Water leaves clues about where it is getting in. A wet strip along the floor, a damp crack or a sump pump that never shuts off each point to a different problem.
Before any waterproofing
Most people call us about the puddle, but the puddle is usually a few feet from where the water came in. Water follows the slope of the floor and can end up well away from the spot where it got through.
Around here, a lot of that water starts in the clay. After a heavy rain, the clay under Johnson County homes holds water against the foundation instead of letting it drain away. That keeps water looking for a path through the wall or floor long after the rain stops.
That wet clay sits against your basement walls. Water can then work through cracks, enter at the seam where the wall meets the floor or collect in window wells with nowhere to drain.
Each one takes a different fix, which is why we look at your basement and the yard around it before recommending any waterproofing.
When Water Gets Into Your Basement
Next time water shows up, check two things before you mop: where it is and how long after the rain it appeared. Those two answers narrow down the source more than anything else.
After a heavy rain, check the floor along each basement wall for a wet strip.
That usually means water is coming in through the seam at the bottom of the wall. It tends to come back in the same spot after each storm and spread farther as the ground around the house gets wetter.
After a storm, look for a crack in a poured wall that darkens or drips.
That crack is letting water straight through the wall, and it can do that whether or not the wall has moved.
Look at the wall just below each basement window for water stains or streaks.
They usually mean rain is collecting in the window well outside and leaking in around the window.
Look down into each window well outside. Leaves, mud or water sitting in the bottom mean the well is not draining.
That water has nowhere to go except toward the window.
Listen for your sump pump during a dry week. If it still runs every few minutes when it has not rained for days, it is working harder than it should.
Water may still be reaching the pit from the ground around the house, or the water it pumps out may be draining right back.
Check the ground along your foundation a few days after it rains. If it is still muddy there while the rest of the yard has dried, water is collecting against the house.
That soaked ground sits right against your basement walls, which is where a lot of basement water starts.
Look for a white, powdery crust on your basement walls. It is called efflorescence, and it forms when water works through the wall from outside, then dries and leaves minerals behind.
Even without a puddle, it shows that part of the wall gets wet often.
Notice whether the basement still smells musty after a dry week.
That means moisture is staying in the basement, from damp air, wet walls or a wet floor. The smell is often strongest in one corner, near stored boxes or after a stretch of rain.
Call us as soon as you find water in your basement. If you can, snap a photo of the water where it sits before you mop it up, and note how long after the rain it showed up.
Water that appears during a storm and water that appears two days later usually come from different places.
How we stop the water
The fix depends on where the water gets in and when it shows up. Water along the base of a wall after every storm and water at one crack after a long soak can leave the same wet floor, and each one takes a different fix.
01
Water coming in where the wall meets the floor needs a way to drain before it spreads across the basement.
We open a narrow strip of floor along the wall, lay gravel in the trench and install the drainage system that best fits your basement. Once the floor is restored, the system carries the water to the sump pump, which sends it out of the house.
02
A sump pump is the part of a waterproofing system that actually moves the water out, so it has to keep up on the wettest day of the year.
We install new pumps, replace pumps that run constantly or do not turn on when the pit fills, and run the discharge line far enough into the yard that the water does not drain back toward your basement.
03
Before we seal a crack, we check whether it is a structural problem. A crack in a sound poured concrete wall can still let water through, even when the wall itself is not bowing or settling.
If the crack is not a structural problem, we inject the seal from inside so it fills the crack through the wall. If the wall is bowing or settling, foundation repair comes first, because a seal cannot hold on a wall that keeps moving.
04
Sometimes the best place to stop water is on the outside of the wall, before it ever reaches the concrete.
We dig down along the foundation, clean the wall, apply a waterproof membrane and lay a drain at the footing before the soil goes back. It is a bigger job than interior drain tile because we have to reach the footing outside the house. That lets us stop water before it reaches the wall or builds up in the soil against it.
05
Most basement water starts as rain that lands near the house and has nowhere else to go.
We extend downspouts, regrade soil that slopes back toward the foundation and install French drains to carry the water away from the house. That takes pressure off every other part of your waterproofing.
06
Rain has nowhere to drain when a window well is full, so it can collect outside the basement window and leak into the basement.
We install or clear a drain in the well so the rain has somewhere to go. If the window leaks, will not open or is too small for an emergency exit, we can replace the window and well.
Your waterproofing inspection
01
We start by asking when you find the water: during the storm, the morning after, or only after a week of spring rain.
Water that shows up during the storm usually comes in near the surface, at a window well or a crack. Water that shows up a day or two later along the base of the walls usually means rain has soaked into the clay and is finding its way in at the wall-to-floor seam.
02
Then we look at the stains with you, because they often tell us more than the puddle does: a tide line on the drywall, rust on the feet of a metal shelf or the bottom of a cardboard box that got wet.
They show where water has reached, and from there we trace it back to where it is getting in.
03
Outside, we check each window well for standing water, debris blocking the drain and soil piled against the window.
If water is still sitting in the well after the rain stops, it can come through the window or around the frame. That tells us the well needs a working drain or the existing drain needs to be cleared.
04
If you have a sump pump, we lift the lid on the pit with you and ask how often you hear it run.
A pump that runs every few minutes in dry weather may mean groundwater is staying high around the house, or that it is starting and stopping over and over, which wears it out sooner. A pit that stays dry through a storm may mean water is getting in somewhere the pump cannot catch it.
Where we work
We're based in Gardner, and we're a growing company. Right now we're expanding about 45 miles out in every direction, which covers most of the metro on both sides of the state line. Not sure if we make it out your way? Give us a call and ask.
Free estimate
Tell us where you are finding water and when it shows up. We inspect your basement in person and show you where the water is getting in.
Afterward, you get a written estimate that shows the water problems we found and the repair we recommend for each one. It explains why that repair fits your basement, what the work will cost and how it is meant to hold up over time. The inspection and estimate are free, with no obligation.
Worth knowing
Most wet basements get mopped, painted over or ignored for years before anyone finds where the water is getting in. Here is what to know before you spend money on the wrong fix.
May and June are the wettest months of the year in Kansas City, and the clay around your house holds on to that rain instead of letting it drain away.
A basement that stays dry most of the year and leaks every spring usually has one weak spot, like a crack, a window well or a low corner of the yard, that only lets water through once the clay against the wall is soaked.
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