Randy’s Cellar is Leaking Again, is Yours?

My basement isn't anywhere near as bad as the one in the picture, thank goodness, but with all the rain we have had lately, especially again on Sunday, I have some water leaks in my cellar again. I have had them from time to time over the years and had to seal, cement, and caulk to stop the leaks and it looks like I’ll have to do more.

I have a solid poured cement walled cellar but the water seeps through the ground outside and finds any little opening to make its way into the house. There must have been some water building-up behind a small section of wall for some time now and the cement is starting to separate in that section. As things dry, I’ll have to remove the flaked cement and re-do it. To seal cracks and small leaks on the walls I use a product called Dry-Lox, it comes in powder form you can mix yourself but the easier way to buy it is already mixed. Basically it’s a waterproof paint; it goes on just like paint and cleans-up with water. If the cracks aren’t too big and don’t need re-cemented, this works great to keep the water out. Another good thing about this product is it can be tinted to match the color of your walls. You can find it at almost any hardware store and comes in gallons or 5 gallons. If you’re like me, and like most cellars in Maine, you have a leak too. Good luck trying to seal it.