We have a walk-out basement and after 6 days of constant heavy rain we have pretty substantial water leakage into the basement in different areas. Carpet is soaked. We bought a wet vac yesterday and sucked up over 120 gallons of water in just one area and still wet. Our insurance co says if it's a foundation issue they won't cover it but a couple of years ago we had an expert evaluate due to noticeable cracks outside and it was determined it was not a foundation issue but normal settlement. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of things and have any suggestions? First of, I will be calling a co to come clean up and dry out the carpet. Is some water leakage after torrential rain normal? our house is 10 years old. Concerned about mold too.

By Dramamamma on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 01:56 pm:

No exeperience in this but wanted to say I'm sorry, that can't be any fun. 120 gallons! That's alot of water.

HUGS to you guys!

By Colette on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 02:45 pm:

It can be normal. If the water turns out to be coming from the ground, you might want to have a sump pump put in. Basically, a hole is dug in your cellar floor, and a big bucket is put in with a pump, as the bucket it fills, the pump pumps the water out of the house before it reaches your cellar floor. Dh, our neighbor who is a plumber and myself put one in last year and it works like charm.

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 03:30 pm:

My dh just called. Geico's adjuster is there and says they will not cover anything because it's an obvious foundation issue. We do have one sump pump already and as far as I know it works. My dh is currently unemployed and doesn't want to spend the money to have a co come clean it up so as soon I get home from work we have to start hauling things out of the basement, including furniture, dig up the carpet etc. After that I don't know who to call. We have to call someone to come to determine where the water is coming in from and fix it. Definitely not fun but in light of other problems people face like the 1000s killed in the earthquake in China,this problem is really nothing.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 03:34 pm:

Yes, this can be normal. Too much rain, too quickly, and natural run off, absorption, doesn't occur. Can you figure out where it is coming in at? Where it is the wettest inside is usually a good indication of where to start looking outside. Go outside and check the gutters and look for standing water a long the outer walls. Is the ground really wet up close to the house? We had an issue with a water in the basement last spring. The ice dams over winter had pushed the gutter way from the house. So the water was running right off the roof and pooling around the bottom of the window and flowing into the house. It took two big rains for me to actually figure out what the issue was. Luckily we do not have the basement carpeted or the outer walls covered, so a crack would have been apparent. It took two long nails, and a tube of caulking and we have had no more issues.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 03:38 pm:

Okay, you are right in the terms of this not being a huge issue. Big Hugs.. Hopefully it will be an obvious issue once you get things moved out, that DH will be able to address. If it is a crack they sell sealant at hardware stores for the walls of basements.

By Mommyof5 on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 03:52 pm:

For years we had water come in the basement in various areas after a REALLY heavy rain. We finally installed oversized gutters with the mesh on top so that leaves and debris wouldn't get trapped in the gutters and we have not have one problem since and we have had a lot of REALLY heavy rains since then. We wish we would have installed them years sooner.

By Debbie on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 04:06 pm:

We had some cracks in our basement, which we were told were from normal settling. The house was 12 years old. We hired a company that came out and filled them. They used this silicon type filler. After that, we didn't have anymore problems. Also, we had a lifetime guarantee for it which was transferable. When we moved, we were able to give the warranty to the new owners.

By Vicki on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 04:25 pm:

It some what alarms me that you have a sump pump and still get water in your basement. I agree that it isn't just water that the ground is holding or the sump pump really should take care of that if it is in working order. I am guessing you have another issue with your foundation such as cracks etc. I am unsure of how someone determined it was setteling and not a foundation issue. Cracks in the basement can be caused my setteling, but it is still a foundation issue since the basement is the foundation of your home! Did the company that came out a few years ago seal up the obvious cracks that were outside?

By Debbie on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 04:39 pm:

Also, I should have added, that our sump pump also went out once. You could still hear it running (it just wasn't getting the water out), so we didn't know it was not working until we had water in the basement. We had to have it replaced.

By Colette on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 04:52 pm:

sometimes the sump can get a piece of gravel or dirt stuck in it or you might need a larger pump.

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 04:54 pm:

Thanks guys. Gosh I am so clueless when it comes to these things. I guess we need to make sure the sump pump IS working. The expert who came out to look at the house was hired by my builder, Pulte, after I made a claim. And no they didn't fill in any of the cracks. I know we have some pockets around the outside that needs to be filled in with well-compacted soil for one thing. After further assessment of the situation and the cleanup of possible mold infestation, this is not a job that dh and I can do alone. Regardless of the cost we need professional help. I've contacted several water damage restoration companies and found one who claims they could come by tomorrow. As always thanks ladies for your advice.

By Amecmom on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 06:23 pm:

Please get a waterproofing/foundation expert to come and see why your basement is taking on water. The house we purchased and are rehabbing always took water. Our builder excavated around the foundation, put in a footing drain and then a waterproofing material around the block foundation. We had extensive storms and houses that never take water actually took some - our house did not!
Our builder's philosophy is stop the water from getting in, don't spend money trying to deal with it once it's gotten in.
Good luck with the clean up!
As far as the insurance adjuster, can you show the insurance co that you had the foundation checked? Is there any way you can get an independent inspector to come in and find out if the problem is from something else?
Ame

By Tayjar on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 10:46 pm:

OK. Now that I'm not on my employer's computer I can comment. First, the adjuster who came out may or may not know what he is talking about. For most insurance companies, they hire college graduates with any degree and train them to be an adjuster. They don't always know what to look for.

With that said, hire an independent contractor and get an expert builders opinion. Show the adjuster what the previous inspector said, too.

and, I agree. You need to see why the water is getting in. Check the gutters. If your gutters are clogged or dumping water out by your foundation, you will get water in your basement.

Check the sump pump. If the sump pump failed, you might have a claim. Also, build the foundation up around your house. Fill in the cracks. And, as Ame said, money spent to keep the water out is money well-spent. And, ask you agent if you can purchase coverage in case this happens again. Even if it is $100 more a year, it's money well-spent.