DIY - How To Waterproof your Basement - Install Exterior Sump Pump - Foundation Repair - Save Money!

Foundation repairs can be very costly, but you can save a ton of money by doing it yourself. This video demonstrates the step by step process with details on each stage of the project.

[@marcosmota1094]

Power wash the wall as well as brushing. Dry it with a propane torch. Apply tar, tar paper, dimple board and/or UV-stable foam board. The sump pump is a great idea, but it is missing a check valve.

[@jimgd4]

Glad that worked out for you. If you want to add some insurance, I would plant some thirsty shrubs around the perimeter of the house, like Aucuba (Japanese Laurel), Euonymous, Junipers, Conifers... Anything hardy and leafy all year long that will slurp water out of your soil all the time. I've got clay soil here, and those plants thrive on my property, and look great.

[@dmitry6472]

Thank you for the video. Very informative for someone doing similar project as DIY. Just to sum up few flaws I saw and read from the comments. Just for someone planning to do something similar. 1. Sump Pump is sitting too high. Right now on the 9:47 you can see that well bottom is higher than footing, means by the time water fills the well high enough for pump to run it will way over the footing. 2. Membrane end on the footing. Means all the water running down the wall will hit footing first. Concreate is porous so it can transfer humidity itself, also it will make glue holding membrane to fail sooner rather then later. Ideally it needs flashing under the membrane to extend under the drain pipe, so water goes strain to the pipe. As an option to apply liquid membrane and install wrap on top like Delta-MS.

[@markbutler6893]

Thank you! I appreciate your critique. Makes sense!

[@martav1970]

Thanks for the awesome instructional video! You have given me a resolution for a wet basement!

[@ninjamom1602]

Thank you! I am going to add the water membrane into my plans. Gonna dig it out and try a french drain 🤞🤞

[@painkiller2837]

Hands down, this is the most useful video I have found on the subject. Gonna try this next summer to fix my basement leak. Thanks for sharing.

[@markbutler6893]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AlexeiTetenov]

Check out DanielOConnor channel/HydroArmor at kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHfbpZuojqyqobs&ab_channel=DanielOConnor for even more info.

[@concreter6832]

I have always put that stuff they make real estate signs out of on the house ,and then gravel to stop the stones from puncturing the membrain ,nice job .

[@danconnors8961]

nice job. Interesting having the original corrugated pipe vs sked 40

[@OnochieAfigbo]

Thanks for the video! 👍👍👍

[@eduardocarrazco6965]

I'm doing the same job but we used cement instead of that tubbing thing but the wall had a cracked from top all the way to the bottom, it seems like last owner fixed the problem with only rubber liquid but now we added cement and also we gonna do rubber liquid and pvc pond liner (pond liner was my mistake because i didn't know about the other plastic).

[@wolfy1]

Great video, thanks for the info

[@lizbreandanroche4183]

Very helpful Thanks 🇮🇪☘️.

[@Stahodad]

i like how you brought the crushed stone right up close to the surface..

[@salomon2870]

Great job

[@dorisatkinson7259]

Thanks! Helpful.

[@michaelkiley5658]

Nice work. About to head off and dig my foundation today so wish me luck. Thanks for posting!

[@markbutler6893]

How'd your basement turn out?

[@michaelkiley5658]

@Mark Butler It turned out very nice! Thanks

[@aguirresalvador7424]

Thankyou good video

[@crashjackson3689]

If the membrane was installed down to the footing, turned at 90 degrees away from the wall, and stopped on top of the footing a couple inches from the wall, without being extended to run down the side of the footing a couple of inches, water will get underneath the membrane (if there isn't flashing installed beneath the bottom of the membrane that runs over and down the footing). Gravel on top of the membrane will not keep water out.

