Construction Resources and Support

[Guest]

On occasion, during heavy rain, a window well has begun to fill with water. The window at this time is not waterproofed, so when water has gotten high enough, it will leak around the window. Last year the well was dug out 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. It is not certain if this helped or just allowed a place for water to drain closer to the foundation when the ground was saturated. Another attempt at a solution was to use drains attached to the downspouts, leading water further away from the house. This helped, but during heavy rain it will probably not be enough. There are no other water problems around the foundation. What other steps can one take to make sure that the well does not gather water? The well does have a cover over it, but that alone won't do the job.

[diyer]

Some Suggestions:

Window wells leakage is a very common problem and it's great that the owner (above) recognized the source of your water problem; sometimes it is missed as the original source for water in basements. Digging out the well and putting in stone was also a good start. Normally it is good to dig down 8" -12" and fill it up half way with stone. Another key is to caulk the inside of the well to the foundation so water does not come in through the sides. Lastly the dirt around the well should be graded away to keep surface water from running in. These three things normally solve 90% of window well leaks. If you are still having a problem you may have to add some type of drainage to the window well area.