My basement has water leaking from the outside when there is heavy rain. We have invested in water damming by a "professional", as well as new gutters and roof for outside. When this first happened, right after moving here, we thought re-grading the soil around the house would make a difference. Wrong! Sometimes life keeps handing you lemons. Ah well, we now just deal with it as it happens.
Some day we'll be able to have the foundation dug out, etc., but until then I have discovered a coping trick. Adult diapers! These babies absorb the water like crazy. So when the worst happens, I make a dam of the most absorbent diapers I can find. Soon all the water is gone into the diapers, and out they go. You have to buy the diapers when your kids are not with you, because the embarrassment factor is a real thing for them! I always watch for the diapers at Salvation Army or Goodwill, etc. Sometimes they can be found for as low as 3 dollars a package or less. At a regular store, you might have to pay 10 dollars or more. But even that is not too bad for the water they sop up.
By Elizabeth from Flint, MI
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Hay you have given me a good Idea the puppy potty training pads are so thin and dont do a good job and they cost just as much so next time i am in the store i will pick up some thank you
Depending on what kind of water was absorbed, (sewage or contaminated with oil or chemicals should be discarded) these diapers can be put outside after the rain to dry. May take a day or two, but they can then be reused.
Also, the polymer gel can be mixed with potting soil or in garden soil to retain moisture. I grew a garden in dessert sand using this technique plus a few others.
Urinary incontinence pads work well also.
I am a previous resident of Flint, close to Mott college, and it sounds like you have another solution at hand. Diapers are OK however I would suggest dischanging the roof rain run off at least 6 feet from the house. Many people have leaking basements and all the gutters in the world will not help if you have just put the water back on the ground close to the foundation of the basement.
I recently saw use of adult incontinence bed liner pads being used being used for soaking up water from a leaking roof. I thought, "interesting alternative."
Where exactly did you put the diapers at? outside to block the entry point on in the basement.
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