Subfloor water - Water accumulating on the subfloor

[steve484]

Hello, great website and forum, I have read quite a few articles and messages.

We have a 1930's end terrace house. We found water getting into the subfloor, below the floorboards. The subfloor has a concrete oversite.

We found that when it rains for about a day water accumulates in puddles against the end gable wall to about an inch depth. Once it stops raining it takes a day for the water to evaporate.

There was a gully blocked in the gated alleyway outside the back yard of the house. The council cleared this drain three weeks ago. I don't think this is the cause of the water in the house. It has not rained substantially since to find out

We examined the pavement on the gable end of the house. Some gaps in the motor between paving stones, particularly where it joins the house.

Also there is a open drain (I guess for surface water) in the the road running along the gable end side of the house.

The house itself it at or near the top of a hill, houses appear lower around it. However, the pavement ground level is above the subfloor void. The soil below the pavement is clay

Thinking about putting some drain dye in the street drain or in the cracks of the pavement and waiting until it rains again. See if the dyed water appears in the house

Any suggestions. Thanks. Steve

[jwill]

Whats the symptoms of this water?
I've got suspended floor in my new place. Never checked below it after heavy rain (no hatch or anything) so I wouldn't know if puddles are accumulating. As long as the subfloor is well ventilated is it a problem or are you getting a damp smell? Does the surfacing around the house fall away from the walls or to a drain (as per the road side)?

[steve484]

Thanks for your reply

We took up the floor boards because floor was slightly fallen in the corner. We found some rotton floorboards and some rotten joists all towards the gable end of the house. The chimneys breasts have already been removed in the room but the hearths remain

The pavement on the gable end of the house slopes into the road where there is a surface drain

[Tony McC]

The drain tracing dye *might* help, but it's not always easy to spot in this sort of situation.

You might be better advised to get a drainage engineer look at the levels and devise a remedy. It may be that some form of interceptor and/or barrier drainage composite on the outside of the house will be the most appropriate fix, but you need on-site investigation to prove that.

[steve484]

Thanks for your reply

If it turns out to need a interceptor and/or barrier drainage composite on the outside of the house how would that be done. The gable end of the house abutts straight onto the pavement so it would need to be installed on council property.

Would the council install it or else permit us to have it installed

[Tony McC]

Local authorities are usually pretty accommodating when it comes to essential nproperty maintenance. The will probably issue a spec for how any disturbance to the land is to be reinstated, but you wil most likely find them to be more of a help than a hindrance.

[steve484]

Thanks for your reply