Do you have a sump pump?

[ame]

Was your house built with it or did you have it installed after the fact? Do your basement walls have anything covering them and is there an issue with moisture on those?

 

[missy]

Hi Ame, we bought this house in March 2011 and it has 2 sump pumps in the basement that were installed after that part of the house was built in 1923. Our basment is a partial unfinished basement and I think the walls are cement.

We also have a dehumidifier but are unable to hook it up right now because we need to get an electrician in there to do that as it kept shutting the circuit when we tried. Our sump pumps are 1/2 hp each for a total of 1 hp. The sump pumps are in the 2 areas that are flood prone. We learned a valuable lesson last hurricane for sure and that is to not put anything in those flood prone areas as when power shuts off if you do not have backup generators you are screwed. Need power to keep them working LOL.

Not sure if that info is what you were looking for but hope it helps.

 

[ame]

We are considering it, we don't have a huge water problem, but we want to refinish it. We did have a flood when the rainwater sewer system backed up into our home and the neighbors homes so we ripped all the walls and carpet out to throw them out. I don't think a sump pump at that point would really have mattered. But since we have started noticing some seeping on the bottom of a couple walls so we were wondering if that was a worthwhile thing before the seeping becomes more than just seeping. The one we met with the other day has this whole drain tile setup and they put these wall things up to cover up the wall damage and I guess hide the drain tiles, plus three pumps and a backup power system...But I was told by a few friends who just built homes that their homes came with that system already in place, and I had no idea new homes come built in with sump pumps. I always thought those were bad.

 

[missy]

If you are going to refinish your basement definitely check out good drainage systems. I know people speak highly of french drains. I cannot speak to if you would have a flooding problem but if there is any chance my advice is do whatever you need to in order to keep your basement bone dry. Water is the enemy here and you don't need the headache of a cleanup at the very least or a mold problem at the more extreme. Good luck!

 

[ame]

The mold issue is exactly what I am scared of. The company that came out does something called "basement systems"and they were saying that prior to them working, they have a company called ServPro come out and clean the walls and floor and spray anti-microbial stuff all over to prevent mold. But that's still something Im concerned about, especially with those wall panels.

 

[missy]

I don't know much about this issue but we had a home inspection before we bought so that's what we went by but I would recommend a second opinion because the guys you had come to your house to check it out had an interest in doing the work so may not be a totally impartial opinion. My dh is in the environmental field and he says most mold is not the toxic mold that is deadly but of course you do not want any mold.

 

[ame]

I don't know much about this issue but we had a home inspection before we bought so that's what we went by but I would recommend a second opinion because the guys you had come to your house to check it out had an interest in doing the work so may not be a totally impartial opinion. My dh is in the environmental field and he says most mold is not the toxic mold that is deadly but of course you do not want any mold.

Definitely dont' want mold. Of any variety...

Oh we had them out for a bid. One of the inspectors we had look at everything told us about digging up and waterproofing from the outside as another option. Not gonna happen. We have another couple companies coming out to give their opinion. We are definitely getting it fixed one way or another. I don't want this to escalate if we ignore.

 

[missy]

Sounds like you are doing everything right Ame. Good luck!

 

[ame]

Thanks!

 

[somethingshiny]

Our house had a pump and pit when we moved in. We had to dig the pit deeper and also install a second pump. The ground water level is the most indicative of moisture in your basement. You should be able to get that info through your city hall. We knew that our area had a higher floodplain and the water doesn't have much room to go after a large storm.

 

[ame]

Oh that's something I didn't think of. We're relatively high up, but I guess I oughta see about that. People throw garbage in our sewer systems all the time, so they get clogged fairly often.

 

[soocool]

We put in a sump pump when we built our house over 16 yearsago. We also have a French drain around the foundation. (our foundation and basement walls are concrete, not cinder block). We never finished the entire basement - just around the staircase in the middle of the basement (we made it into a huge pantry/closet to keep things out of sight). We did paint the concrete walls with DryLock paint (it is like painting with pudding - very thick) and keep a dehumifier down there (we don't run it in the winter) since we didn't open up the heating/cooling vents into the basement.

Even with the latest storms which flooded our surrounding areas (I mean less than 2 miles from me), the sump pump ran and we never had water in the basement. The walls are dry I believe because we painted them with the DryLock paint.

Actually the only time we had water in the basement was when the air conditioning condensate pump got clogged (we smartened up and clean it out twice a year and put water alarms down on the basement floor just in case - one near the condensate pump and one near the sump pump. They have never gone off).

If you have/get a sump pump I recommend getting the best quality one you can with a battery back up in case power ever goes out.

 

[packrat]

We don't have one. Well, we have one, but it's not in the basement, I use it to drain the stock tank in the backyard that the gutters empty into to help keep water costs lower for my plants outside. We never had a lick of problems w/our basement..this neighborhood is up pretty high and water isn't a concern here. We waited 2 years to finish our basement..and then last month a valve on the water softener broke in the middle of the night so we ended up w/4 inches of water in the basement and now it's all torn back out again.

