kevinp
12-09-2003, 09:30 PM
We have a eight year old home and just finished off the basement about 1 1/2 years ago. We have a window well on the west side of the house. On occasion, during heavy rain, the well has begun to fill with water. The window at this time isn't waterproof, so when water has gotten high enough, it has leaked arond the window. We have been lucky enough to catch it in time and bail water out of the well, keeping it out of the basement. Last year I dug out the well as far down as possible, removing the dirt and replacing it with stone, hoping to allow the water to reach the foundation faster and improve drainage. I'm not sure if this helped or just allowed a place for water to drain closer to the foundation when the ground was saturated. I began to use drains attached to the downspouts, leading water further away from the house. This helped, but during heavy rain I don't think it will be enough. I plan to make minor landscaping changes next year to improve grade along that side of the house, as well as seal off that window. I've never had any other water problems around the foundation. Any other steps I can take to make sure that well does not gather water? It does have a cover over it, but that alone won't do the job.