Basement Bulkhead Leak

 Hello all,

I've lived in my house for about 1 year, and never noticed any water
until now.  I have a small shallow puddle [about 4-5 square feet area,
< 1 cm depth] on the basement floor, adjacent to the bulkhead entrance.
It has been raining for the past few days, and apparently some water
has penetrated the bulkhead and found its way into the basement.

There is some wetness on the bulkheads steps, but it is not obvious
where the water penetrated the bulkhead. I assume this is a relatively
common problem.  Does anyone know how water typically gets through a
basement bulkhead and some ways to mitigate the problem?

Thanks,

-JJ

 

Through the door, through the weatherstrip where bulkhead attaches to
house/foundation, up through the drain in the stairway pit (if so equipped),
seepage where the steps attach to the foundation (if it is a precast unit),
any or all of the above. It could even be coming right through the concrete.

Time for a light/gardenhose test. Close and dog down the bulkhead, turn off
all the basement lights, a see if daylight leaks through anywhere in bulhead
area. Or light up the inside, and see if any light leaks out at night. Once
it dries out, saturate one side at a time with a garden hose, and try to
recreate the leak. Once you pinpoint where the leak is, the needed repairs
should be obvious.

aem sends...

 aem,

Sounds like sound advice.  I'll try it.

Thanks,

JJ

 I did the test early this morning, while it was still dark. Sure
enough, there was a small amount of light seeping out near one corner
at the base of one of bulkhead doors, facing out. This is consistent
with the water pattern on the stairs.  I guess some sort of weather
stripping is in order.

-JJ

 

Look for some adjustment points on the hinges and/or the latch mechanism.
Has maybe the hinge come loose or drifted, from use or being opened too far?
If the bulkhead was installed square and level, and the factory weatherstrip
isn't damaged, an adjustment may fix it. The company web site and/or the
local dealer may have instructions that will help. I know the common brand
around here, Bilco, used to stand behind their products real well, even
older ones. Almost nobody uses bulkheads around here any more, so I haven't
actually had my hands on one in probably 20 years.

aem sends...