 

[jill_s]

We had a sump pump and drain tiles put in last year and are very pleased with the results. We put it in so we could consider refinishing the basement. You are in the STL area, right? We are too and used Mark Callan with Wateraway Waterproofing. You should be able to find a phone number if you google him. VERY impressed. His quote was a fraction of what other places quoted and he did all the work himself. I would highly recommend him. Sorry if that's random, but we really liked him.

 

[diamondringlover]

Yes we have one, we have a 100 year old farm house with crawl/small basement area, it flooded and ruined our furnance we now have a sump pump and it has worked wonders!

 

[ame]

Thank you all for your input! The guy we met with the other day had a system with three pumps and I think two or three power sources, including battery backup. That was definitely something of interest.

We had a sump pump and drain tiles put in last year and are very pleased with the results. We put it in so we could consider refinishing the basement. You are in the STL area, right? We are too and used Mark Callan with Wateraway Waterproofing. You should be able to find a phone number if you google him. VERY impressed. His quote was a fraction of what other places quoted and he did all the work himself. I would highly recommend him. Sorry if that's random, but we really liked him.

I am, and thank you for the recommendation!!! Ill call them tonight/tomorrow and set something up. Did you have them just do the drain tiles and sump pump? Or did they have some kind of wallboard somethingorother they put up too? This place had a whole setup, the panels like cover the ugly walls or something. It was surely overkill but it covered up the fug and that was a positive for my husband. The big positive was actually a transferable warranty.

Woods was at our house Saturday, Helitech is coming next, and then I called someone else...Ranetite or something? My friend mentioned them because I think he used them for their basement or got a bid just in case or something. But we need to see about another option. Woods was ridiculously high, and I am sure Helitech also will be, though as he walked out of the house he left a little nugget of "let me know if that works for your budget or if we need to work on discounts". So you wait til the end to discount eh. Interesting. My brother was not impressed though, he kept trying to pitch to my dad, and would either ignore my brother's questions, or not answer them remotely right, or sidestep it. It was annoying. My friends used Woods and said they did kind of a sloppy job with some of the work and made them come out and redo it. I am half inclined to go on Angies List...

 

[jill_s]

Thank you all for your input! The guy we met with the other day had a system with three pumps and I think two or three power sources, including battery backup. That was definitely something of interest.

We had a sump pump and drain tiles put in last year and are very pleased with the results. We put it in so we could consider refinishing the basement. You are in the STL area, right? We are too and used Mark Callan with Wateraway Waterproofing. You should be able to find a phone number if you google him. VERY impressed. His quote was a fraction of what other places quoted and he did all the work himself. I would highly recommend him. Sorry if that's random, but we really liked him.

I am, and thank you for the recommendation!!! Ill call them tonight/tomorrow and set something up. Did you have them just do the drain tiles and sump pump? Or did they have some kind of wallboard somethingorother they put up too? This place had a whole setup, the panels like cover the ugly walls or something. It was surely overkill but it covered up the fug and that was a positive for my husband. The big positive was actually a transferable warranty.

Woods was at our house Saturday, Helitech is coming next, and then I called someone else...Ranetite or something? My friend mentioned them because I think he used them for their basement or got a bid just in case or something. But we need to see about another option. Woods was ridiculously high, and I am sure Helitech also will be, though as he walked out of the house he left a little nugget of "let me know if that works for your budget or if we need to work on discounts". So you wait til the end to discount eh. Interesting. My brother was not impressed though, he kept trying to pitch to my dad, and would either ignore my brother's questions, or not answer them remotely right, or sidestep it. It was annoying. My friends used Woods and said they did kind of a sloppy job with some of the work and made them come out and redo it. I am half inclined to go on Angies List...

We had drain tiles put around three of our exterior walls, a sump pit and pump installed and also purchased a battery backup. Mark also epoxyed some cracks in our foundation walls that were part of the leaking problem. Mark can put up some wall panels if you'd like (for an additional cost), but we opted to wait and see if we needed them. We didn't end up needing them. Mark does offer a 20 year transferrable warranty (his isn't a lifetime because he said his work may outlive him and didn't want to over-promise, which I appreciated). Earlier this spring when we had a huge rain, we got a tiny amout of water in the basement. I had Mark come back over and he thought it was coming up through the middle of the floor (which is very rare BTW). He offered to put in some additional drain tiles at no extra cost (because it was covered under the warranty). Since it was just a small amount of water, we opted to wait and see if it leaked again. It hasn't leaked again. Overall, Mark has been very responsive and takes pride in his work. I can't recommend him highly enough. Oh, and his prices can't be beat. If I remember correctly, his quote was easily 30-50% cheaper than Woods. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[ame]

Sure will, THANK YOU!!! I am going to call him today and Raintite today and get them set up. Woods made it sound like it was negotiable, but how negotiable...?

Helitech comes tonight so we'll see what their cost is.

