Do you have a leaky basement wall? If you do, you need to deal with that problem before it can do too much damage. Water damage can be very bad for a house and can cause mold, mildew and rot, along with bad smells coming through the vents.
Here are two steps that will show you how to repair the leaky wall. However, if you have never done this before, it may be wise to have somebody show you in person; fooling around with the foundation of your house is not wise if you don’t know what you are doing.
Step One – Find the Leak
Leaks can come from a variety of places, though poor plumbing and cheap masonry are the two most common. To find the leak, you have to find the moisture first. When you find that, you need to trace it back to it’s point of origin. Not all leaks are apparent, so look carefully.
Step Two – Start Breaking Things
Once you’ve identified the location of the leak, whether it be around an old pipe or some random place in the wall. Now it is a little bit different for pipes than the wall, so I will cover them separately.
For a pipe, you will notice that there is a bit of oddly colored stuff around it. This is probably old hydraulic cement. It may have gotten old or just not been any good to start with. But just get the chisel and start breaking it off while being very careful not to hurt the pipe at all.
Now when this is done, mix up some hydraulic cement. Make sure that it is only enough that you can use in about two or three minutes because that stuff sets FAST. When that is done, shove some of the rubble back in there so that you don’t need to use much cement. Now get the cement in there and fill up and fill up the hole carefully. Also make sure that you get the area around the pipe like it was before.
Now hopefully you are done with that. If it is just a place in the wall, there is likely to be a crack or a void there. Grab a chisel and hammer and break it open. Now fill that with hydraulic cement.
If you need a good hydraulic cement, I recommend the Dap 14090 Quick Plug Hydraulic Cement 10-Pound Pail. It is a high performance compound that is ideal for plugging holes in any concrete or masonry. Also, it creates an airtight seal as it dries, which is great for plugging the holes left behind by leaky basement wall repair. And the best part is that it weighs 10 pounds, you won’t be running out any time soon, no matter how many leaks you have.
Leaky basement walls and a wet basement can cause lot of problems including nasty smells, mildew and mold. These can cause lasting damage. Leaks can be repaired though with an hour of effort and a bucket of hydraulic cement.