean it out at least 4-5" deep and then consider using some hydraulic cement to plug it. To hold, it would need to be slightly rough and it would be good if it was flared some, so it would be like a tapered plug, with the smaller part at the top. Hydraulic cement sets up VERY quickly, and expands slightly when curing, so it makes a good thing to create a plug with.

To help minimize the problem, make sure that the landscaping around the house slopes away from the foundation for at least 10' and that any gutters discharge away from the house and that water doesn't pool next to the foundation. If you don't have gutters, you may want to consider adding some.

[bjferri]

Makes perfect sense to me - thanks for those tips. I'll look for the hydraulic cement.

[Gary Swart]

This comes in 1 quart size cans. I believe the name is "Water Plug". It will stop water even if it is currently leaking. Not hard to use, but as previously stated, it sets up very quickly. Just mix what you can use in a couple of minutes, the mix another batch. Once it sets up, it will never leak. Wear rubber gloves as there is mucho lime in the mix and it will burn your hands. Directions and cautions are on the label, just follow them and you'll be fine.

[Jerome2877]

Thats like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound! You need to figure out why there is water there and address it, not just seal the hole. Do you have perimeter drains and are they clear as well as the lateral out to the street? A camera inspection would be the best start. As Jim said directing the rain leaders out away from the house would lessen the volume of water during heavy rains.