Foundation Leak - where is the water coming from and how to fix common problems.

Foundation wall with a normal shrinkage crack. The damp spot and water pooling at the bottom is not so normal.

Finding water on the floor next to a crack in the foundation is always a bit disconcerting. Is there a buried pipe leaking? Do I have a groundwater problem? 

Most of the time, a minor leak is not a big deal if you take the time to correct the situation.

Close up of the pooling water. The water spreading across the floor was cleaned up prior to this picture being taken.

These pictures are from inside a shop structure. Standard inside view of a poured foundation wall. The shrinkage crack running up and down the wall is a normal finding but the damp area at the bottom is not. There is a source of water on the outside of this wall that is significant enough to cause water penetration through the wall. The pool on the floor has already been cleaned up - it was much larger prior to these pictures being taken. 

No plumbing in the wall or on the side of the house. You have to look outside to find the source of this leak.

Standard poured concrete foundation wall. The shrinkage crack is normal. Water leaking through the wall is not normal.

Outside the foundation wall. Is the water coming from the ground or above?

Outside view of the shop wall with the leak - it's about halfway down this wall on the inside. You need to look at the two likely causes to determine where the water is coming from.

• Ground sloping towards the wall instead of away.
• Water from gutter/roof system.

The ground is fairly flat here behind the wall. Slight slope from the neighbors yard but overall the grassy area behind the shop wall is fairly dry. No evidence of ground water moving towards the wall.

Found the water. This gutter has clogged downspouts and is causing an overflow leak.

Soggy ground and a drying puddle under the leak. This is at the same location as the shrinkage crack inside the shop.

Always look up at the roof and gutters - even a small drip can lead to problems over time. Right above the location of the leak inside we can find evidence that the gutters have been overflowing and dripping. Note the pine needles and gunk residue from the overflow of this gutter system. The ground under this leak is soggy and muddy. We found the source of the leak.

How to fix (need to be comfortable with getting on a ladder - if you are not, hire someone to do it for you):

1. Look at the gutter system for clogs. Common spot to find it is in the downspout connection or inside the downspout itself.
2. Remove any clogs and debris from the downspouts and gutters. Ensure that water from the roof has a controlled path to the ground.
3. Look at where the water is coming out of the downspouts. Is there a splash block? Is there a connection to a drainage system? Water from the roof needs to be directed away from the foundation and allowed to go downslope away from the structure.

This is an easy problem to fix with just a little effort and time.