Outdoor waterproofing around storm drain?

[DIYKeith]

Hi there, around a storm drain on our property, it looks as though someone once put paint/render over the bricks on the ground however, as can be seen from the photo, this is eroding away. Underground is an unfinished storage space/bedrock around the storm drain, and water does seep through in heavy rainfall (not sure if this just normal ground water or water seeping through the bricks around the storm drain). Anyway, question is, should I paint over the bricks and if so, should I use some sort of exterior water proofing mebrane, or does it really matter that much to leave exposed? Rain water flows fairly well over the bricks into the storm drain,  it would more be to just direct it ALL there. (Fortunately it doesn’t pool). Also, building a low level deck over top so not fused about appearance). Thanks in advance, especially if it’s @MitchellMc again! (Previous retaining wall and ledger questions are all part of my mega backyard projects prior to summer)!

 

 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @DIYKeith,

I'd like to hear a bit more about this "unfinished storage space". What's going on there? 

Regarding your question, I'd suggest cleaning the area thoroughly with a high-pressure washer. Get down at a shallow angle and try to shoot the water under the edge of the render. This will blast off any loose/degraded render. You can then use an outdoor cleaner and stiff bristle brush to thoroughly scrub down the area. Rinse off the area with the pressure washer.

Once the area is dry, you can paint an exterior waterproofer over it. Make sure you cover the whole surface area and down into the top of the pit. Remove the grate so you can paint down over the edge into the pit.

The importance of sealing these bricks really comes down to what exactly this storage area is.

Mitchell

[DIYKeith]

Perfect, thanks @MitchellMc the "unfinished storage area" is basically a large crawl space behind the the brick wall of the garage that surrounds the concrete storm drain and is surrounded by the sandstone foundation. It's about 5 sqm and 3 meters high, so just useful for storage of garden equip etc....or a future wine cellar.........but it gets very damp in heavy rain so I'm keen to at least try and reduce the moisture down there as much as possible. The exterior waterprooofer into the top of the pit is the product I needed the recommendation on. thanks!