leaking basement

[tomjack]

I have 2 questions on my leaking basement. One is, I have a crack in my basement wall that some ground water leaks through when it rains. What do I use to seal this up? The other problem is that my window well fills up with water during hard rains and leaks in through the bottom of the window. Our backyard slopes away from the house at a steep angle so I'm not sure how to stop the water from coming in. I have a cover over the window well to stop the rain from getting in it but the water comes up from the ground. This only happens when we get alot of rain like we've had the last few days but it's still a pain to vaccum up the carpet. Is there a way I could fix this without just sealing the window?

[buckofdurham]

Originally Posted by tomjack

I have 2 questions on my leaking basement. One is, I have a crack in my basement wall that some ground water leaks through when it rains. What do I use to seal this up? The other problem is that my window well fills up with water during hard rains and leaks in through the bottom of the window. Our backyard slopes away from the house at a steep angle so I'm not sure how to stop the water from coming in. I have a cover over the window well to stop the rain from getting in it but the water comes up from the ground. This only happens when we get alot of rain like we've had the last few days but it's still a pain to vaccum up the carpet. Is there a way I could fix this without just sealing the window?

Sorry to tell you their is no quick fix to the problem. They do make some different types of sealents for the cracked wall.
But the best way to fix it is from the outside. Water up against the foundation can cause more cracks even bowing the wall in. You need to call a water proofing contractor that offers a lifetime structure warranty.
The window well needs a drain at the bottom of it ran out on the slope of the yard so that it can drain.
You may also need french drains at the cracked part of the wall combined with sealing the wall from the outside.
Keep checking the forum. Some others have had more expierence with the seaalants and epoxys you can do from the inside in which you might prefer.

[pushkins]

You could always add a small sump pump into the bottom of the window well, however I'm a little confused, you said the back of your house slopes away at a steep angle and from your description that would mean the window well as well. Is this window on a side of the house and water is soaking into the ground and hitting the well on it's way to your backyard?
A picture or diagram would be great if you can.

As for the crack if you can get to it from the outside (dig down to it if it's not too deep) you could always seal it with hydraulic cement (it expands as it dries).
When was your house built if it was more recently it should have had a moisture barrier applied to it before they backfilled, if this is the case then applying another layer over the problem area on the outside should solve the problem.

Like the previous poster suggested, there is little you can do to "solve" the problem from just inside.