[@williewade1]

Exactly. Just had my basement waterproofed. The company that did the work at my house also used a waterproof membrane, but it had the black plastic on the two sides. In the middle and next to both sides looked like a nylon cooler clear plastic lining and then there were bubbles in it as well. It was layered and about 3/8 to 1/2 thick, as opposed to the membrane used here(i.e. lets say this membrane was a sandwich. The two slices of "bread" was the outer black membrane, the two slices of "cheese" was the clear plastic lining next to the bread, and the bubbles were in the middle). They also had a propane torch that they used to melt adhesive along the edges of the membrane to the wall They ran it down the wall, over the footer and then down below the edge. There was a trench that was dug out in front of the footer that was about a foot wide and deep. They dug out all of the clay and refilled it with drain rock. I don't really know this guys area, but I think it may take a little more rain and complete saturation of the ground for him to tell if his work was successful. Just an overnight two inches may not do the trick. I had dug out the area around my basement a few times by had and did what I could to seal it. The last time was over ten years ago. I just dug down to the footer, sealed the wall and footer and put in some new pipe and put some drain rock. It was back breaking, as I had to dig down over six feet. Well, too old to be doing that now, so we hired some professionals, got several estimates, one was twice the amount of the one that we hired, and they did the exact same work as the the more expensive one, who was more comprehensive, calling for sawing thru our concrete patio to run the drain line from the sump pump. I think we got a great deal. I probably could have done this years ago if I knew all the stuff that needed to be done and had the proper materials.

[@MikeMike-qb3iz]

Any chance the company is in Florida i can't find anyone ​@@williewade1

[@jeanalexandre1105]

Good job the only thing I would have done different is put the Delta dimple board right on top of the membrane

[@sergeybebenin]

Yep, handful of punctures and it kinda makes the membrane useless

[@randy7068]

When you apply the caulking use a pushing motion to get more product in the crack. Pulling it just lays it on top with virtually no penetration.

[@lar4305]

In addition to caulking , i would have laid a thick coat of roof sealer on top of that.

[@jagboy69]

@@lar4305 YUP! I would have filled that sucker with blackjack roofing bull.

[@johnmcook1]

they make a way better product for this than what he used. In fact what he used is wrong.

[@jagboy69]

@@johnmcook1 It doesnt help if you dont tell us what it is....😜

[@jackieflynn7731]

Exactly. I called it a cut n dry cheap job.

[@youngprince716]

Hey great explanations throughout the video. will this type of set up with a pump be possible where the winters are pertty rough?? Wondering if any water down there would freeze or no bc its below the frost line

[@PaulA-uz5tk]

So how come you went to a sump? It looks like you have enough grade change that you could have run the footing drain to daylight and not have to rely on a pump.

[@yogabrent2138]

Excellent video

[@markbutler6893]

Thank you very much!

[@graynoble4795]

I would HIGHLY recommend getting a battery backed up sump. I saw my father literally pull his hair out after the power went off during a storm and the basement flooded AGAIN (this was on his 4th flood).

[@josephwall9161]

Or a back up generator

[@joeverna5459]

I use an inverter. 2400 watts and hook it to my truck battery and let the truck idle. I run the extension cord through the dryer vent opening and plug in the sump pump. Cost about $200 4 years ago. Cheaper than a generator at $3,500.

[@PAINT_S_CAPES]

@@joeverna5459 What if no one is home during a torrential downpour and power outage?

[@AlexeiTetenov]

I would have put as much clay rich soil as possible, on top of a foot of gravel. This would prevent the creation of a highway of gravel for all the water to run through to your sump pump. The current solution results in much more water going to your sump pump, instead of being blocked by the clay and running further away from the house to soak into the ground.

[@donaldlee6760]

This is a really well made video and explains exactly what you did. I'm curious if the primary cause of the problem was the downspout at 11:03 dumping massive amounts of roof water next to the foundation wall. Later at 12:06 it looks like you are discharging that same downspout far away from your house. During the 2 inch rain, did your sump pit fill up with enough water to activate the sump pump?

[@markbutler6893]

Thank you Donald. The simple answer is, YES. The house was built in 1977 and I think the decades of water running toward the house/foundation had created ravines in the dirt against the house and a vertical channel for water to run directly onto the footer. I knew that diverting the water away from the house was a key component, so that was included in my fix.

[@vedodesantis4414]

Nice video I've been doing waterproofing for about 20 years retired now I noticed there's no check valve when your line coming out from the pump and also it's better to run the membrane the other direction and your start at the The best 45-in pieces we used to put on from the bottom up and then as we want up we overlap the bitch a thing when you try to do long runs like that it gets all kinked up but good job not meaning to offend anybody but I just thought I'd add that in there you'll probably be all right

[@joshuasmith1215]

I love your dog vibing at 2:10

[@markbutler6893]

That's Hank. He died last September at 13 yrs old. He was a good boy.

