Leak From My 100 + Year Old Basement Walls

Ed the Roofer

I have photos, but the first one I tried to download was too big in size.

How do I compress the image to be able to upload it from my photo files?

Okay,

My old house dates from circa 1880, per a photo I saw of it in a historical photo album from Dundee Illinois. It is titled in the county office as being from 1906 though, just to give you an age perspective.

It is the old field stone and mortar?, if it actually is mortar. There is no sump pump in the basement, so it always had a small amount of water seepage, but it never seemed significant before this year on 2 occasions.

The mortar is more like loose sand at this point, meaning, if I rub my fingers across the surface, it comes off right away from the surface only.

The 2 times it leaked and puddled up more than usual:

1) Two weeks ago, the tenants kid from upstairs unit left garden hose on for 3 days consecutively and saturated the ground and the floor filled up with water covering slightly more than 50 % of the floor, but only less than 1 to 1 1/2" deep at the low point.

2) This past Saturday, from what I was told, it rained very very hard for a short time of about 2 hours. I am sure the ground still was minorly saturated from the incident 2 weeks prior with the garden hose left on.

So, when the mortar like substance is a loose sand interior surface, can this be sealed and hardened?

Is some sort of interior "Tuck-Pointing" required?

What is the best type of masonry sealer to "paint" over the interior walls to prohibit moisture from entering?

OR: Is this something that needs to be attended from an outside of the foundation point of view for repairs?

The downstairs tenant gets overly uptight about everything, so I want to find an effective low cost solution.

I will try to see what information is on this board about downloading a photo to add for a later post to make a better visual reference later o.

Thank You,

Ed

ProWallGuy

Ed, you need to use some photo editing software to resize your photos. Most pc's come with some sort or another already installed.

Or, you can register (for free) at photobucket.com, upload your picture, then use their resize tool to make it fit a message board. Then hotlink the photo into your post.

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Ed the Roofer

Thanks PWG.

I was going to check out your old sticky post on how to attach a photo, but I was doing it correctly, except for the size restriction.

My wife can do the photo bucket thing or my secretary later on today.

Ed

Tscarborough

Ed, on a house of that age, the mortar is most likely a lime mortar, not a portland type. To repair it, you should use the lime mortar. If you use a portland mortar, or seal the inside surface of the wall in any other way, you will make the problem worse to the point of failure of the wall. Sealing the interior will cause water to stay in the wall causing rapid deterioration of the remaining mortar and possibly the stone.

Properly mixed and applied lime mortars are positive-side water tight, but do allow the wall to breathe. You may have to do some drainage system work around the foundation in addition to repairing the basement wall.

Photos help!

Woz the Painter

It sounds like seepage and you most likely will have to install some type of exterior drainage and or sump pumps. There are a number of paints, sealers, waterproofing coatings that can be used, but most will probably fail if the drainage issue is not corrected.

Ed the Roofer

Since this is the first time in the 25 years that I owned the house that it leaked this substantially, I am thinking that the severe ground saturation from the little kid of the tenant, who left the garden hose on for 3 consecutive days caused this seepage.

If, after the ground saturation dries out to a normal water table level, would an interior wall coating be an adequate temporary corrective measure.

I realize about the wall saturation potentially creating additional deterioration, but I think this just occurred due to the constant barage of water left unchecked for 3 + continuous days right next to the foundation.

I will check and look for additional seepage from the next minor and moderate rains to be sure. They are calling for some for the next 2-3 days.

Ed

jvcstone

Ed. I think you are right about the ground becoming saturated. Only explaination for something like that to happen after your 25 years and all that other time. T scar is right about the lime mortar thing--was common back then, and it is why so many old (read ancient) stone building still stand. The lime mortar flexes and moves as the stone does instead of cracking or damaging stone like portland mortars do.

Somewhere on here is a link to mortar classifications and their intended uses.

JVC

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John VanCamp
www.jvcstoneworks.com

Tscarborough

No Ed, if you waterproof the interior of that wall, you are ensuring it's rapid demise. The combination of age and the water hose has caused a temporary issue and a notice of maintenance due. Do not "fix it" into a terminal problem.

A quick repoint with lime mortar is easy, effective and will ensure the wall lasts another hundred years.

Dik Redi

here is me`2 cents,,, lime/portland type I/II mix,,,(( no type S or N crap)) and on the water proofen,, i agree with tscar agane,, u cant keep all the water out. and when it gets in the repellant keeps it in and there for destroys the mortar/cement.

Ed the Roofer

Okay guys,

I'm convinced that the coating will cause more problems than the temporary solution it provides.

I am not a mason, but I do a neat and tidy job of "Minor" tuck-pointing on the chimneys we have to instal new counter-flashings on. These joints on the field stone are sandy to the touch.

Do I attempt this, with my minimum pointing experience, or is this really skilled craftsmanship for the actual pointing?

The joints are all about 1" wide and run in all directions due to the field stone.

Ed

Tscarborough

Just smear it in. If it was me, 6 months after tuckpointing, I would lime plaster the whole wall.

Ed the Roofer

Any of you guys from around the NW suburbs of Chicago interested?

Otherwise, I will tackle it later this summer myself.

Ed

P.S. I couldn't compress the photo images properly to get them small enough, so I will ask my wife to resize them to fit into the format allowed on here. She is not "Comptarded" like me.

Ed

Ed the Roofer

Ok guys, this is Ed's wife Erin. Let's see if I got this attached right. Hi to you all by the way.

Attached Images

 

Ed the Roofer

Boo-ya. Leave it to a woman. I am kidding. Yay for me.

Ed the Roofer

Pic # 2

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Ed the Roofer

So there is a couple. I have several more if needed.
Thankyou so much in advance for all of your input and help. (man I love these smileys-I want them too)

Ed the Roofer

My problem I was having, is I was informed the size was too big.

I wasn't able to compress them down to fit.

Leave it to a mans version of the story.

Ed

denick

Ed,

Something that starts this quick check why the water is now getting to that point first. Check the grade outside. Sudden heavy water accumulation in one area can cause settling and a change of the way the water is traveling underground.

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Nick

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving" Albert Einstein

Dik Redi

looks like art work too me lol --- a true artisian

Ed the Roofer

My wife posted those two photos. The second photo shows the lower 18" to 24" being saturated with fresh moisture stain on the date of the photo.

That 2nd photo is of the front corner of the home and foundation. This is where the water spigot is located on the exterior wall and where the hose was left running by the tenants kid for that 3 day consecutive period of time just 1 week prior. Then, we had a very quick saturation rain fall right before this photo was taken.

I will check it out later today and see if the moist level has receded and started to dry out yet, and if warranted, take and have my wife post additional photos, which show the area more clearly if these photos are not clear enough.

By the way, the interior field stone and joints were painted about 25 years ago, in that yellowish cream color you see remaining on the stones itself, by the previous property owner, just before I purchased the property.

Is everything clear enough in the photos?

Do you need some exterior shots of the outside of the foundation in the same location?

Am I asking too many questions?

Ed