Basement Waterproofing Case Studies: Leaking Egress Window Fixed & Water Control System Installed in Shawano, WI

Tuesday, November 7th, 2023 by Moira Helein

Challenge

Shortly after purchasing her ranch style home, the homeowners had a friend install an egress window for her daughter’s basement bedroom. Although the window looked great when installed, when the rainy spring weather arrived the egress well began to fill with water. This water, along with sand and mud, eventually spilled over into their daughter’s bedroom. Concerned about the possibility of mold, they were quick to clean up and dry out the affected area. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a one-time event. Each time rain was in the forecast, they couldn’t help but wonder if their daughter’s room would stay dry, and if not, how unpleasant would the water and mud cleanup be.

Over the next few years, the problem of the egress well not draining properly only got worse. While considering the options for repair, a friend recommended they call Sure-Dry. As we discussed the problem, they revealed that the motivation for repair was that they wanted to sleep at night. They were tired of the cleanup and the worry that came with every rainfall.

After inspecting the egress and surrounding area, not only was the well not draining, but the sandy soil around it was washing into it. The soil that was meant to support the egress well was ending up in the daughter’s bedroom. A properly installed egress well doesn’t allow the soil around it to seep between the well and foundation wall. In addition, a close look to the bare foundation wall next to the bedroom indicated that there was water intrusion along that same wall prior to them purchasing the home.

Because so much of the soil around the egress had settled and filtered into the well, and that the well itself had become warped, solving the problem meant replacing and properly installing a new one.

Solution

Knowing that the older well did not easily drain and that failed drain tile had caused water intrusion, we installed a window well duct kit to ensure proper drainage. To capture any future water along that foundation wall, we installed our WaterGuard Drainage System. The WaterGuard Drainage System will also capture any water that overflows from the well duct kit and drain it into the nearby sump system. These homeowners can now sleep worry free any time rain is forecasted, and knowing that their daughter's room will remain dry.