[@stoneyswolf]

The last time I rented one of those machines it was 250 for the weekend delivered and picked up. Probably more now but way less than 4500.

[@markbutler6893]

Thanks for your comment. I didn't rent the machine and do it myself. I paid a crew to come out and do it. I am not experienced with that type of machinery and didn't want to take a chance on damaging something or hurting myself.

[@stoneyswolf]

@@markbutler6893 I hear ya. I also had zero experience it's a learning curve.

[@pcbuilderlover4271]

I would use a drain pop up emitter down by the road. That will keep pipe end nice for many years and critters from going back up the pipe. Search KZbin for drain pop up emitters. Thanks for the video.

[@ericgoodley1491]

What size window wells and where do you get them from?

[@johnmcook1]

@11:28 where is the check valve at? Also where is a compression coupling to replace the pump later on down the road? Ps its also good to have two pumps one higher than the other as a backup.

[@markbutler6893]

Thanks John!

[@joshuabromfield7447]

Just wondering as I have a issue in my basement. Did you have to support the wall on the inside to keep it from collapsing? I want to save money and do it myself just nervous about causing more damage then we already have.

[@markbutler6893]

I had steel beams put in when I bought the house in 2012, but the wall is stable... the beams were intended to keep it from pushing in more.

[@millermiller7727]

where did you buy the membrane? I thought it would be easy to find but so far no.

[@markbutler6893]

I got the membrane at Menards. You might be able to find it on Amazon too.

[@machomanforeverworldchampion]

I would think mortar or hydraulic cement would be better than the tube stuff on that crack. Am I wrong about that?

[@markbutler6893]

You are right about that sir.

[@machomanforeverworldchampion]

@@markbutler6893 Thanks.

[@williammcghee4053]

Did the hydrostatic pressure from the soil against the wall create the separation crack of the wall from the footer ? Wondering what created that situation>

[@youngprince716]

No. It not being a joint caused that I guess technically it's a cold joint. Not a control joint or expansion joint in block

[@lostquartermaster52]

What membrane is that?

[@Eagle7834]

One thing we always do is pressure wash the walls.

[@billyalfrey1593]

Yeah we always torch them then come back with wire brush before we ad anything

[@jesuscabrera245]

I have one ??, does we need a permit from d town to go with this process

[@forced_youtube_handle]

usually, yes. if you live someplace where people give a fuck you need to move

[@daveduckworth1800]

It looks like you had enough fall from the footing to the street to use gravity and daylight the outflow pipe instead of sump pump to discharge the water. Maybe the camera view was not showing the true slope?

[@markbutler6893]

You are correct Dave. This dawned on me later.

[@maniadoc1]

Seems like you just did one wall. Is that enough to drain water seeping in ground on other 3 walls of house?

[@markbutler6893]

Good question! So the north wall was the one that was giving us the trouble. Once we finished the project and after a good rain-> we had a small amount of water come into the basement from a spot that has never leaked before in the front (east wall). Fortunately, it is a small amount of moisture and it is not necessary for us to do such a dramatic fix on the front of the house, but we are going to have to seal it from the inside.

[@caglarmail]

@@markbutler6893 can we say better do it all around while we got excavator there? Because mine 3 sides leaks

[@bahopik]

For those people that going to do the same: dig in sump pump basket deeper another 20" or so

[@xternalpunk]

Did this work!

[@markbutler6893]

It has been 2 years and ZERO leaks so far

[@mudhafarismael7598]

My basement is wet I need consultaion in hamilton

[@JanakBedimydreamsilver]

Hi Mark , how i can buy this big pipe 13:29

[@markbutler6893]

I found it at a plumbing supply shop.

[@shaoxianzhang1911]

Put stone????

[@frddyzmr]

just curious, why did you choose to fill back up with gravel?

[@markbutler6893]

Filling with gravel takes the pressure off the basement wall by allowing the water to flow down to the bottom and out the drain pipe.

[@josephabaddi8226]

Good video but I would have put some 2” insulation foam between the membrane and the dirt so the rocks don’t tear the membrane when your backfilling.

