8/11/25

Uh Oh, Water in the Garage? What to Do When It’s Coming Through an Electrical Conduit

You walk into your garage after a heavy rain, maybe to grab something from the car or put away the lawnmower, & you see it. A puddle on the floor. But it’s not coming from under the garage door or a leaky window. You trace the drip, looking up, & your stomach drops a little when you realize it’s coming from an electrical conduit. Water & electricity—two things that should NEVER mix.
It’s a scenario that’s more common than you’d think, & honestly, it’s one that sends a shiver down the spine of most homeowners. Your immediate thought is probably, "This is bad. REALLY bad." & you're not wrong to be concerned. It's a serious issue. But here's the thing: it's also a fixable one.
I’ve seen this situation play out a few times, & it’s always a bit of a puzzle. The water is just a symptom of a deeper problem. The real challenge is figuring out how the water is getting in there & what the right way is to stop it for good. So, let's break it down, step-by-step. We'll go through the immediate safety measures, how to play detective to find the source, the different ways to fix it, & what to do about the potential damage.

First Things First: SAFETY. I’m Not Kidding.

Before you even think about grabbing a towel, you need to address the elephant in the room: the lethal combination of water & electricity. This isn’t the time to be a hero.
The absolute BIGGEST danger here is the risk of electrocution or an electrical fire. Water can compromise the wiring's insulation, cause short circuits, & energize the metal conduit itself or any junction boxes it’s connected to. If that puddle on your floor becomes energized, you’ve got a life-threatening situation.
So, here’s your immediate action plan:
  1. Do NOT Touch the Water or the Conduit: Seriously. Don’t. Assume everything is live.
  2. Turn Off the Power: Go to your main breaker panel. If you know for a fact which circuit powers the garage conduit, shut that specific breaker off. If you have even the slightest doubt, turn off the main breaker that cuts power to the entire house. It’s a small inconvenience for a massive amount of safety.
  3. Call a Licensed Electrician: This is not a DIY weekend project. Even if you shut the power off, you need a professional to assess the situation. They can safely test to ensure the power is off, inspect the wiring for damage, & advise on the electrical aspects of the repair. Let them be the ones to open up any junction boxes & have a look inside.
Once the power is confirmed to be off & an electrician has given you the initial all-clear, then you can move on to figuring out what’s actually going on.

Playing Detective: Where is This Water Coming From?

Water is sneaky. It can travel a long way from where it first gets in. The leak you see in your garage is just the exit point. The entry point could be somewhere else entirely. Understanding the source is KEY to a permanent fix. Sealing the exit without fixing the entry is like putting a bucket under a leak in your roof without ever patching the shingles—it’s a temporary fix for a permanent problem.
Underground conduits are often considered "wet locations" by electrical codes, meaning they are expected to have some moisture. However, a steady drip or a stream of water during rain is a whole other level & points to a specific failure. Here are the most common culprits:
1. A Break or Crack in the Conduit Itself: This is probably the most frequent cause. If your electrical conduit runs underground from your house to a detached garage, or from the street to your house, it’s buried in the dirt. Over time, shifting soil, freeze-thaw cycles, or even an unnoticed impact (like from heavy equipment during a landscaping project years ago) can cause the pipe to crack or a coupling to come apart.
When it rains, the ground becomes saturated. Water builds up & looks for the path of least resistance. A crack in the conduit is like an open invitation. The water gets in, fills the pipe, & because your garage is likely the low point in the system, gravity does the rest & it drains out into your junction box.
How to investigate:
  • Think about the path of the conduit. Where does it run? Is it under a driveway, a garden bed, or just open lawn?
  • Look for signs of trouble outside. Are there any areas along the conduit's path that are unusually soggy or where water pools after rain?
  • Was there recent work done? Did you recently have a new fence installed, a patio put in, or any major digging? Sometimes the damage happened months or even years ago & is only now becoming a major leak.
2. Improper Sealing at the Point of Entry: Sometimes the pipe itself is fine, but the spot where it enters your garage foundation wasn’t sealed properly. This is especially true for conduits that enter the building below ground level. There should be a robust seal around the conduit to keep groundwater from seeping in along the outside of the pipe. If that seal fails, water can get into the wall & then find its way into the conduit through the nearest fitting.
Another common entry point is at the other end of the conduit. For instance, where the conduit comes up out of the ground to go into your main electrical meter outside. If that isn't sealed at the top, rainwater can run down the wires directly into the pipe.
How to investigate:
  • Inspect the exterior wall where the conduit enters. Can you see the entry point? Does it look sealed? Is the soil around it graded away from your foundation, or does it slope towards it, directing water right at the wall? A simple fix of regrading the soil can sometimes make a HUGE difference.
  • Check the other end. If the conduit runs to an outdoor meter or a detached structure, go look at that end. Is the opening of the conduit pointing up, like a little rain-catcher? Is the fitting sealed?
3. Condensation (The Less Common, But Still Possible, Culprit): In some specific situations, the water isn't a "leak" from the outside at all, but condensation forming on the inside of the conduit. This usually happens when a conduit runs from a warm, humid area (like a damp crawlspace) into a much colder area (like an air-conditioned garage in the summer, or a cold garage in the winter). The warm, moist air enters the conduit, hits the cold section, & the moisture condenses into water droplets, which then drip out.
How to investigate:
  • Is the leak consistent, or only when it rains? Condensation is more likely to be a slow, steady drip that isn’t heavily dependent on the weather. A gush of water during a storm almost certainly points to a leak, not condensation.
  • Does the conduit pass between two very different temperature zones? Think about its path.

