We bought our first house this spring in Toronto. We had a very heavy rain fall, about 3-4 inches in 3 hours. Luckily there was no leaking into the house but the basement had some water seepage where the walls meet the foundation.
Outside I discovered this. At first I noticed water spraying through a pin-hole in the foundation, but I noticed it bubbling up elsewhere on the steps. I took a screwdriver and pried at the hole, that’s what opened up the geyser. I was amazed at how long it was going with so much water pressure, presumably from the ground. Our house is on a hill so I think a lot of water was in the ground.
I pried at it more and found a PVC pipe with a grate under a thin layer of concrete and white plastic sheeting. I think contractors covered this pipe with plastic and poured concrete on top. My guess is that it’s from a downspout that went into the ground and was re-routed when the roof was replaced.
It’s been 6 hours since the rain stopped and there’s still some water coming up from the pipe. It’s much less than before. Should I be worried about this? Do I need to properly remove or re-cap this?
Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!
Chicky_P00t
Literally just saw the same thing in someone’s basement in another subreddit
You’re going to need foundation drains around your perimeter. How much that worries you is your call.
titosrevenge
You probably have perimeter drains that are completely filled up and under pressure in this location, which appears to be below grade based on the stairs. The water is being forced up and out of this crack. You should call a drainage company to scope the lines and check for blockages. Failure to do so could result in water coming in through your foundation and flooding your basement (ask me how I know).
You could try putting in swales above this area to prevent excess runoff from entering the soils above this area. It’s hard to tell if this would help much without seeing what’s upstream. I would call a landscaper who does drainage work or a civil engineer who specializes in land development.
-Apocralypse-
Your sketch of the situation sounds like really high ground water levels. You do want a pro to take a look at it, because it means your whole foundation is swimming when this happens. Best to make sure your soil is stabil enough so this isn’t a threat to your home and learn what can be done to waterproof your basement. Water doesn’t have to be a threat, but it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.
Your city hall should have maps containing the data on local groundwater levels. They probably have other relevant data on this topic as well.
Otherwise, call in the Dutch. 🙃
Hot_Emu_4260
I should call her…
tux16090
Short answer is: probably pretty worried.
Fun answer is: free shower!
If it were my house, I would be pretty worried about that, and I don’t get worried about things on the house much. I could have water in only half the house, and not be worried. This is something I would be making some calls for. I’m not an expert on foundations, but I’m sure that will lead to all sorts of major issues down the road, if not already.
Repulsive-Storm-7739
From the picture looks like that concrete has been removed before.
Future-Jicama-1933
Going to guess there is a pipe under that piece of patched cement that is clogged. Open it, clean it and install a clean out in that spot so can clean it in the future
jakedonn
1. You should be worried 2. This is not a landscaping issue
12 Comments
We bought our first house this spring in Toronto. We had a very heavy rain fall, about 3-4 inches in 3 hours. Luckily there was no leaking into the house but the basement had some water seepage where the walls meet the foundation.
Outside I discovered this. At first I noticed water spraying through a pin-hole in the foundation, but I noticed it bubbling up elsewhere on the steps. I took a screwdriver and pried at the hole, that’s what opened up the geyser. I was amazed at how long it was going with so much water pressure, presumably from the ground. Our house is on a hill so I think a lot of water was in the ground.
I pried at it more and found a PVC pipe with a grate under a thin layer of concrete and white plastic sheeting. I think contractors covered this pipe with plastic and poured concrete on top. My guess is that it’s from a downspout that went into the ground and was re-routed when the roof was replaced.
It’s been 6 hours since the rain stopped and there’s still some water coming up from the pipe. It’s much less than before. Should I be worried about this? Do I need to properly remove or re-cap this?
Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!
Literally just saw the same thing in someone’s basement in another subreddit
Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Home/s/Eh5khd5FxO
You’re going to need foundation drains around your perimeter. How much that worries you is your call.
You probably have perimeter drains that are completely filled up and under pressure in this location, which appears to be below grade based on the stairs. The water is being forced up and out of this crack. You should call a drainage company to scope the lines and check for blockages. Failure to do so could result in water coming in through your foundation and flooding your basement (ask me how I know).
Things to look for are downspouts going into pipes underground and cleanouts around the perimeter of your house. The clean-outs [look like this](https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/r2XIQuturfFiebwOSRtrlUcGwF0=/1000×667/filters:no_upscale()/sewer-clean-out-where-to-find-it-3973572-01-9a32086a48864ae9822714658ee41eb1.jpg).
You could try putting in swales above this area to prevent excess runoff from entering the soils above this area. It’s hard to tell if this would help much without seeing what’s upstream. I would call a landscaper who does drainage work or a civil engineer who specializes in land development.
Your sketch of the situation sounds like really high ground water levels. You do want a pro to take a look at it, because it means your whole foundation is swimming when this happens. Best to make sure your soil is stabil enough so this isn’t a threat to your home and learn what can be done to waterproof your basement. Water doesn’t have to be a threat, but it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.
Your city hall should have maps containing the data on local groundwater levels. They probably have other relevant data on this topic as well.
Otherwise, call in the Dutch. 🙃
I should call her…
Short answer is: probably pretty worried.
Fun answer is: free shower!
If it were my house, I would be pretty worried about that, and I don’t get worried about things on the house much. I could have water in only half the house, and not be worried. This is something I would be making some calls for. I’m not an expert on foundations, but I’m sure that will lead to all sorts of major issues down the road, if not already.
From the picture looks like that concrete has been removed before.
Going to guess there is a pipe under that piece of patched cement that is clogged. Open it, clean it and install a clean out in that spot so can clean it in the future
1. You should be worried
2. This is not a landscaping issue
Grounds pissin