any engineers on this site?

Started by BonnieG1 • 12 replies • 1496 views

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BonnieG1 (Nebraska)
Posts: 1,186

Posted:

We have a problem with water entering the garage when it rains or snows. (We are a 43 unit condominium in NE with a garage of 31 spaces.) The Building manager walked aroundd in the rain one day to check this out, but the area we thought it was coming from was dry. We thought it was entering at the base of the building.

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

Need some more details...Are there trees nearby? Is it all concrete or any concrete brick? How old is the complex and is it on a slope? Is it coming from the front or the side?

I have a leaking garage. My issue involves the fact that I have a large tree next to the garage that's roots have damaged some of the concrete block. A bit of caulking could help seal the cracks. The long term solution would be to remove the tree and grind the roots if that is the issue. My tree is staying for me because it saved my garage from a runaway vehicle once. My neighbor's grandkid forgot to put his truck into park and it slid down the hill into my fence/garage area. It also provides lots of shade saving me on my electric bills...So you could cause another issue by correcting another...

If it's coming from the front, then add some weather stripping to the bottom of the door. It could need replacing. It's relatively cheap and is available at Home Depot/Lowes. It installs onto the bottom of the garage door. You will have to remove the existing one to replace it.

Not knowing the entire situation, it sounds like settling of some kind. Provide more details.

Former HOA President

BonnieG1 (Nebraska)
Posts: 1,186

Posted:

Thanks, Melissa, I wil check this out. I know it is not coming from the garage doors. The water is not by either the entry or exit doors and we did just install weather stripping on each door. But it might be a tree or settling. We were established in 1981.

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

You know another possibility? It's going to sound a bit dumb...but could it just be the water run-off from the vehicles? I thought the roof was leaking in my garage when I noticed a puddle in the middle of the floor. Just had a new roof put on so had me a bit concerned. Turns out it was just the water that had run off my vehicle and puddled in a low spot in the garage. It's a consideration when investigating...

Former HOA President

BonnieG1 (Nebraska)
Posts: 1,186

Posted:

Thanks for the suggestion that this may be run off from vehicles. However, I know that is not the case. The amount of water is like a small river; some under vehicles, but much in the middle of the garage. I do see run off from vehicles and can recognize it as run off from vehicles. I hope to go to the garage the next time we have a rain or snow storm to try to see where the water is coming from. I am also going to see how close our trees are to the building.

BradP (Kansas)
Posts: 2,640

Posted:

Bonnie:

i am not an engineer but do know that water sometimes comes from underneath concrete. Concrete is pourous and if you have any cracks (even without)you could get seepage up from underneath the slab. I would also check the slope of the land around the garage, doesn't take much for water to get in.

MikeS1
Posts: 521

Posted:

Is this old building? new building? Flat roof? Pitched? Does buidling have a basement that goes below graded? Do the downspouts connect to drain tile that carries the water away from th building? Has is the grade around the building? Is there positive grade change away from the building? Any springs nearby? Was the building built before builders installed drain tile around the foundation and under the slabs? FYI - We had a condo built in 1989 on a slab without any drain tile and it was built on a spring. They had to tear up the foundation in 2 of the units, dig up the ground around the entire foundation and install drain tile, also connected them to the downspouts and it finally solved the problem.

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

And here's another idea - the garage door going up and down can bring in water. Also, look at the doors leading outside. Sometimes rivers of water can enter thru them.

Drop a marble in the center of the garage. It should roll because there should be some kind of gentle slope of the poured concrete. Find it and see if it works,

SteveM9 (Massachusetts)
Posts: 3,699

Posted:

Water problems are so hard to figure out. Next time you have water issue, hire a home inspector with a thermal camera for around $100 to find out if the water is coming from. He will tell you the exact area where its still damp.

BonnieG1 (Nebraska)
Posts: 1,186

Posted:

Thanks for all your help. I got a lot more responses that I expected to get. I will have to mention them to the other Board members. Our next meeting is Jan 12, 2012. Thanks again for the great help.

MikeS1
Posts: 521

Posted:

The building codes have changed over the years. Newer garages built over the last 20 years all have drop lips or inclines so that water does not come into the building. This was not the case on very old homes.

BradP (Kansas)
Posts: 2,640

Posted:

a lot also depends on the site, how close the groundwater is to the surface, etc...there are a literally many ways water can wreak havoc on structure and until you find the cause it would be pointless to try any solutions.

JohnB26 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,569

Posted:

DOH ... water flows downhill & seeks its own level ... DOH

unless the garage floor is totally above grade IT WILL GET WET

the facts, while unpleasant to hear, and expensive to correct, are in fact .... FACTS

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