If you're having problems with a damp basement, there's something you can do about it. You should start with the obvious and check your grading and your gutters.
Let's start with grading. If your yard slopes toward your house, you might have a problem. Modern building codes require that the land slope away for proper drainage, but some older homes might not meet those specifications. Another possibility might be a change in grade due to landscaping. In any event, if the ground slopes toward your house, you need to fix it. Check with your local building inspector to determine slope requirements.
Another common cause for wet basements is improper guttering. Your gutters are designed to direct rain runoff away from your house. If they're full of leaves, they can't do their jobs. The downspouts are just as important. At the very least, you should have a splash block under each downspout to route water away from the base of your house. A better solution is to attach plastic drain conduit to each downspout to carry the runoff even farther away.
If your grading and gutters are okay, the water is probably coming from underneath your home. In new construction, the crushed stone bed beneath the home is generally sufficient to keep the slab or floor dry. If the water table rises too high, however, any basement could get damp or wet. If that's the case at your house, you probably need a sump pump (
figure A). Sump pumps are placed in pits dug into the lowest part of the basement or crawlspace floor. As groundwater fills the pit it activates the pump, which forces the water out of the house through a drainage pipe.
If a sump pump is called for, you might want to have a contractor install it; however, that can be expensive. According to the
House Doctor, Ron Hazelton, if you want to save money (and don't mind getting a little dirty), you can install one yourself for around $200.
* Sump pumps tend to use a lot of power. Most manufacturers recommend using a GFCI outlet and a circuit dedicated exclusively to the pump. If you're uncomfortable installing a new circuit, contact a licensed electrician.
Materials:
sump pump
sledgehammer
post hole digger
pre-mixed concrete
gravel or crushed stone
drill, with drill bits and hole saw
5-gallon bucket or 12"-diameter corrugated drain pipe
filter fabric
PVC pipe and connectors
PVC primer and cement
hacksaw
wrench
Teflon tape
check valve
measuring tape
safety glasses
work gloves
Steps:
- Start by removing any concrete from the area where you plan to install the pump. The pit should be about 24 inches in diameter.
- Dig a sump pit using a post hole digger. The pit should be about 24 inches deep.
- Create a pit liner by drilling several holes into a 5-gallon bucket or a large piece of corrugated drain material (figure B). Then wrap the liner with filter fabric (figure C), which prevents debris from going through the holes.
- Pour about two inches of crushed rock into the pit. Then drop your liner into the pit (figure D). The lip of the liner should be flush with the floor; if it's too low or too high, add or remove crushed rock as needed.
- Next, use more crushed rock to back-fill the gap between the liner and the edge of the sump pit.
- Seal the gap with concrete (figure E).
- While the concrete is drying, you can prepare your pump. Wrap Teflon tape around the threads of the PVC pipe connector, and hand-tighten it to the pump.
- Route PVC pipes to the most convenient location for draining outside the house.
- Place the pump in the pit, and connect the PVC pipe connector to your new PVC drainage system. Make sure it can be removed easily in case you need to service the pump.
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