Property Drainage

Knomad · 01-09-2007, 07:14 AM

We are looking for someone in the Tuftonboro area that can help us with assessing the best way to handle a drainage problem on our property. The house is 20 years old and reportedly has always had a dry basement. As soon as we moved in this past summer, we have had water in the basement that seems to come in at the seam between the floor and walls. We installed a sump pump, but it runs most of the time.

ApS · 01-09-2007, 08:41 AM

The "Seller's Disclosure Form" should have had mention of this, but this past spring was an incredibly wet one, even by New Hampshire standards.

My neighbor's new house was built into very soggy clay soil, so they tried installing a "French Drain" on both sides. (Tried, because it kept washing away this spring!)

A "French Drain" is layers of crushed rock or shell buried under the topsoil, shunting the runoff around the house—to your neighbor's! (Just kidding).

As a temporary measure—and if the seam is accessible with a little digging—you could try putting sawdust along the seam. If it shows up in your sump-well, then you DO have a problem. Sawdust should flow into narrow cracks, slowing (maybe stopping) the flow. IMHO.

01-09-2007, 07:14 AM	#1
Knomad Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Center Tuftonboro Posts: 173 Thanks: 0 Thanked 33 Times in 19 Posts	Property Drainage We are looking for someone in the Tuftonboro area that can help us with assessing the best way to handle a drainage problem on our property. The house is 20 years old and reportedly has always had a dry basement. As soon as we moved in this past summer, we have had water in the basement that seems to come in at the seam between the floor and walls. We installed a sump pump, but it runs most of the time.

01-09-2007, 08:41 AM	#2
ApS Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro Posts: 5,788 Thanks: 2,084 Thanked 742 Times in 532 Posts	The "Seller's Disclosure Form" should have had mention of this, but this past spring was an incredibly wet one, even by New Hampshire standards. My neighbor's new house was built into very soggy clay soil, so they tried installing a "French Drain" on both sides. (Tried, because it kept washing away this spring!) A "French Drain" is layers of crushed rock or shell buried under the topsoil, shunting the runoff around the house—to your neighbor's! (Just kidding). As a temporary measure—and if the seam is accessible with a little digging—you could try putting sawdust along the seam. If it shows up in your sump-well, then you DO have a problem. Sawdust should flow into narrow cracks, slowing (maybe stopping) the flow. IMHO. __________________ Every MP who enters Winter Harbor will pass by my porch of 67 years...