man made slots at bottom of basement wall

[leslier]

I have a wet basement, an I figure that a lot of it has to do with the sloop of the land ( we just bought the house) About a 1/3 of the basement floor flooded. There are man made holes or rectangular slots all along the basement wall. about 6 feet apart. What are these slots for? It seems that the water is coming in through them. also we have a "dry well" in the front yard for the washing machine, could this have filled up with rain water and backed into the basement? I ask this because the wall that is leeking (no cracks just those man made slots at the base of the wall all four walls) is at the lower end of the sloop we are on I would think that water would come in more heavily from the other side. Any ideas on how to deal with those slots?

Help! Les in RI

[Mark]

This sounds like one of those expectional situations. It may be a common construction technique in your area or a one of a kind. I'm sure it can be repaired but I would recommend call a profesional to look at the situation. I might also recommend capping the "Dry well" and running your washing machine into the sewer. For a dealer near you please call us at 1-800-541-0487.