Foundation leak

550Doug · Oct 6, 2021

The previous owner of our house had a hole drilled through the poured concrete foundation to have the air conditioner lines enter the house. The hole was drilled below grade so he could hide the lines. We have since removed the lines and I have used the hole to pass the underground electrical wire to the lamp post that I installed a number of years ago. I had used some type of caulking to plug the hole to keep the water out as there is a down spout nearby. I notice now that water is leaking through that hole and I'd like to put on some type of a permanent patch or sealer. I'm looking for suggestions.
The picture shows where a tar-like substance was originally used as well as the caulking that I used. It looks like a crack across the top but that is actually the edge of a cement protrusion.

Janicholson · Oct 6, 2021

Rent an electric impact chisel. Use it to remove an additional 1/2 inch of concrete around the wire, breaking it and the goo away from the
wire. Make the chiseled area about an inch deep. Epoxy based filler Dev-Con or PC-7, or JB Weld should be used to fill the hole and
adhere to the clean wire. Jim

Brian G. NY · Oct 6, 2021

If it were me, I would dig out everything that's now in there and use "Hydraulic Cement" in its place.

redforlife · Oct 6, 2021

I'd take that wire out of that hole,
and chisel out all the cock, puddy,
silacone, and whatever else was used
to plug the hole. Then cement the hole
back shut with real cement.
Then go above the ground and drill new
hole out. If you want the wire under
the ground, then simply go straight
down into the ground however far you
want immediately OUTSIDE the basement
wall. If you want to protect it from
your weed eater, just simply put it
through some conduit where it goes
into the ground.

sms · Oct 6, 2021

If you decide on caulk try Sika brand. I
have had good luck with it.

SVcummins · Oct 6, 2021

Flex seal it even works under wooder
Flex seal

Gtidwell · Oct 6, 2021

Clean out all the old caulk and all and
you can leave the wire in and get you a
sack of pipe patch cement. You have to mix
it fairly quickly and put it in the hole.
You can then wipe it all on the inside to
look nice. It sets up really fast. We use
it inside of sewer manhole and storm
inlets.

Tony in SD · Oct 6, 2021

Dont know if Flex Seal will work or not. But the little fat man on the commercial says it will. If it doesnt, you could always make a boat with it.

Goose · Oct 6, 2021

If you're in a area where the ground freezes in the winter, I'd be nervous about putting anything through the basement wall underground.

My wife and I found that out the hard way on the first house we owned. Before we owned it, someone had run a natural gas line through the basement wall about a foot underground. One winter when the ground froze, it moved enough to crack a fitting on the gas line, causing a major gas leak.

Dang near blew the house up and/or gassed my wife and I because the leak occurred overnight.

db4600 · Oct 6, 2021

It sounds like you want to keep the wire. Pick out what you
can. Use a hose brush, or bottle brush, and even some
compressed air. Find a urethane caulk. Sika was mentioned.
OSI is good and might be more available, but any urethane
will do. It will allow for any movement with good adhesion and
easy install.

Stroby · Oct 6, 2021

I agree with Brian G. I have used hydraulic cement for years and the success rate is near 100%.

550Doug · Oct 6, 2021

(quoted from post at 14:25:28 10/06/21) If it were me, I would dig out everything that's now in there and use "Hydraulic Cement" in its place.

Must everything be dug out? Will hydraulic cement adhere only to old concrete or will it also adhere to the old caulking and plastic covering on the wire?

Crazy Horse · Oct 6, 2021

Red: I'd say that you are giving the best advice of all. It appears to me that there is not even a conduit around that wire. Your solution is the most work but it's the one that is correct. I don't think any of the others would pass an inspection, not that one is going to be done, but just sayin' ....

showcrop · Oct 6, 2021

2X wha Brian G. NY posted.

Mark-Mi · Oct 6, 2021

db4600 reply works for me.

Fritz Maurer · Oct 6, 2021

Does your downspout drain out into the yard, or
does it go down to the footer drain?

Gtidwell · Oct 6, 2021

It will have to be cleaned out. It will
adhere to the concrete and the cable. We
have used the fast set pipe patch cement
in sanitary sewer manhole that were in
service. It will stop infiltrating ground
water.

Northvale PA · Oct 6, 2021

I ran a new water line thru the stone wall of our farmhouse. It leaked bad that next winter. I chipped
around the pipe and patched it with hydraulic cement and has not leaked ever since. Good stuff.

Stroby · Oct 7, 2021

If you can't get all the caulking off of the wire, I'd try to push it back in the wall far enough for the hydraulic cement to seal against the wire. Won't need much. The key is to make sure the
shoulder of the concrete that the hydraulic cement is expanding against, is either at a 90 degree or that it slopes toward the outside just a little. Make for a tighter grip.

showcrop · Oct 7, 2021

(quoted from post at 15:22:39 10/06/21)

(quoted from post at 14:25:28 10/06/21) If it were me, I would dig out everything that's now in there and use "Hydraulic Cement" in its place.

Click to expand...

Must everything be dug out? Will hydraulic cement adhere only to old concrete or will it also adhere to the old caulking and plastic covering on the wire?

Doug, the thing about hydraulic cement is that it expands as it cures, so it forms a tight bond and is not just eye wash like something applied to the surface. Therefore you need to make your best evaluation of the integrity of "everything that is there now" It is like painting your house or your tractor. If you paint over loose material such as dust, old paint, caked grease, etc. your new paint will stick to what you apply it to so when what you applied it to falls off your paint goes with it. You could try caulk or something like flex seal over the surface, and when it leaks again just go back and clean out everything that is not bonded, and push the hydraulic cement or pipe patch in and be done with it.

Stephen Newell · Oct 7, 2021

If it were me I would open up the hole again and fill it with concrete anchoring epoxy. It comes in a tube like caulk and you just inject it in the hole. The concrete would need to be dry though. You could also work the epoxy into that crack above it.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-8-6-oz-High-Strength-Anchoring-Epoxy-862031/203604182

Pete in Holland MI · Oct 7, 2021

Does it weep water all the time, or only during a rain? Would first try to figure out where the water is coming from and
divert that elsewhere. Allowing water to accumulate around the foundation requires that your foundation act like a boat.
Sometimes, walking around your house in a heavy rain shows things that won't be noticed after the rain. Learned of a of
issues at my house a few months ago during a storm.

Everyone is always looking for a quick fix on leaks. Any kind of adhesive, being it glue, caulk, hydraulic cement will need a
very clean base surface to adhere to to be successful, else, you're only bonding to the dirt or old sealers (which have
failed) in the area, and failure will be enevitiable.

550Doug · Oct 7, 2021

(quoted from post at 20:47:53 10/06/21) Does your downspout drain out into the yard, or
does it go down to the footer drain?

The downspout goes out into the yard. The problem occurs in the winter and spring during thaw cycles when the downspout is frozen and the melting snow flows over the eaves and against the house. This is located in the inside corner where the garage meets the house.

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