Leaky window sill

[fishin58]

I just bought a house last december, prob #1 had water in the basement last week! This is an egress window..it came in mainly where the bottom part of the window or the wood frame meets the concrete, this is where it leaked...there is this black stuff in there, but what is the best product to use here. also I have one verticle crack in the cement where water also seaped in, another product or the same one as the window?

[joe_stack20]

was a wet basement in the disclosures in the purchase aggreement at the closing of the house?? If not I would check with the previous owners as well as the realtor that helped you in the purchase of the home. I fought a wet basement for 5 years and had different ways of fighting it....but a the time all were too expensive for my then current position. Its not fun having a wet basement....but anways i would first go to the purchase aggreement of the home and check out the disclosures!

[fishin58]

It was kind of an as is thing> it was an estate deal where the daughter was sellin it for there deceased dad. The house is only ten years old though> but is there any kind of DIY stuff for a verticle crack.

[CFRay]

There is not a waterproofing product that will hold back the water if its getting deep enough to come in where the wood framing/window meets the foundation. After the ground thaws out find a way to redirect the ground slope away from the window or lower it. There should be 6" +/- of conc. foundation wall above the soil line. Later in the season that rain water will likely soak in and not cause a problem. Right now that meltwater can seep down next to the foundation and come in that crack . The soil right next to the wall is not frozen and gives a path for the water to move. Good Luck!

[fishin58]

Thanks Cfray that is exactly whats happening. I did pick up some leak stopper for a roof... it is for skylights, chimneys, and such.. I hope this is a quick fix until the ground thaws and then I can go to work outside.

[Justfishing]

The leak at the window should be fixed with a caulking suitable for both wood and cement contact.

If you have a crack in the concrete wall you need to assess how big it is and if there is current movement. If its a recent crack and you can put more than the tip of a pencil in it then you should have an engineer look at the house. It it appears to have happen long ago then seal it with hydraulic cement. You can put it on wet walls.

Were is the water coming from to get in the window. Is there a window well?

I would say over 95% of water problems are caused by improper drainage. I can spot basement water problems in most homes I inspect before I get to the basement.

Drain spout extensions are a must. Next is positive drainage from the entire perimeter. One mistake people make is landscaping next to a new house before the ground has settled. The first 8-10 or more from the house should slope away from the house. If there is rock or wood chips next to the house determine were the base is below this material. If it is lower than a couple a feet away then the water will seep in next to the house.

[fishin58]

So far so good with my roof goop for the crack inside> but I was at Fleet over the weeknend and I found a quickrete product that looked like exactly what I was looking for it comes in like a caulk gun tube and I think it will work..But the landscaping is also a problem like the previous poster had stated thanks for your help.