Water entry and capillary action
JLopez
| Posted in General Questions on
Any advice would be appreciated . Had a wireless internet line installed and buried next to my foundation , well it was placed on the ground because its path was not completly covered with dirt . We had some rain and water made its way under my foundation . I know because my tile floor started bulging with the rain . Slab foundation climate 2 . What can I do to stop water making its way under my foundation? I can pack dirt tightly or should I add cement to the dirt like a slurry mix ?
I did pack dirt and I got capillary action.
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Your pic doesn't seem to come through.
It would be unusual for a shallow buried cable to cause a significant problem with water getting into your foundation. Residential service drops for telecom services are usually buried by hand about one shovel depth down (maybe 6" or so at most). I would first check if the "trench" is making a depression on the surface that is channeling water towards your home from further out. Ideally you want the ground to slope away from your foundation so that water runs away from the house, not towards it.
Bill
It sounds unusual but there’s something going on .That’s the only “change “ . It could be that there is a depression going under . I moved some of the dead grass right under the box and found some low spots . I am adding dirt to see if it will help . . I’m tempted to add cement to make it harder
I resent pic I hope it shows
I'd be reluctant to try to pin the water issue on the buried cable. What MIGHT be going on though is that the anchors securing the vertical conduit to the brick might have fractured a brick, making it easier for moisture to go inside. Your pic isn't big enough or high enough resolution to be able to see enough detail to check for damage to the wall.
I would inspect the brick and look for signs of damage in the area of that cable. I would also very carefully excavate around the cable with a trowel and see if you can see signs of excessive water in that immediate area (saturated soil, etc.). If it seems the same as undisturbed nearby soil, then the water is probably coming in elsewhere.
One other thing to check: see if any downspouts have come loose. Sometimes the install techs trip on or bump into downspouts and knock things loose. If any of those is loose and leaking, it could be dumping a lot of water from your gutters up near the house. I've seen that happen before.
Bill