Found out my downspout extension was the reason my basement smelled like a swamp

After three straight weeks of musty air in the finished basement in Lakewood, I finally traced it to the 4 foot corrugated pipe that was dumping water right against the foundation instead of away from it. One Saturday afternoon with a level and a shovel showed me it had settled a full 6 inches downhill toward the house. Anyone else ever assume a drainage fix was fine and then discover the real problem was just the ground shifting under it?

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the_diana1d ago

Bought our house and found the previous owners buried the downspout hose under the flower bed, just snaking it along the dirt until it stopped. Water was basically pooling right under the hostas. Digging that up in July made me question every choice I'd ever made about homeownership.