[@markbutler6893]

Thanks for your comment Joseph and much respect sir. The membrane is very sturdy and designed to endure pressure. It is also designed to adhere to the concrete basement wall so that no moisture can get between it and the foundation of the home. I think your idea would leave some vulnerabilities.

[@sef2273]

Bro what rocks are going to cut a membrane? Are you backfilling with rip rap, why not use pea gravel??

[@jonathanf5774]

The one thumbs down is from a foundation recovery company

[@ninjamom1602]

💀🤣🤣

[@briannem.6787]

Wait, you guys just put the power cable directly into dirt? (I see cables hanging over the trench for the main supply cable and the shed's supply) Here in Australia we put conduits around it! That's asking for trouble!

[@markbutler6893]

The power cables are buried very deep, coming from the main line in the street (around 4 feet deep from the surface). It is a requirement to have the locator service come out and spray paint your grass to indicated where the power/gas/water are before you start digging. This house was built in 1977, so maybe they wrap the lines better nowadays, but this is a common practice.

[@arfannaveed6631]

How much excavator guy charge fro. You?

[@AlexeiTetenov]

I think that putting insulation on the outside of the watertight membrane would have kept that side of your basement warmer.

[@robertgeiger2268]

thats not a crack it's a cold joint.

[@sammysworld5485]

I’ve heard that laying the gravel up against the foundation of home would be counterintuitive since gravel let’s water through… should be used away like when building a French pipe drainage system.

[@ASVmeRC30]

You need an extremely good drainage system when using that much clear stone, the gravel will act as a reservoir. However the gravel is good to reduce pressure on the foundation wall if there is structural damage, which this wall appears to have since the blocks look like they are separated from the footings

[@chooisc5297]

Now his neighbors basement is flooding due to the hill he created...🤣🤣🤣

[@stratonarrow]

It's definitely excessive but the swale is probably good enough there.

[@joesullivan8861]

well why dont you go fix it

[@JanakBedimydreamsilver]

The black big pipe , you installed Sum pump

[@billyalfrey1593]

We torch are wall first make it easier to clean

[@ef7496]

The bottom of the sump pump is it concrete? Or just it’s the soil

[@markbutler6893]

I dug a trench for the drain and put a layer of gravel under the corrugated pipe that runs to the sump pump.

[@ef7496]

@@markbutler6893 thank you for always replying and trying to help. What I am asking about is the vertical barrel that you have the sump pump in it. The bottom of this barrel I see it’s open. Is it gravel underneath there for concrete?

[@ef7496]

@@markbutler6893 I meant the catch basin for the sump pump. Is it gravel at the bottom or concrete?

[@bazukamimi5721]

How does it look like right now?

[@markbutler6893]

Still no leaks, 2 years later

[@markbutler6893]

The question was brought up, "How will I replace the sump pump if it fails?" Answer: I tied a rope to it before lowering it into the hole.

[@DavidSmith-ih7cd]

I have a project similar to this right now. Where did you find your culvert pipe? And what’s the diameter? Also, what cover did you put on it? I’ve tried Lowe’s and Home Depot and it seems like I will have to order the pipe and cover. Thank you.

[@markbutler6893]

@@DavidSmith-ih7cd I got it at an industrial plumbing/sewage supply warehouse here in Kansas City.

[@DetroitHomeInspector]

You can also just pull the pump up by the discharge line. You have to disconnect the line anyway. I do it all the time.

[@TheDailyPracticeBlog]

What climate are you in? Freeze concerns in northern climates with outdoor sump?

[@markbutler6893]

We are in Zone 6 but the pump is 8 ft down.

[@TheDailyPracticeBlog]

I would have loved to have done the outdoor sump. All the supply houses around here were confused when I asked to purchase an outdoor sump. Zone 4 (30 minutes south of Canadian border in NY.. gets -20 in the winter. We ended up dropping under the footer and allowing all that water into the interior sump basin.

[@retireearly7223]

@@markbutler6893Mark, the pump is protected from freezing, but the discharge pipe looks to be less than 2’ below grade. In almost any northern climate, this pipe will freeze full of water before it lands in the street, resulting in possible pump motor burnout.

[@markbutler6893]

If its cold enough to freeze, water won't be pumping out of the pipe because it'll be snow or ice on the groung, not rain. If it thaws enough to trigger the sump pump, it'd have to be like 15 inches of snow melting very rapidly.

