Window well repair
Most leaking window wells fail in one of three places: the drain, the seal at the wall or the ground around them.
A leaking window well usually has a clogged or missing drain, a gap where the well meets the wall. Or soil that has settled and tipped it. Find which one before you buy anything. The fix for each is different.
This page prints no prices. It explains the failures so you can describe the problem clearly to whoever looks at it.
Start with the water, not the well
A window well is a bucket set into the ground against your foundation. If it cannot empty, it fills. After a hard rain, look at whether water stands in the bottom and how long it stays.
Standing water for a day or more points to the drain. Water that is dry at the bottom but still shows up inside points somewhere else. Check the well's gap against the wall first.
The three usual failures
- The drain at the bottom is buried in leaves, silt or stone and cannot pass water.
- The well has pulled away from the wall, leaving a gap that runs down the foundation.
- The soil around the well has settled, so the rim now tilts toward the house.
Each one lets water reach the window frame or the wall below it. A rusted metal well or a cracked plastic one adds a fourth case. Look for holes at the lower seams.
What you can check yourself
Clear the bottom by hand, down to the stone or the drain opening. Pour in a bucket of water and watch how fast it leaves. A slow drain after cleaning means the pipe below is blocked or was never connected. The window well drainage page explains how that connection is supposed to work.
Look at the gap between the well and the wall. A thin line is normal. A gap you can slide a hand into is not. Check also that the soil outside the rim slopes away rather than toward the well.
Cover, caulk and regrade
A clear cover keeps rain and leaves out and takes little effort to fit. It does not replace a working drain, so treat it as a second layer. Sealing a small gap at the wall can help, but sealant on a moving well will fail again.
If the rim tilts toward the house, rebuild the slope around it. The grading and downspouts page covers the change that stops most of this. And if a downspout empties near the well, move it. That one habit puts more water into a well than any storm.
Keep the escape route in mind
A bedroom window well is also a way out in an emergency. Do not block it, and do not fit a cover that cannot be opened from inside. The egress windows page covers the rules that apply.
Where to stop and call someone
If the wall around the window is cracked, bowed or crumbling, stop. Do not dig deep beside it to replace the well, because removing soil can take away support the wall relies on. That question belongs to a licensed structural engineer, and an independent one has no repair to sell you. Rules for window wells and egress are local, so ask your building department what applies.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my window well fill with water?
Usually the drain at the bottom is clogged or was never connected, so rain has nowhere to go. A downspout that empties nearby makes it worse.
Can I repair a window well myself?
Cleaning the drain, adding a cover and rebuilding the slope around the rim are reasonable first steps. Digging deep beside a cracked or bowed wall is not.
Does a window well cover stop leaks?
It keeps rain and debris out, which helps. It does not replace a working drain, so use it as a second layer.
What if the well is pulling away from the wall?
A small gap is normal. A wide gap that runs down the foundation lets water in, and it usually means the soil around the well has settled.
Do window wells need to meet local rules?
Yes. Egress and drainage rules are set locally, so ask your building department before replacing a well at a bedroom window.
Sources
What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.
- US EPA. What You Can Do to Soak Up the Rain
- US EPA. Soak Up the Rain. Managing stormwater around a property