The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

This condition outside the basement walls, and leakage through the walls and floor, can be tested. Dig a hole a foot or more deep close to the wall and let water run into it from a hose. If the water disappears into the ground, let it continue to run for some hours, and then note from inside the basement whether there are any signs of leakage through walls or floor. Wet spots show weak places in the masonry and indicate that water collects outside the walls.

To prevent water from entering the space outside the foundations, pack earth along the walls to form a sloping bank 2 feet or more high and 6 to 10 feet broad. With this bank covered with grass, water will drain away from the house instead of sinking in at the walls.

Another method is to cover the filled place with a strip of concrete 3 feet or more wide all around the house, bonded to the walls.

The discharge from leaders and gutters should not go into the ground close to the house but to a dry well at least 15 feet away, so that the water cannot work its way back to the walls.

When a house is located on a slope, the uphill foundation wall will act as a dam; surface water will collect against it and sink into the ground along it, forming a pool outside the wall that will lead to leakage. This can be prevented by forming a ridge of grassed earth—even a low concrete or brick wall—a short distance from the house to divert the surface water past either or both sides.

Porous Concrete Walls Poorly mixed concrete, or concrete containing too little cement, will be spongy and porous, and water will pass through it. To cure this, cover the inside surface of the wall with two coats of cement mortar to a thickness of 1/2 inch. In preparation for this, the wall should be scrubbed with a stiff wire brush to remove all loose particles and dirt. Grease or oil spots should be taken out with clear gasoline. Be careful of fire. If the wall surface is smooth, it should be roughened to give the new cement a key, or bond; this can be done with a hammer having a chisel end, or with a hammer and cold chisel. The rougher the old surface, the more secure will be the bond. The wall is then soaked with water so that it may not absorb water from the cement that will be applied.