[@AStanton1966]

That clay is miserable stuff. A friend of mine had clay around his entire house which was situated on a slight grade. The water just sat by his house; it won't drain away from it down the slope.

[@singhA1968]

too much granules why? only one feet distance from wall need granules .

[@UrbanDIYer]

Another job that could have been stepped up wrapping the pipe with gravel in non-woven filter fabric.

[@markbutler6893]

Good suggestion sir.

[@cliffordmarc4392]

yea, the non-woven filter fabric would definitely prevent dirt from mixing with the rock...

[@UrbanDIYer]

I i my

[@UrbanDIYer]

@@MrsAp425 I heard that on one of the videos. But if you don’t protect the aggregate it will be infiltrated by the clay anyway.

[@sef2273]

@@cliffordmarc4392but wouldn’t the fabric just clog with silt and prevent water thru?

[@jackieflynn7731]

Need to thicken the the cement past between the cracks at the bottom. Guys you are thinning to thin. It’s not good as water is very powerful and can get in between.

[@miketoothacker8124]

Shoulda caulked the seams

[@takingoutthetrash1512]

man have been battling water since the dawn of time. we always lose. we can only redirect it

[@MrMrSaldana]

Huh ? Is there a pump inside your basement ?

[@nittavanitta9046]

Wait… how much does all this cost? I just purchased a home 203k… the basement had water where it looked like the sump pump may have stopped working, but not sure what else is the issue. Gotta get it inspected, but I’m scared half to death bcz I don’t know about all of this stuff. 😳

[@dayemassey1132]

Where are you located did you buy the house ass is cuz you don't buy a house with water in the basement. Usually a bank won't finance a house unless it's up to code. This cause him probably a little over 5-6000 and he knew what he was doing. Hit me back I can give you all the information I can I'm a commercial Carpenter that over 30 year. You can Google it and certain ones even show you how to perform it.

[@nittavanitta9046]

@@dayemassey1132 im in NJ. The property was sold as-is and foreclosure.

[@dayemassey1132]

@@nittavanitta9046 Okay now you got to get your water out the basement you bought it for investment property or to live in .you going to have to play general contractor try to find you some good handy people .but right now you can probably get some good professional people cheap .cuz it's not a lot of building going on and probably get some really good experience people. You may have to run a snake down your sewer line what's so good now they got cameras on them so you can run a snake down and see if it's something in there clogging it up that should clear it hopefully .what else you got going on this how's the electrical working . How is your furnace

[@nittavanitta9046]

@@dayemassey1132 haven't checked the furnace yet. The lights were able to be turned on when I last did a walk thru. The property was purchased to live in.

[@dayemassey1132]

@@nittavanitta9046 okay you said the lights appear to be all right that sounds good look at all your outlets in the room and stuff see if you have a 220 line that's for if you want to put in a washer and dryer later on stuff like that and check the furnace cuz you got to have heat see what that's doing well for one you got to get the water out of there so how deep is the water in there. I forgot you was saying there's a pump in there I'm not familiar with them pumps that much but you write it could have stopped what kind of neighborhood is the house in. Solid neighborhood of the houses of bandit trying to get an idea cause within your remodeling budget you have to make sure you're not doing more than the house was worth.

[@avetsuper6272]

are you doing only 1 side and how much pro people asked you for one side only

[@markbutler6893]

Only one side needed it.

[@avetsuper6272]

@@markbutler6893 thanks brother ,cheers

[@ef7496]

Can you tell us the outcome after all these years please ? And if you did anything wrong that you wish you better?

[@markbutler6893]

It worked and still does not leak

[@ef7496]

@@markbutler6893 thank you for replying, that will give me the courage to follow your lead

[@noahsmit11]

shoring?

[@MR.GetOVERiT69]

98% OF basements flood. 75% OF three problem is drainage, drainage, drainage.

[@llllll-ux2lz]

All the videos I’ve watched I’m beginning to think that the house insurance company wont cover this.

[@markbutler6893]

I don't think they do.

[@dannycottrell4387]

I liked the video not the music so much. Burned in my brain. I keep hearing the music.

[@hondaivtec2007]

Lower the window wells way to high

[@JRig2Stx]

Window Well Is For Evacuation From The Basement...

