Sealing the cracks doesn't solve the problem - we would have to install a drain system around the basement walls and since the water hasn't been a problem, we haven't taken the plunge. We may have to rethink that decision.
We had a few solid days of torrential rain, and even on the last day the basement was still dry. That night, the groundwater level must have reached the height of the basement floor, so we were in the basement until 3 a.m. trying to keep the water level below the furnace. All the stores are sold out of pumps, so we were sucking the water up with a Shop-Vac, 12 gallons at a time. I posted on Facebook that we needed to borrow a pump, and by the time I woke up the next morning, we had two! The power of social media.
The first pump was designed to be submersible, so it kept overheating and shutting off. We ended up with the pump in a bucket, and we basically bailed and vacuumed all of the water in the basement (30' x 30' x 3" - do the math) into the bucket or Shop-Vac to be pumped out. The problem is that if the water finds its way to the storm drains or the sewer system, those systems are already full so the water eventually ends up back under our house coming through the cracks.
We got the other pump last night and it's the type that sucks water right off the floor, so we ran that for a few hours last night and this morning. At least we're not bailing or vacuuming, but it's a losing battle because until the ground water level recedes, it's going to keep coming back.
Honestly, I'm thinking Adlani's idea might be a good one - leave the water in the basement so we can play down there with boats.
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