Thread: cold joint water seepage

What do you recommend for water that seeps through the footing and the foundation wall (cold joint) how would you seal it, and with what product. There is an interior water feature (big) that may be causing this. Client wants to know how to repair it. Thanks in advance
Steve

Similar Threads:

• Cold temperatures lead to early season chimney fire - The Coloradoan
• Cold air return
• Cold joint?
• Construction Joint needed?
• Brick Veneer Exterior Wall 90 deg inside joint

If possible, he needs to have the perimeter drainage checked out by a drain contractor. That is the first step, I'd think. They may need to excavate and install better drainage. Then a seal can be applied to the outer wall. There are new products coming out all the time for this. But the water is stopped before it gets to the concrete, if he wants it permanently fixed. Experts will chime in on this subject.

Originally Posted by Steve C.

There is an interior water feature (big) that may be causing this.

An interior water feature? Sounds to me like it is time to remove this interior water feature.

I encountered a similar situation but mine was from the outside, in. Surface drainage coming, in part, from an elevated neighbor property and also dripping off my own roof entering the garage via a cold joint. It was relatively easy to locate the gap (joint) and water source and (fortunately) no flooring to rip up. I used a helper and yard blower against the exterior perimeter to pin-point the crack as it was not readily visible from the outside. I could feel the incoming draught and see water being forced inside.

I installed about 50' of french drain along the foundation wall. This was a walkway so no plantings were involved. I filled the 'suspect' area with Henry's roofing bitumen, forcing it into the rough concrete foundation. When that was dry, for good measure, I applied a 18" x 18" 'patch' of sheet / flat rolled roofing material (sticky on one side), which I also lightly heated with a hot air gun, then more Henry's around the edges of the patch. Didn't look pretty but was all below grade and later back-filled with gravel. I was able to connect the french drain to a convenient sub-surface drainline. So far - One winter with some pretty heavy down-pours, no leaks and no pooling against the foundation.

Probably could have accomplised a similar result using concrete adhesive and plastic cement smeared over the foundation but I had the Henry's and roofing 'patch' on hand.

Originally Posted by Steve C.

What do you recommend for water that seeps through the footing and the foundation wall (cold joint) how would you seal it, and with what product. There is an interior water feature (big) that may be causing this. Client wants to know how to repair it. Thanks in advance
Steve

Any low pressure injection grout may apply from indoor. Please search the instruction on Youtube.

My little experience most important is
1. grading slope,
2. Draintile,
3. sealing
4. moisture barrier