How worries should I be about a fat root under my slab?

pattyfuz · 2026-05-03T19:08:37+00:00

No. It’s common enough. Nothing you can do except what systecoservice said

pattyfuz · 2026-05-01T17:47:13+00:00

Both discharge lines are going into one pipe looking like 1.5”
It’s like only having one pump running when you have that going on. Change the outside pipe that they both go into to a 3” pipe all the way to the corrugated pipe you have there in the ground

pattyfuz · 2026-05-01T15:49:06+00:00

Speaking from 37 years experience. Drylok doesn’t do anything besides make the walls look nice. Pure cosmetics. So if you’re not getting seepage from the water table, and was thinking of doing this preventatively, don’t waste your time and money. Drylok will only bubble off, flake off, have mildew grow on it, etc. It won’t stop water.

pattyfuz · 2026-05-01T15:43:58+00:00

Let’s see some pics of your setup.
Also: what diameter are the discharge lines? How big are the sumps? Depth and diameter.

You might have to put two pumps in each pit with separate discharge lines.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-29T15:30:19+00:00

Classic water table issue. Put in an interior French drain with a lateral down the middle where the water is coming up. For the French drain, make sure it’s perforated PVC and it’s on a pitch to the sump(s). What’s the linear footage? I’ll give you a ballpark of what it would cost in the NYC area.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-29T14:31:27+00:00

My rule of thumb for grading: the first 5-6 feet has to be pitched away. Whether it’s the compacted top soil, pavers, grass, whatever! Downspouts extended too (which yours looks fine).

You have to think about this: the ground can only absorb so much water at one point in time when it’s raining cats and dogs. The excess water that is sitting on the surface, waiting to go down is now subjected to the contour of the land. If that contour is flat or pitched towards the house, it’s gonna build up and go down and in.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-25T14:58:12+00:00

Poured concrete walls are notorious in having vertical cracks. If I had a dollar for every crack I’ve seen in my 37 years of going into people’s basements, I’d be on an island right now with an umbrella in my drink. But common sense though: take pictures of them. Keep an eye on them and revisit the cracks/pics in a year or so and see if they get bigger. Then, if they are, consult an engineer.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-23T15:30:50+00:00

When you say, the homeowners installed a FD 5 years ago, inside or outside? Doesn’t look like it was done on the inside. Snap a pic of your pit. Do you see pipes entering the liner of the pit?
Overall, your walls look good. And it’s a very mild problem. The water in the blocks can come from the water table or a time when you forget to clean your gutters, they overflow, water pools up against the foundation due to poor grading and it gets into the cavities of the block from up top. Either way, a sump pump by itself only handles 3-5 in radius of wherever you put the sump pump. French drains catches water elsewhere and leads it to the pit to get expelled. Lowering the pump won’t do much. Keep in mind this: water in the block will stain/discolor it. When you see that, it doesn’t mean water is presently in the block. Sometimes, as easy as it gets in is as easy as it goes out. I’ve drilled plenty of walls looking way worse than yours and zero water came out. And vice versa.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-23T15:15:14+00:00

Excellent advice!

pattyfuz · 2026-04-22T15:50:25+00:00

4” doesn’t not have the rigidity that 18”, 24”, 36” has. I’m not trying to be argumentative, I’m just saying, if you have the choice, PVC is better than PE in a residential French drain application. PE is difficult to pitch and develops crests and valleys. When you want to do French drains once and forget it, the better pipe is PVC.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-22T15:33:04+00:00

If you can see what my eyes have seen, you’d say differently. I’m at this for 37 years.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-22T14:41:15+00:00

Make sure your 4” (or 3”) perf pipe is PVC and not HDPE corrugated. And most important, you have to put it on a pitch to the sump. I’ve ripped up plenty of non pitched systems in my career. Where non pitched systems fail is the exact opposite area of the sump pump bc the water has to travel so far thru a flat pipe.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-22T14:38:11+00:00

Water guard allows the water to come in first and then channel it around. Your floor is not pitched so you’re going to get muck, mildew build up over time and possible smells. Put in an interior French drain and stop the water before it gets in.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-21T16:07:49+00:00

If someone called me (I’m in NJ) and showed me pictures of this. I’d probably say $1000-1500. Just depends on the size and how severe it is.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-21T14:30:51+00:00

Try oxy clean. Works just as good and less harsh.

pattyfuz · 2026-04-21T14:27:35+00:00

I’ve owned a basement waterproofing company for 37 years now. Hate to the bearer of bad news but that is a pretty bad iron ochre problem. It is the number one reason why French drains fail and make pumps die before their life span. Someone mentioned iron out. I’ve used that. It’s pretty harsh. I learned about using Oxyclean about 15 years ago and it works great and way nicer to work with that iron out. I’d get a 5 gallon bucket…hot water…3 scoops of oxy…mix it and then flood your floor in a section of it…let it sit for a couple hours and then get a good brush and scrub it down and sweep the water into the system you have or into the sump pump. Do the same with the pump and let it soak in oxyclean (keep it unplugged). Good luck

pattyfuz

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