|  If
you remember back in the planning
section, I stressed the importance of clearing out as much
of the basement as possible (see clearing
out the junk). Although I did remove a lot, I left a bookcase
(full of photo albums) in place.
Well, last weekend I finally got around to emptying it out and
moving it. Lo and behold there was another crack in the wall behind
it- with stains similar to the ones I fixed earlier.
Since my next step in the project is the long (30 foot) wall
running across the basement, I'll need to fix the crack before
I get to the end. I guess that's another ½ day of work to fix
this crack, but better to fix it now, than to pay for it later!
Repairing rod hole leaks
As I began to chisel out the crack to prepare to repair it (see
fixing cracks), I noticed something different this crack and
the other two. This leak was the result of a rod hole in the foundation.
What are "rod holes"?
Rod holes are present in all poured concrete basements.
They come from the forms used for the foundation walls. After
the concrete is dry and the forms pulled away, the rod holes are
plugged.
Unfortunately, over time the plugged area degrades and begins
to leak.
Here's both the crack, and a close-up of the rod hole:
Rod hole leaks in a foundation are pretty common. They're easy
to repair if you do it BEFORE you finish your basement!
I repaired this crack as I did the other two, using Drylok Fast
Plug. I took special care to ensure I got the quick drying hydraulic
cement as deep into the rod hole as possible. You could use a
pastry bag, or cut the corner off of a large food storage bag.
Squeeze the Drylok through the hole, deep into the rod hole.
For more information on basement
waterproofing, see the Basement
waterproofing topic in our Planning
section.
Now, it's time to move on to THE BIG WALL!
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