Expert: Dan Griffin - 4/6/2009

Question
QUESTION: We have an unfinished wine cellar that is attached to our house (we bought it this way).  We are trying to finish it out, but it leaks.  Basically our house is on the side of a hill.  The previous owners built the house- then poured a separate foundation for the patio and then pool.  Under the patio is an above ground wine cellar.  (meaning that there is a set of stairs leading down from the pool to doors for the wine cellar).  It leaks down the "wall" (or foundation of the house).  We have had the stone on the patio lifted and the joint resealed, but it still leaks.  Do we have to have the joint sealed from inside the cellar?  We have been dealing with this for a few years and just want to fix the leaks before we finish it out.  Please- any advise would be great!

ANSWER: Traci, this one doesn't sound good.  You have a pool higher than the floor of the basement?  I'm confused about these elevations.  How can the wine cellar be above ground if you go down a flight of stairs to get to it?  Is the patio about the same elevation as the pool?  Is the patio/pool slightly lower than finish floor in the house?  Do you have a full basement, or just this wine cellar?  Is this wine cellar leaking at its floor line, a vertical surface, or at its top?  I've read your letter several times and I'm starting to think you have a raised patio and the water is coming in at the ceiling of the wine cellar along the house.  If so, I would guess there is a concrete deck under the stones of the patio.  Is the entire deck leaking (concrete is NOT waterproof) or just the joint along the house wall?

All waterproofing is best done on the outside.  Water can be a huge issue.  Dealing with water is always best dealt with before construction, not after.  Pools should be designed with a plan to deal with potential leaks.  Sump pumps and mechanical solutions require equipment maintenance and attention, and so, should not be the first choice.

You don't mention where you are, but I think I would suggest contacting a waterproofing contractor.  Answer a few of my questions and attach a picture(s) if possible for me to be of much help.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The inside of the wine cellar is maily all concrete.  The wall on the left is the foundation for the house and the wall on the right is offset from the foundation of the pool.  The patio is above the archway.

Answer
Tracy, this has helped a bit.  Where does the wine cellar leak?  Does the pool equipment room leak?

If the leak is just at the ceiling along the house foundation, I guess the fellas didn't get it sealed.  Again, contact a waterproofing contractor.  There are two products that come to mind that might solve your problem.

Xypex - http://www.xypex.com/products/products.php
The product I have used was an interior application on an underground bumker.  It forms a crystalline structure in the concrete that seals out moisture.  We applied on all interior surfaces and it seemed to solve the problems.  This is the one I would use if the concrete getting damp in many locations.

The other product is Mountain grout - http://www.polyurethanegrouts.com/
This one would work best if you have a particular crack or joint leaking.

Both of these products can be applied from the inside whick I am sure is what you would prefer doing rather than digging up the outside surfaces.