Basement on a high water table level

Living in Woodstock, NY. House is on a high water table level. Cracks appearing all over basement floor water coming thru in Spring thaw and heavy rains.
Also, wet walls.

Suggestions, other than moving are appreciated.

Asked by patricia mcelroy
Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 11:05

Tags: GBA Pro help

1.

Patricia,
Here's some basic information to get you started:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/green-basics/foundation-drains-0

Answered by Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor
Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 12:09

2.

We had that same problem on a house we built - unfortunately is was not a very cheap fix - we essentially had to get an underground rainwater harvesting tank - a few thounsand gallons I believe and had to put a heavy duty pump on it to pump the water up to the street - none of our foundation drains cold be run to daylight due to the elevation of the lot and the surrounding lots. To be safe we hooked the pump up to a backup generator that ran on natural gas and also had a battery backup. Turned out to be very expensive - so far we have been lucky and have not had any problems but I would recommend hiring a civil engineer to size the tank, pump and discrage pipe.

Answered by Danny Kelly
Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 22:09

3.

Hi Patricia,
You might want to read this too:
Water Management

Dan

Answered by Daniel Morrison, GBA Advisor
Posted Mon, 02/01/2010 - 23:04

4.

Depending on the topography and hydrology of the site, the least expensive option might be to dig a French drain in a location which will allow the effective dewatering of the ground around and under the basement.

I would start, however, with a hydrological or soil engineer to determine the source of the ground water and the best strategy for intercepting it.

Answered by Riversong
Posted Tue, 02/02/2010 - 00:36