Water Coming In at Well Pipe
#10
I've posted about this before, but the thread must have expired.

I have an unfinished basement.  The walls are concrete (or something that looks like it) over cinder block.  I believe my original stone foundation is behind the cinder blocks.

The pipe from my well comes in a 3" or so hole in the wall -- it's not sealed.  When the weather is very well, like now, I get water trickling in from the hole.  I'm guessing that there is a pipe leading out to the well and the pipe wall is cracked or the water is seeping into it.  I have no idea when the pipe was put in.

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I usually don't care about the water, but I'm trying to sell the house and a number of people have mentioned it.  I've thought about plugging the hole with some expanding foam or even some hydraulic cement.  But I think folks here told me that this would be a bad idea.  I really don't want to have to dig up my lawn to inspect/replace the pipe.

Any thoughts?

I also have this conduit carrying electricity to my outdoor lights.  Should I fill that space with rocks/debris and cover it with hydraulic cement?

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Thanks in advance.

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#11
it seems youre saying this occurs when the weather starts warming up, which leads me to believe the water of from the frost leaving and water penetrating the ground and not so much a cracked pipe. seems if there was a cracked pipe, youd be seeing the water regularly.
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#12
I have the same problem but it is when it rains I get water entering where the well pipe goes through the concrete stem wall. I have not figured what to use to seal the hole that would be water tight. I put a french drain completely around the building that is just under the well pipe just can't figure out why water is still entering.
Building My Dream Shop In North West Montana
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#13
Two things

Have you pressure checked your well line? A small leak will follow the pipe. If the ground has been frozen, it will stop the flow until it thaws..

Is your grading outside the structure sloping away from the foundation?
Neil Summers Home Inspections




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#14
I had the same problem at my old house after we bought it. It only happened when things were very wet so I was confident it wasn't a leaky pipe I fixed it by digging down the 5' to get to the pipe, spraying in some expanding foam to act as a backer, then cement crack repair on top of that. I sealed the entire area with tar, because the outside of the foundation had never been sealed. After I backfilled I regraded to get more of the water away from the house and reworked the downspout from the gutter.
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#15
If you aren't using water, does your pump still cycle on and off?  If not, no leak in the piping.
Blackhat

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#16
Thanks everyone.  I don't think there's a leak in the pipe bringing water into the house.  I think there may be a leak in the pipe/conduit (sorry, don't know the proper term) that the water pipe is traveling through.  

The grading around the house is ok, but not great.  Behind the house, there is a hill sloping down towards the house.  I get seepage along that basement wall.  I do have a tile drain leading to a sump pump, but it was installed long before I bought the place. I don't know anything about where the drain is, and it might be cracked, etc.  

So -- should I plug up that hole where the well-pipe is coming?  I really don't want to dig down to the pipe itself.  But if I just plug the hole at the entrance to the basement, I guess that water could collect behind the plug and do more damage?

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#17
Yes it can. You don't want water inside the foundation. To fix this properly it needs to be patched/sealed from the outside.
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#18
Is the larger pipe just a sleeve through the wall ?  Try shoving something up the pipe to see if it is a sleeve,  If it is, just seal it up.   Expanding foam works good if clean and dry.   Most underground conduits will get water in them either from seepage or condensation.    Can you see if the larger pipe is also at the well end ?    As far as the larger hole for the electric conduit, yes seal it up as the hole is large enough to let critters in.   Roly
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