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Serving Gwinnett County

Water Entering at the Slab Edge or the Vents in Snellville

Storm water that enters at the slab edge, a crawl-space vent or a window well, traced to its path and dried in the wall and floor.

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  • Storm and creek water
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Slab Edge Entry

Slab Edge and Vent Water Entry: what it covers

Quick answer

Storm water that comes in at the slab edge or a foundation vent in Snellville usually follows the grade into a gap, a cold joint or a vent under a saturated yard. The water is traced to its entry point, read along the wall base and the floor, and dried from the wall inward, with the readings recorded at each stage.

Slab Edge and Vent Water Entry illustration for Snellville, GA, with the Snellville water tower and a red barn in the background

A slab house has no basement to take the water first. The concrete slab sits on or just above the ground, and the joint where the wall meets the slab is the place a storm finds. When the yard is saturated and the grade slopes toward the house, the water presses against that joint and finds the nearest gap, and the first sign is often a damp line on the carpet edge or the base of the wall.

Crawl-space houses in the wider area take water through the foundation vents when the ground around them floods. The water runs under the floor and up the wall, and it reaches the joists before anyone sees it. Both kinds of house are read the same way: find the path, then read the wall and the floor the path reached.

The entry is rarely the spot where the water first shows. It is usually a few feet away, along a joint or under a planter bed, and the trace follows the slab and the wall until the path is clear. The readings are then taken along the whole route.

Service area
Snellville & Gwinnett County
Availability
Phones answered 24/7
Warning signs

Signs you need slab edge and vent water entry

Keep clear of an active storm drain or a flooded yard while the water is moving, do not wade through floodwater near the house, and keep children away from the open trench where a drain is being cleared.

  • A damp line along the bottom of an interior wall after a storm, the height of the carpet edge
  • A carpet edge that feels wet along one wall while the middle of the room stays dry
  • A white crust on the slab or the block near the wall after the water has dried
  • Water standing by a crawl-space vent after rain, or a damp smell at the vent
  • A downspout that empties against the foundation during heavy rain
  • A hairline crack at the slab edge that looks wet after a storm
Our process

How our slab edge and vent water entry visit works

  1. Trace the entry point

    The wet line is followed to the place the water enters: a slab joint, a crack, a vent, a window well or a downspout that empties at the wall. Outside, the grade and the gutters are checked for where the water is coming from.

  2. Read the wall base and the floor

    Readings are taken along the wet line, above and below it, and across the floor where the water runs under the carpet at the wall edge. The floor is read as well as the wall, because the water often pools there first.

  3. Remove the wet finish at the wall

    Baseboard, carpet and pad that have taken water along the wall are removed in the affected section, so the wall and the slab can dry. The removal is kept to the area the readings show is wet.

  4. Dry the wall and the slab

    Air is moved across the wall and the floor, and the readings are taken until they reach their goal. Block and stucco take longer than framed walls, and the plan allows for that.

  5. Record the path and the fix

    The entry point, the readings and the outside conditions go on the record. Grading, gutters and sealing a crack are separate jobs, and the record says which of those the house needs.

Why does water come in at the slab edge in a storm?

Saturated soil pushes water against the foundation, and the joint between the wall and the slab is the weakest path. A storm that keeps the ground full for hours forces the water through it.

The ground around a house holds only so much rain. When the soil is full, the water presses on the slab edge and the wall, and it finds the nearest gap, which is usually a joint or a crack. A grade that slopes toward the house, or a downspout that empties at the wall, adds water to that pressure.

The first storms of a season often show the path, and a second storm uses it again. The record of the first loss is useful, because it shows where to look when the next one comes.

What does the wall base reading show?

The reading at the wall base shows how far the water has moved up the wall and into the floor. It is the number that sets how much of the wall and the floor has to dry.

Water that enters at the slab edge runs along the joint and up the wall until it finds a gap or a surface to dry against. The reading at the base is taken at several heights, and the readings show whether the moisture is falling as the wall dries.

A wall with a block or stucco finish holds water in its body and releases it slowly. The readings in that case are taken at depth, and the owner is told that the drying takes longer than a framed wall would need.

What can the homeowner do before the next storm?