[@hondaivtec2007]

Window wells should only stick out of ground about 4 inches not 3 feet

[@markbutler6893]

Thank you sir.

[@jimmy8653]

At least if it failed you have warranty

[@ginainy877]

The excavator is supposed to hand dig where we're utilities are. Noy supposed to use a machine like that! Lucky he didn't get hurt!

[@markbutler6893]

I had them all hand dug out but he still hit them. Apparently if you are on rubber tires and not grounded on the ground, you won't die.

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

What do u mean by "taking the weight off that wall"? Most basements are backfilled with high clay content soil anyway and most don't have issues. Clay was not the problem. Clay is good because it sheds water and won't absorb as much and provided the slope is good, will allow water to run off. Your issue was an improperly installed drain tile combined with a questionable sump setup. 25' lift is ridiculous and I bet in torrential rains your pump won't keep up with that height! Also, why is there spray foam under the bottom of the siding? Another questionable issue possibly leading to more water issues.

[@markbutler6893]

Thanks for you comment. Soils rich in clay have the greatest potential to damage a foundation. Clay absorbs water easily, expanding in volume as it becomes more saturated. So-called "expansive clays" can cause foundations to crack and shift. Clay soils also shrink or swell with enough force to affect the foundations of a building. This is why we "took the weight off the wall". The "25' lift" was just what the sump pump was rated. The actual lift required from the drain tile/sump pump is about 8 feet. This is a residential home, not an industrial warehouse. The spray foam under the siding is because there was a small gap where we think mice were able to get in. This has ZERO to do with the water in the basement. The water was entering at the foundation level. Thanks again.

[@pancho20006]

Since u had wall dug out u should push the basemant wall out wit some I beams thats why the foam was under the siding clay push the wall making that small gap athe bottom

[@bazukamimi5721]

$4500 i feel is on the higher side.

[@scottw4083]

I would have take all the clay away and filled the turf area with proper 80/20 mix.... your turf area wont be good

[@daveray6335]

1. Your entire problem was caused by the drain tile being placed too high. All basement walls have seams between them and the footing, and it doesn't matter how big or small the gap is, water will penetrate it. However, when the drain tile is below that, the water will flow to the tile first and exit (assuming there is an exit) prior to rising up to the foundation seam. 2. If this project somehow fixed your problem, it has nothing to do with new drain tile and sump. From what I can tell from the footage, the sump has to fill up past the wall/footer seam prior to actuating the pump. The water level in the gravel will rise at the same rate as it will in the sump, so you are back to square one. Glad you are not having any problems inside, but this drainage design is futile.

[@markbutler6893]

Thank you for the helpful feedback Dave. Your points are taken. Yes, I agree that one of the key aspects of the fix was to get the drain pipe off the footer and lower than that seam where the wall sits on top of the footer. I supposed it also didn't hurt to put the membrane on there and seal that cracked in the seam as well. But one of my goals in the project was also to take the pressure/weight off of that wall. The dirt against the basement wall was actually dense clay which was putting so much pressure on the wall that it literally cracked the granite countertop in the kitchen. When I replaced the clay with gravel, it greatly decreased the pressure on the wall. Thank you for your insight sir.

[@psyopcombatant375]

@@markbutler6893 immediately dig your sump pump pit deeper bellow lowest point of your weeping pipes system, please! This project of yours is well documented, poorly designed and it’s very disappointing that excavator operator didn’t warn you about the flaw in your design! And document your failure, video is your media, well made

[@MrHeat1up]

@@psyopcombatant375 can you elaborate on the design flaw? If the drain was placed below the basement floor. The water should be directed to the pump. I agree the pump basin should have been placed well below the footings. But this should solve his problem. Especially with the seal membrane.

[@dmitry6472]

@@MrHeat1up To elaborate. There are 2 issues. Main issue is pump depth, because pump seating too high it useless for the most part. By the time it is triggered, water is already above footing and only calking is holding it, once calking will fail, basement will be wet again. Second issue is membrane, it doesn't cover all the footing, so ideally you need have flashing under the membrane and extend it so it lies under the drain pipe, so all the water coming down the wall goes straight to the pipe. Right now water coming down the wall will hit footing first and it's made of concreate that is porous, it can transfer humidity as well.

