Basement Update

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the damage to our house from our crazy winter weather. Many of you have asked if we've ever figured out where the water was coming in from. The short answer is that we think we have a pretty good idea, but we have no way to be 100% certain. We are sure that it was ground water though. We've had a contractor, a plumber, and a building inspector look at the basement and all have come to the same conclusion.

This is the corner of our downstairs bedroom. See the hole surrounded by a wood frame?

This is what the inside of the hole looks like. The cover you see, which sits about 6" below the concrete floor, provides access to the backflow valve. This valve prevents sewer water from coming back into our house, definitely a good thing. However, the exposed dirt & gravel around the cover really isn't a good thing. It is believed that the water entered our house through this area. Because this room was carpeted, we had no idea this valve was even there.

We have learned that access to this cover is supposed to be maintained at all times (in other words, not covered with carpet). It is also supposed to be at the same grade as the floor, not below it. Part of the fixing process will be bringing the access point to grade and also sealing the area around it so that water can not come through the dirt/gravel area. Everyone has told us that this is a highly unusual circumstance and would likely never happen again, but we feel like we need to take some type of preventative action and we have decided to install a sump pump. We're hoping to get that project rolling in about a week and I'm sure I'll have stories to share as I watch our basement become a true construction site. Stay Tuned!