# Window well filling up with water from the bottom up



## antiheroix (Jul 1, 2015)

I have 2 covered basement window wells on the side of my house. When it rains heavily, they fill up with water from the bottom up.

There are 4 downspouts from the gutters on our roof. They run into underground pipes (the black corrugated kind) that lead to a large drywell. When it rains heavily, the pipes take quite a lot of water.

One of the pipes ran very close to the window wells and had some leaky elbows. We thought that was the cause of the seepage, so we ripped out that portion of pipe (about 10 feet in all) and re-routed it about 5 feet from the window wells using a much higher quality PVC pipe.

It's still happening!

We recently ran a camera down the pipes and it appears there are a few places where the pipes are crimped or broken by tree roots. This is about 25 feet from the window wells.

Roto Rooter said that the crimped/broken pipes are what is causing the problem still and that I should replace ALL of our underground pipes with more solid quality pipes.

Question: could this REALLY be the cause? I would figure that any backflow due to the crimps in the pipe would cause the water to overflow from where the downspouts connect into the ground pipe, not come up from underground inside the window wells.

Note: there are no drains inside the window wells, just rocks. Not sure drains would help since the water is coming up from below.


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## frodo (Jul 1, 2015)

why not install a drain in the window well going to the storm drain  [black pipe]


as far as your drainage system,,if your pipe is cloged/kinked it will not drain.

most likely what is happening.  the water that is leaking out of your storm drain,

is following the pipe back up the line.  it is traveling along in the gravel bed that was installed

if you get the storm drain unclogged, and install area drains in the window well,,you will be ok


i suspect your dry well is to small for the amount of water you are getting,,but can not say for sure, till the roots are gone


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## antiheroix (Jul 1, 2015)

Hi Frodo,

The window well is dug deeper than the storm drain pipe, so it would be hard to install a drain in the well that connects to the pipe. Also, if the pipe is backfilling, it wouldn't help.

Hmm, you make a GREAT point that the water is probably following the gravel bed back towards the window wells. I was wondering why, if the root penetration is 25 feet away from the windows, that the water would be making it all the way back there vs. seeping into the ground near the breakage. That might be it.

I guess first thing is lay new pipes and hope it does the trick.


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## frodo (Jul 1, 2015)

dig a dry well if no other option

4'x4' x 4' hole..put a 55 gallon plastic drum in it,,drill a zillion holes in it

fill hole with gravel.

that ill give the water some where to go.


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## JoeD (Jul 1, 2015)

The window well should have a drain pipe in that goes down the the foundation drain (weeping tiles)and into your sump pit.


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## nealtw (Jul 1, 2015)

What ever the cause you have water filling up around your foundation, it is only a matter of time and you have a basement leak. Older systems have one pipe that handles dowm spouts and foundation perimeter and either the window well is backfilled with gravel or there is a drain. At the very least you need a second solid pipe to remove the downspout water and if you are doing that it would not make sence not to replace or repair the weeper too.


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## slownsteady (Jul 1, 2015)

You could temporarily disconnect the downspout from the damaged line. Let that water drain on the surface - but be sure it is not flowing back to the house. Then wait & see if the window well fills up. If it doesn't, then you know the crushed pipe was the problem. If it does, you may have porous subsoil, an underground spring, a blocked foundation drain......... or something else.


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## Billbill84 (Oct 20, 2019)

I'm having the same issue my wells don't have drains and it's filling from surrounding soil and floods well which puts water into my finished basement! Did u ever solve this one?


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