 

[LAJennifer]

I don't think a sump pump is what you need. I would look into have an overhead sewer system installed. That is the most effective solution for basements that flood from drains. I would not finish a basement without having that installed first. You could also look into flood control check valves, but the overhead sewer is definitely better.

 

[ame]

The sewer backed up only once, and that wasn't anything we could control. My brother actually asked about that system and the first company told me that would do nothing for me if the city sewer rainwater backs up besides make a bigger mess? And it won't make any difference when the walls seep which is the biggest thing we need to worry about.

 

[LAJennifer]

The sewer backed up only once, and that wasn't anything we could control. My brother actually asked about that system and the first company told me that would do nothing for me if the city sewer rainwater backs up besides make a bigger mess? And it won't make any difference when the walls seep which is the biggest thing we need to worry about.

Check valves can get clogged, but overhead sewers are best for city sewer backups (where water would come up through floor drains and toilets). You're right that it won't make a difference for wall seepage, though. I'm going through the exact same issue right now - sucks - so I feel you. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[jill_s]

Totally off subject, but since you are an STLer, I thought I'd ask. I'm looking for a local jewelry store for various things like replating WG rings and resizing, etc. Do you have someone that you've used and would recommend? I hate to just blindly choose someone, because you just never know. Thanks!

 

[ame]

Helitech was out...lets say that the guy himself was WAY better than the other guy but I don't love the product as much. I also didn't like the way they wanted to handle our window. But he was much more realistic about how big of a job it will be and told us what I was afraid we'd hear: our basement tiles (original) are asbestos tiles. And they have to come up in the areas he will be working before they can do anything. UGH. Some of the system just seemed like something my dad could do on the weekend, 4" drain pipe and whatnot where Woods had a nice system that LOOKED nice.

Also I left a message for your guy and that other one also. Hopefully we can work out a meeting before my brother moves for his work project. He needs to ask the construction questions that we don't think of.

Jewelers...as any poor sap who has worked with me before can attest, I am EXTREMELY particular and EXTREMELY specific. I won't just settle. I expect perfection, I can see when it's not perfection even without a loupe, and i expect it to be fixed if it's not. My anal-retentiveness and detail-orientation know no bounds. And then if I loupe it...the world will end. I don't totally cheap out either. I will pay for perfection. But many places around here don't seem to want to do it right. They cheap out. They do crappy jobs, and they expect yo to just accept it because they either can't do any better or won't invest the time to do it any better.

I went through David Kodner in Clayton for my Vatche and my Flyer ring, there were hiccups with all of them, but they've all been worked out and I can sit and yak with them forever...and I don't love the work his bench does sometimes. He's young, so I hope he gets better with time. But he's a fantastic polisher. Esp for Plat. I also have been happy with the work done at Summa in Kirkwood, Jim is awesome AND is an infinity dealer so there's a rare chance you could see JP or Paul there I could just sit and watch him do benchwork for like ever. I have had decent work done by John Zurbriggen at Rock Hill Jewelry also, but his personality ...special sometimes. And like, I can see if the prongs not touching the stone right, he'll argue. I don't need a loupe to see it. It's clear as day. "nope it's fine." He is funny though. Not a fan of the other guy there. Nice, but constantly "on". Saettle on Brentwood can do gold work in house, they send their platinum work to John Z. I really wish Hamilton was still around, and where his bench guys went. Bec for gold they were bar none. L.A. Montell(?) is also fantastic just from the custom work I have seen. Never worked with them but I would like to talk to Summit and Rafael? and see some of their stuff also.

I have so many to tell you not to go to for bench work I don't think the server can host it, but the short list is definitely Vincents, Genovese and Palecek. Genovese can do ok work, it's just that they won't do it 1) timely at all and 2) if you ask for platinum anything, they'll tell you no. Which is ridiculous. Was also not at all impressed with decor. For so very many reasons. And Michael Herr asked me if I had permission to buy a diamond or a ring because if I didn't they didn't want to waste time with someone not really allowed to buy.

 

[pregcurious]

Yes, we installed one, and put a membrane on the floor. We did not put it on the walls because there was no leaking through the walls. We interviewed 3 installers, and picked one based on Angie's List recommendations, price (in the middle), and scheduling.

 

[ame]

My husband and I talked about Angies List last night, so I might do that one today with some free time at work. I still haven't gotten return calls from either of the other places we called.

Most people we've talked to about Helitech were happy with them but when there was a problem they would go out of their way to make it the homeowners issue and not fix it.

 

[ame]

Update: Esp for Jill--
Mark is coming out Monday. Took a while for him to get back to me. We had "Raintite" come out tonight, totally different plan of action. He's talking about digging up our driveway and also a trench on the other side along our neighbors driveway, but only plans to draintile like our worst corner. DH is mostly liking Helitech right now, I am more liking Woods despite the weirdo.

 

[ame]

Jill:

Right now he's a frontrunner despite some of the words he used to describe people. I don't like his plan, but it's a cheap start at figuring out how to stop it, if it doesn't work then we do a sump pump and tiles. I have one more guy coming to give us an estimate.