Strange Water Leak, need to find the source of leak

[jerrynyc]

I really need some help solving this one. I went on site two days ago during the rain storm in NYC and the homeowner showed the hole at the corner of the basement right below the door frame that leads to the backyard. Water was gushing up from beneath coming from the backyards direction. Water from the main drainage pipe was flowing smoothly without delay. My best guess is that the drain pipe coming from the roof has a leak underground as shown in the picture (white color pipe). There is also a small garden area with two feet deep soil about 10 feet away from the hole that is leaking. Pictures are linked. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[ishvaaag]

Determining the water origin is almost always, proportionally, a difficult task. Perhaps the first question is to ask the owner what has changed. In some cases the owners irrigate senselessly their gardens to even wash the fines under the foundations. Since you name storm, it may mean either the soil has exceeded its capacity to imbibe the water, or some storm-drain has failed and cracked. Or maybe, the variations caused by more water presence have cracked some buried or occult pipe.

 

[racookpe1978]

You're focusing (in the photo's at least) on the wrong side of the problem: The "source" of the water (the leak) is outside, probably somewhere down the pipe if you are correct in claiming that the water is coming (from the roof and gutters?) into the white pipe.

True, the location of the leak (where the water is coming out) is inside. But you have to go outside to troubleshoot.

Ramrod a flexible wire or run a auger down the white pipe all the way to its outlet. If you cannot see the outlet, you have almost no choice but to assume there is no outlet/the outlet is plugged. 8<)

Verify you have absolutely clear flow: After the ground and floor are dry, run a water hose down the white pipe and verify clean water is flowing out the other end - while no water is coming out the floor leak.

Dig down and around the region between the white pipe and the concrete slab.