tanyikaj 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2004 I have a tenant buyer who is concerned that there is standing water in the backyard. She says it is uncommonly high and I have no idea what it could be from. She found out because a neighbor knocked on her door saying water was pouring down the alley from her house. Some water is also coming up through the basement floor. I told her to be sure the sump pump is working and to call a plumber but in the meanwhile I wanted to check here to see if any of you have experienced this, what it could be, how to resolve it and how much it might cost her.Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelC 160 Report post Posted June 7, 2004 The first question that comes to mind is the weather. Have you had abnormal rainfalls lately? If not, it sounds as if the property has a septic tank problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmccade 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2004 The first thing to do is clean out the gutters and make sure they are installed properly with a 1/16 slope toward the downspouts. Then make sure that each downspout ends in an extension which moves the water at least 8 feet away from the house and ends in a splash guard. You then need to check the slope of your yard from the house. The slope should be at least 1/12 away from the house. If it is not then you will need to add material to build up the soil around the house. I prefer to dig a trench 12" * 24" next to the foundation then fill the bottom 6" with sand, the next 6" with gravel, then the rest with top soil. This will aid the water in seeping down and away from the foundation. You could also place a drainage pipe on the sand layer which will allow the water to flow to a runoff pipe and escape. Make sure that your foundation is sealed or apply a water barrier before filling in the trench. Once the standing water is taken care of you can then tackle the basement problem by filling in any cracks and sealing the basement walls. You can also do the same with the floor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lydia 0 Report post Posted June 8, 2004 My front lawn had standing water when the water meter, or pipes around it was leaking. It was pretty obvious, because I could see ripples coming out from under the top of the water meter box. Lydia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Tony- 0 Report post Posted June 10, 2004 First you need to be calm ask it to sit down (standing water) . Sorry I know it's not funny but to me it sounds like lydia has the right idea..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites