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How to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall?

approachmhn
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How to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall?

 The external wall is single brick, I am getting water coming through the brickwork to crawl space under house when it rains .

 

I can get to both positive and negative sides of the water transfer.

Is there a suitable product to seal the wall on the outside or inside.

the upper part of external wall is rendered. So I think water ingress is through bottom where wall is not rendered and is covered by soil.

appreciate your suggestions

thanks.

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Thank you @Dave-1 and @EricL 

 

Now  you guys gave me more options.

I will start with @EricL suggestion.

 

@Dave-1 Then  I need your 3rd option to connect to storm water pipe through pit.

Will update as I progress. Thanks again.

 

Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Bunnings family.

 

@Dave-1 @EricL @MitchellMc  I observed the brick wall has cracks at few places  like the one seen in attached pic.

Is it ok if i waterproof  direct on top of brick ? Or should i patch this and then waterproof?

Also, what cement or patching I should use if I need to?

Thank you.

 

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Good Afternoon @approachmhn 

The bitumen paint will coat everything and seal any cracks. Your picture shows clay below those bricks? Is there a base the bricks sit on? And can we have a long shot (photo) showing the bricks and trench. I am just wondering if you have dug below the bricks and what they sit on.

 

Happy Christmas as well :smile:

 

Dave

Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

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Good Evening @Dave-1 .

 

Thank you. I have got

Concremate at home. So, will fill large cracks with it. Leave half day to dry and then apply bitumen paint. I think that will be ok.

 

i came home late. So could not take photo. Will post tomorrow morning.


Please check  brick wall photos from negative side. As it is a slope, the slab is like steps. The photo where you see water is on the lower side.

 

Outer wall where I dug the trench , bricks are actually on a concrete slab. But I see it is not extended away from brick. I mean the clay you see below those bricks is actually  slab made of concrete + gravel. I will post photos tomorrow morning.

 

it rained a lot last 2 days. I don’t see any water under house. Though there was enough water standing in trench.

Looks like water leak was through bricks.

Sometimes I think, after painting with bitumen, put gravel below bricks and then backfill dirt. 
That might solve the problem instead of Ag pipe. 
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Evening @approachmhn 

Cool, was worried the bricks looked like they were in the clay directly :surprised:

 

I really wouldnt worry about the concretemate, id go with the bitumen paint to seal the cracks. But really comes down to how comfortable you are.

 

Yes you could go that route with backfilling the trench after the bitumen paint has dried. Just remember that the issue arrose because you had excess water there. Water needs somewhere to go and came form somewhere. You could always backfill the trench with soil and monitor it. It will be easier to dig out as you have now done the initial excavation. 

 

You know your place better then anyone else, and you are the one who has the final call :smile: I installed pavers over the 8mm gravel when the recomendation said use paving sand. I am happy with the results but also know that issues could arrise. The first one is weeds do like the cracks :smile: 

 

Write your options out, effort you have gone to, effort that you may expell backfilling the trench. Money saved by not purchasing the pipe and pits, Effort to dig the lot up if the problem returns. Pretty much your call :smile: I like those decisions even tho they do stress me :smile: Only one way to learn is usually what I tell myself.

 

Dave

 

Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Thank you @Dave-1 .

Very helpful suggestions. I will keep in mind.

Please find the photos. Not sure you can see slab properly. (Look at the root getting under slab, which shows how strong the slab is. Cut the root and cemented that place as well. Though root goes further)

 

May I know how long to leave bitumen to dry before backfilling?

manual says 5 days.

 

The main issue why water is seeping through bricks is because all rain water that flows down the wall was getting into dirt and then to crawl space through bricks buried under dirt.

 

when I dug further away from wall, clay soil is dry though it rained a lot. 
My plan is to lay pavers on top which slope towards  the driveway and then seal with silicone between wall and pavers which will direct water away from wall.

Confusion starts here I.e. 

should I fill 8mm gravel at the bottom until bricks covered in geo textile extending around 2 metres away from wall at the lower end. So water soaks into soil.

And then backfill dirt ? or should I fill 8mm gravel/paving sand all the way to the top?

Appreciate any suggestions.

 

I am also open to put Ag pipe along the trench but don’t find any way other than cutting concrete across driveway to connect it to storm water pipe. 

Is there a way to leave Ag pipe soak water into garden bed for now without clogging the Ag pipe? Please let me know.

 

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Hi @approachmhn,

 

As mentioned by @Dave-1, installing Ag pipe (agline) would be the best option to ensure the water flows away from the wall. Without it, water can accumulate in the trench and will likely continue to cause issues by sitting near the brickwork. By installing the Ag pipe, you can direct the water to a more suitable area, like a garden bed, which would prevent it from seeping into the slab. Even if you don’t connect it to stormwater straight away, just allowing it to divert the water into a garden bed will be better than letting the water sit around the foundation.

 

Your waterproofing efforts, such as applying bitumen paint, will help prevent water from getting through the cracks in the wall, but managing the water flow away from the wall is key to long-term success.

 

Mitchell

 

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Thank you @MitchellMc .

Sure. I will go with your advice on Ag pipe. 

Ag pipe in garden bed will still be under soil. May I know how to avoid Ag pipe getting clogged with dirt and safely drain out water from pipe?

 

Also, should I  backfill dirt or gravel/sand all the way to top? Which is better

Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

To prevent it from getting clogged with dirt, you can purchase socked Ag pipe or wrap the Ag pipe in a geotextile fabric (also known as drainage fabric) @approachmhn. This will allow water to flow through while keeping soil and debris out of the pipe. Make sure the fabric is wrapped tightly around the pipe and overlaps at the seams, so dirt can’t sneak in.

 

As for backfilling, it's generally better to use gravel up to the top, rather than regular dirt. Gravel or sand will promote better drainage around the Ag pipe, allowing water to flow more freely towards the pipe and away from the foundation. When you backfill with dirt, it can compact and reduce drainage effectiveness over time.

 

Once the pipe reaches the garden, even though it's under soil, the water will begin to seep out of the pipe and into that area.

 

Mitchell

 

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Re: how to stop water ingress under house through external brick wall

Thank you very much @MitchellMc .

I will follow the steps you mentioned.

Will post here as I progress.

 

May I know if 8 mm gravel is good to go with? Or any suggestions please?

-Mahon

 

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