Any basement water problem experts here?

[SvilleKid]

OK Larry.... This is not a problem that can be fixed from the inside. Hydrostatic pressure is one of the strongest pressures around, and can actually push a wall in and collapse it, even a poured concrete wall. You have two possible problems (or both). Surface water running down the wall due to poor drainage AWAY from the foundation wall, and/or sub-surface water finding cracks below the surface.

Install gutters (if not existing), and drain away from the foundation. If the lot overall flows to the foundation, you need to add dirt to the house edge, sloping away from the house. If there is NO obvious areas where surface water is running to the foundation, then you are in for an expensive repair.

The foundation should have a "french drain system:, where the exterior wall has been waterproofed, with perforated drain pipe at the bottom with a gravel base over the pipe. If this wasn't done to start with, or was done improperly at the original construction, the only way to correct (and the best way) is to dig the outer foundation back down to the footings, clean off the foundation, install a waterproofing barrier on the outer wall, install the drainpipe, cover with a layer of gravel and then back-fill the trench. This is a job probably best left to a contractor, and most that specialize in this will give you a warranty.

Good luck. Maybe the problem is surface related and fixable with gutters and re-landscaping to keep the water away from the foundation. But...... Chances are, since the water has already found a path to the mentioned cracks, it will keep coming into the cracks. Meaning you will probably end up needing to expose the outside wall and do a proper waterproofing and french-drain job.

Sure, you can punch a hole thru the concrete slab, make a sump pit and install a pump. This DOES NOT fix the problem of pressure against the foundation. It is also a negative when it comes to marketing the house. And if it is a subsurface problem, punching a hole thru the floor just gives the water another route into the house. And the pressure on the wall is still an issue. AND, you absolutely do not want to put any finished walls over a wall with leaks in it! That leads to only one thing.... Major mold/mildew problems that will be really expensive to remedy down the road!!