Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Water entering basement from sprinkler - is this expected?

Hi,

[I'm going to post this on the Basement forum as well.]

I was watering a corner of my yard that was just seeded. Since the seed goes right up to the foundation, the water was hitting the house (which is brick) right at the foundation line.

Is it expected that water would enter the basement from this (and thus we should never have the sprinkler hit the brick), or is there something wrong with the seal between the foundation and sill plate (or flashing or ??).

From the basement side, the water is entering right on top of the foundation and under the sill plate. It's a lookout basement and the water is actually entering at the bottom of the "drop" point (bottom of the point where the foundation drops from the non-lookout-part to lookout-part), if that makes sense.

I thought the house should be built such that the water would escape through the weepholes??? And the sill plate should be sealed????

Thanks!

The soil should be sloped so that the water runs away from the house, rather than collecting against it.

Thanks!

Yes, the soil is sloped away from the house. I just happened to have the sprinkler facing the house and aimed right at the brick (so that the soil would get wet). So the water hit the house and somehow entered the basement.

Thanks!

Yes, soil should slope away from home so that during heavy rains water is carried away. Gutters & downspouts should be clear and carry water away from structure. Splash blocks do not carry water far enough away. Spraying water on structure is a no-no. You are sending water down the side of the house and into foundation. Whether moving around Rain Birds or have an inground sprinkler system, you are not sprinkling properly. Consider installing shrub beds out beyond the drip line of the home and maintaining lawn beyond that point. You can deep water shrubs with soaker hose, but you never blast the side of your home. The lawn should not begin at the base of the foundation. Check the slope of soil around base of foundation and landscape and water accordingly. Soil should not be higher that the sills on the home.

You may have weep holes, but the not proper flashing to stop water and direct it to the weep holes.

Dick

First, good advice about not having lawn next to foundation... I just put Patchmaster down in part of the area, will look for some cheap shrubs, or even just mulch for the time being...

So my other question is this... I believe the opening to the basement is right in the joint between the brick and foundation (mortar is there) since I know when I was in the basement looking out, I could see daylight.

Given this, I'm assuming I should seal this seam in some fashion. I thought I recall a suggestion to use PL Polyurethane Premium construction adhesive for this type of thing (on the outside of the house). Does this seem like a good idea?

Thanks!