Small to Medium Basement Leaks

[Andrew B.]

I purchased a duplex last month that was built in 1921.  There have been 2 days in the past month where we have gotten a TON of rain and we ended up with some small to medium size puddles in the basement.  Is this cause for concern long-term for the property?  I am occupying one of the units so I have been able to use a push broom to push the water towards the drain in the basement and get it dried out in a couple of hours.  

The water comes in as a result of two things. First, the backyard is not graded correctly and it slopes towards the house which allows the water to pool and then it seeps in through a tiny hole.  Second, the gutters are all routed into one PVC pipe that goes into the ground and I am assuming it connects to the driveway drain pipe underground in some manner but since that's where water is coming in, my guess is that there is something wrong with the connection.

My concern is that if I don't do anything about it, it will lead to foundation issues long-term as well as mold issues if, in the future, tenants are not as proactive as me with getting the basement dry.  I am assuming that if I want to fix it properly, I need to get the backyard graded properly and dig into the ground to figure out the drain pipe issues on the driveway side of the house.  However, the amount of water that comes in is really not that bad and if it's cleaned up appropriately, it doesn't really cause any issues because most of the basement is dry and we know not to store anything that can't get wet in those specific spots.

Looking for advice!

[Paul Shannon]

Gutters, downspouts and PVC underground.....make sure they are all clear.  Then any downspouts that empty into the yard (if any not underground) get extenders for.  That will likely mitigate the problem immensely.  The basement may still get a little wet, but as long as its not puddling, I wouldn't worry about it.  Very common in early 20th century homes.  If you get a lot of water, that's different.  Sump pump would be a must at that point and likely drain tile next.