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It's Not Always the Wall Cracks

May 08, 2019

Sump Pump Overwhelmed?

A sump pump in a basement with a hose attached to it.

I recently inspected this crawl space for water sources. The crawl is divided into three parts under three joined condominiums. All three have water in them, and all 3 have cracks and holes that water could leak in through the foundation.

But I don't think those are the primary sources of the water! Yes, each crack and water line surround showed a bit of staining characteristic of a leaky foundation wall. There is a bit of water coming in there. But the pattern of water on the floor, and the stains from the water suggest something different. The largest area of water is in the middle unit in the middle of the floor, nowhere near the cracks. This is obviously a low spot, since water congregates there. And it's where the sump pump sits. I happen to know this site, as I have stopped leaks in a number of other crawl spaces in this development. But in this case, I think that the sump pump could not keep up, the sump hole over flowed, and the water spread through all three units.

So the first action they should take is to have the sump pump checked, along with the lines leading away from pump. This is not work that I perform. They may eventually have me come in to do those cracks, but the bigger bang for their buck probably comes from replacing the sump pump and cleaning out the water lines that the sump drains int.

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Angi.Com Super Service Award 2022 & 2021

By 7058312147 • 20 Mar, 2023
We won again in 2022 & 2021! Thank you for your support!
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A sump pump in a basement with a hose attached to it.

It's Not Always the Wall Cracks

08 May, 2019
There can be leaks from wall cracks in foundations, but sometimes the bigger culprit is a failing or undersized sump pump or drainage lines.

Cost Comparison for Foundation Repair

By 7058312147 • 04 Apr, 2019
I injected a half-height stub wall today with a serious leak, on the far edge of my service territory. The water came in the back of the laundry room, spreading under the framed wall and into the under-house garage. They had a local handyman give them a quote and he described the job as Vee-ing the crack out and then filling it with hydraulic cement. When the price he quoted seemed too high, with no guarantee of success, much less permanence, they looked further and found me. I explained that I inject the crack completely with urethane resin, and that it comes with a life time guarantee. That is a good foundation repair. So why did they pick me over the local guy? THE COST WAS THE SAME! The local handyman wanted the same price for the job that was only a surface patch, with no guarantee, as I was offering WITH a guarantee. Now I'm not saying I'm going to match every handyman's price on a foundation repair. What I am saying is that you can get the job done right, and it is well worth it!
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