[@AlexeiTetenov]

@@dmitry6472 And add insulation, while you're there!

[@eddielysick304]

damn electricians couldnt run the pipe level

[@bearthepug888]

Why do you have to backfill? If you leave the foundation wall exposed, no water can stay

[@forced_youtube_handle]

You're proposing they leave a 10 foot deep, 30 foot long pit open?

[@jamesvaradyii5866]

Why did you choose to repair this by digging outside instead of repairing it inside by jackhammering around your basement wall and putting in an interior sump pump. It would have been a little less expensive and could have paid someone to do it all @ $50 per foot.

[@markbutler6893]

Hi James, thanks for the good question. Because the wall was being pushed in by the high clay content of the soil, it was cracking in the basement. Even though there were steel beams reinforcing the wall on the inside of the basement, it has still moved inward over the past 10 years. We needed to get the weight off the wall. From what I have read, clay against a foundation can become extremely heavy when wet and push in on the wall with a great deal of force. That is why we dig out the clay and replaced it with gravel so the water would drain to the bottom.

[@bearthepug888]

Why do you have to backfill with gravel? Why not just leave it open?

[@AlexeiTetenov]

@@bearthepug888 You can't leave an open trench for someone to easily get hurt.

[@iamahermit]

The house I bought has a exterior sump and its the jankiest shit on the planet. Your's looks way better.

[@lugnut4961]

Great video but ruined it with the loud, annoying music.

[@MikeMike-qb3iz]

Just hire a professional

[@markbutler6893]

I didn't want to spend $30k. Fixed it myself for about $5k. It is still not leaking, 3 years and many big rains later...

[@forced_youtube_handle]

lmao. this is a relatively small segment too. If you want to do 100+ linear feet, this could easily cost you upwards of 60k. The work itself is braindead simple, but in many places you won't have companies willing to do this so they'll charge out the ass.

[@bigmaxbutler3644]

that is a mess

[@genecarden780]

You made 2 major mistakes. 1. You didn’t roll the membrane to improve adhesion The entire membrane needs to be rolled to eliminate all bubbles and seal the seams. 2 you didn’t use any protection board and backfilled with gravel. A very bad combination. Especially with a cheap membrane like that. I hope you have good luck and it lasts a long time, but I have had to repair many self adhered membranes installed this way.The gravel will tear the membrane and because it wasn’t rolled will travel behind the membrane right down to the joint at the base of the wall Self adhered membranes are great but must be installed correctly.Hopefully the gravel and sump pump will eliminate the problem long term because the membrane installed like this won’t.

[@markbutler6893]

It's been over 2 years and not a single drop of water in the basement.

[@genecarden780]

@@markbutler6893 first of all 2 years is a very short time for below grade waterproofing. But I’m happy it is working. You were very smart by also installing gravel and the sump pump. I installed and repaired waterproofing and sealants for over 40 years. Like I said I have had to repair dozens of self adhered membranes that failed when installed like this. But in your case the membrane may not be critical because you have removed a huge part of its load by substantially reducing hydrostatic pressure. Again very smart.

[@manderson5397]

Bullwinkle crap

[@genecarden780]

@@manderson5397 as if you know. There are basements that have no waterproofing and don’t leak. There are others that flood. Sometimes simply sloping the soil will stop leaks. Sometimes no matter what you do, if the walks were not properly waterproofed you can’t stop the leak. It all depends on the amount of ground water and the hydrostatic pressure. These are facts. The membrane was installed very amateurishly and WILL NOT STOP WATER INFILTRATION LONG TERM. This is a fact. By trying to lower the hydrostatic pressure he MAY stop water infiltration. This is a fact. I have waterproofed basements that are 5 stories or more below sea level. Most residential below grade waterproofing is a joke and people that install it don’t have a clue what they are doing.

[@manderson5397]

LOL, hmm i've been waterproofing basements 46 yrs and guarantee in writing they won't leak for 20 yrs - "Soaking the soil STOPS leaks"... lol wow, you obviosuly do not guarantee that in writing, got milk? @@genecarden780

[@johnmurphy9688]

No doubt this will leak again. Terrible attempt to stop the leak. Sorry buddy, but it's true. Good luck

[@markbutler6893]

John, please tell us more. You seem to know what you are talking about.