Extend the downspouts away from the house, regrade the soil so it slopes away from the wall, clear the gutters and check the window wells and the vents. Those steps are the owner's to take and cost little.

A downspout that discharges three or four feet from the foundation takes a large share of the roof water away from the wall. Soil that is built up or sloped toward the house should be regraded, and a planter bed against the wall should be moved or lowered.

Window wells should be cleared of leaves and covered where a cover fits. Crawl-space vents should be kept clear of mulch and soil, so that storm water does not sit against them. A pump or a drain can be added later if the grade cannot be fixed.

What is left after the water has been dried?

Sealing a crack, repairing a joint and regrading the yard are separate jobs. They are quoted by the trade that does that work, after the drying readings are complete.

A crack at the slab edge can be sealed by a concrete or foundation contractor, and the seal should be done after the crack is dry. A failed vent cover is replaced by the owner or a handyman, and the record notes where the vent is and what it was doing.

The owner should not close the wall or lay new carpet until the readings are dry. A wall closed while it is still damp is the most common reason the same line of damp reappears after the next storm.

Options

Types and options for slab edge and vent water entry

Water at a slab joint in a living room

A slab joint or a cold joint along an exterior wall lets water through during a long storm. The water runs under the carpet along the wall, and the reading is taken in the floor as well as the wall.

Water through a crawl-space vent

A vent under a saturated yard lets storm water into the crawl space, and the moisture rises into the joists and the subfloor. The vent is the entry, and the floor above is read where the moisture reached it.

Water at a window well or patio door

A window well that fills in a storm drains against the glass and the sill. A patio door sill that sits low to the slab takes the overflow from the patio. The reading starts at the sill and runs along the wall.

Gwinnett County

Why slab edge and vent water entry is different in Metro Atlanta, Georgia

Slab houses in the newer subdivisions around Snellville, Suwanee and Sugar Hill take water at the slab edge, and the readings are taken there before anything else is decided.

Crawl-space vents in the older houses on the Lawrenceville and Monroe side of the county are the path storm water uses when the yard is saturated, and the vent is checked on every call.

One call and it gets handled.

A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.

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Where we work

Slab Edge and Vent Water Entry across Gwinnett County

Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.

Related

Crawl Space Moisture and Flood Damage

Pumping, drying and checking a vented crawl space and the joists and subfloor above it after storm or creek water in Snellville and Gwinnett County.

Flooded Lower Level Cleanup

Pumping, cleaning and drying a lower room, walk-out level or garage that storm water filled on a sloped Gwinnett County lot.

Creek Flood Cleanup and Debris

Day-by-day clearing of mud, limbs and debris left by a creek flood in Snellville and Gwinnett County, ahead of drying and rebuilding.

Structural Drying in a Humid Climate

Controlled air movement and dehumidification that run until the wall, floor and framing readings reach their dry goal in humid conditions.

Guides

Read before you book

A Summer Storm Checklist for Snellville Homes

Heavy summer storms and creek overflow are the water calls this town receives most often, and most of the losses start with something that could have been checked earlier: a worn garage seal, a clogged gutter or a vent under a wet yard.

FAQ

Slab Edge and Vent Water Entry FAQs

Why does the carpet only get wet along one wall?

Water that comes in at the slab edge runs along the joint under the carpet, and the carpet near the wall takes it first. The reading shows how far along the wall the water has travelled.

Will regrading the yard fix the leak?

It can reduce the water reaching the wall, and it is often the cheapest fix. It does not repair a crack or a joint, and the entry point decides what else is needed.

Should I seal the crack myself?

Not until the wall is dry and the crack has been read. A crack sealed while wet can trap moisture behind the seal.

Is slab edge water covered by insurance?

Gradual seepage is often treated differently from sudden water, and the policy and the insurer decide. Keep the readings and the photographs, and ask the insurer in writing.

Do I need a permit to regrade the yard?

Regrading is usually landscaping, but a retaining wall or a drainage change may need a permit. Ask the Gwinnett County or City of Snellville building department before a structural change.

How do I know the water has really stopped coming in?

Watch the wall base and the carpet edge after the next two or three storms. If the readings stay dry and the line does not return, the path is most likely closed. Any new damp line is recorded and the readings are taken again.

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