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Basement

Basement Leak Repair in Kingsport

When water comes in at one place, the repair can be small. This page covers basement leak repair: how the common leaks are sealed, and how to tell a leak that can be patched from one that will come back.

Call (423) 555-0114Your call goes to an independent local waterproofing company.

Find the entry point

Water runs along surfaces before it drips, so the wet patch on the floor is not always under the leak. Look for the highest point of the stain on the wall. Mark it with pencil and write the date. Two or three marks after different storms tell a repairer more than any description.

Where it comes inA crack in a poured concrete wall
The usual repairResin is injected into the crack from inside, filling it through the full thickness of the wall.
Where it comes inAround a pipe or cable where it passes through the wall
The usual repairThe gap is cleaned out and sealed with a flexible material that can take a little movement.
Where it comes inA basement window or its well
The usual repairThe well is cleared and given a drain, the window is resealed, and the soil outside is lowered if it sits above the sill.
Where it comes inMortar joints in a block wall
The usual repairBlock is hollow, so water travels inside it. Sealing one joint rarely holds. The lasting fix is to drain the wall at its base.
Where it comes inThe joint where wall meets floor
The usual repairThis is ground water, not a single leak. It needs a perimeter drain.

What the repair involves

Crack injection is a small job. The crack is cleaned, ports are fixed along it, resin is pumped in from the bottom up and left to cure. There is little dust and nothing is dug. Paint, paneling or shelving over the crack has to come off first, so clear that wall before the visit.

When a crack is more than a leak

A thin vertical crack in poured concrete is common and usually just needs sealing. A crack that is wide, growing, running in steps through block, or paired with a wall that bulges inward means the wall is moving. Sealing it will not stop that. Point it out and ask whether an engineer should look before money is spent on waterproofing.

Questions to ask

  • Is this crack leaking because of water pressure that will find the next weak spot once it is sealed?
  • What material are you injecting, and why that one for this crack?
  • If the same crack leaks again, what happens?
  • Did you check outside above the leak for a downspout, a low spot or a buried drain?

If it turns out not to be one leak

Several damp places, or water that appears all along a wall, is a different problem. Wet basement walks through the possible sources.

Call (423) 555-0114