How to Find and Fix a Foundation Leak

Have you ever gone down to your basement and discovered it’s sprung a leak? Whether it’s a trickle down the wall or a puddle on the floor, foundation leaks only lead to trouble in your home.

Indiana Foundation Service is here to guide you through understanding why your foundation leaks and to offer strategies for repair, ensuring your foundation remains secure and free from water damage.

• Water in your basement
• Wet basement walls
• Leaking basement windows
• Musty basement smell
• Mold growth

• Efflorescence
• Excessive humidity
• Basement wall cracks
• Bowing basement walls
• Basement floor cracks

The Clay Bowl Effect

During your home’s construction, builders excavate a large hole to lay the foundation and basement. After the construction is completed, the excavated soil is backfilled in the space around your basement, and the builders attempt to compact it back into place.

However, no matter how thoroughly the construction crew works to repack the soil, it will never regain its original compactness. Instead, the soil is less dense and allows more water to permeate during heavy rainfall.

This phenomenon leads to what is known as the clay bowl effect. The loosely packed soil forms a bowl-like shape around your basement, collecting water and making your basement susceptible to leaks. Water can accumulate and seep through the basement cove (where the walls and floor meet), foundation walls, and other areas, increasing the risk of moisture-related issues.

Hydrostatic Pressure

Water is an incredible, heavy force. When the soil surrounding your home becomes saturated with moisture, it expands, and the accumulated water weight exerts pressure on your foundation.

This is known as hydrostatic pressure. As this pressure mounts, water seeks any possible route to force its way through. This includes existing cracks in your concrete walls or floors, around pipe openings, via basement windows, or it can seep directly through the porous material of the concrete itself.

Additionally, the most frequent entry point for water into a home is the joint where the foundation wall meets the floor. It is often observed that water intrusion leading to basement flooding begins at this critical juncture.

Other Contributing Soil Factors

Along with these two major factors, others, like poor landscape grading and exterior drainage, are significant contributors.

Exterior drainage—including gutters and downspouts—helps divert water away from your foundation. However, if these systems are missing, damaged, blocked, or improperly installed, you’re likely to experience leaks and damage in your home.

Additionally, if the soil directly next to your foundation erodes, settles, or slopes toward your house, water can collect and leak inside.

1. Proper Exterior Drainage and Grading

The first step is to start outside your home by checking and maintaining your gutters and downspouts. Make sure they are free of clogs and damage and that they effectively direct water away from your foundation. In the same vein, landscapers can regrade your yard to have a positive grade, meaning it slopes down and away from your foundation.

2. Basement Waterproofing

Interior waterproofing protects your basement from leaks, moisture, and mold. A comprehensive system includes interior drains to catch water and direct it to a sump pump, which pumps the water out of and away from your home. A wall vapor barrier prevents vapor intrusion and aids in waterproofing, and a dehumidifier controls humidity levels and improves air quality.

3. Wall Repairs

You can combat hydrostatic pressure and permanently stabilize your basement walls in several ways. If your walls are not severely cracked or damaged, carbon fiber straps hold them in their current positions. Other methods—including wall beams, wall anchors, and channel anchors—can be adjusted for potential wall improvement.