The Fix: How to Stop the Water for Good

Okay, so you’ve got a good idea of what’s going on. Now, how do you fix it? The right solution depends entirely on the source of the problem. You might need one of these solutions, or a combination.

Solution 1: Sealing the Conduit from the Inside (The "Duct Seal" Method)

If the amount of water isn't massive & is more of a nuisance leak, or if digging up the conduit is simply not feasible (like if it runs under a brand new driveway), sealing it from the inside is a common first step. The goal here is to create a waterproof plug inside the conduit right where it enters your garage wall. This stops the water from getting into your junction box, effectively trapping it in the underground portion of the pipe.
This is typically done using a product called duct seal putty or a specialized expanding foam sealant.
  • Duct Seal Putty: This is a dense, sticky, non-hardening putty that electricians use to seal fittings. You basically pack it into the conduit around the wires, forming a solid, waterproof plug. It’s simple & effective for minor drips.
  • Expanding Foam Sealants: These are more advanced, two-part chemical foams, like those made by Polywater. You mix the components, pour the liquid into the conduit, & it expands to fill the entire space, flowing around the cables & then curing into a solid, closed-cell foam block. This method is incredibly effective & can hold back a significant amount of water pressure. It's a far more robust solution than the one-part canned foams you get at the hardware store, which are typically open-cell & will eventually let water through.
The big caveat: Remember, this method only stops the water from entering your garage. The conduit itself will still have water in it. This is generally okay since the wires used in underground conduits are rated for wet conditions (like THWN-2 wire), but it's not a complete fix of the root cause. It’s more of a highly effective containment strategy.

Solution 2: Sealing the Conduit from the Outside (The "Dig & Patch" Method)

This is the most thorough & "correct" way to fix a leak that's caused by a crack in the conduit or a failed seal at the foundation wall. It involves excavating the area around where the conduit enters your garage to expose the pipe & the foundation.
The process usually looks like this:
  1. Excavation: Carefully dig down along your foundation to expose the conduit. This is the hard part, especially if it’s deep or the soil is rocky.
  2. Clean & Prep: Thoroughly clean the conduit & the surrounding foundation wall. You need a perfectly clean, dry surface for the new seal to adhere to. A wire brush & a good cleaning agent are your friends here.
  3. Repair the Conduit: If you find a crack in the pipe, it will need to be properly repaired. For PVC conduit, this might involve cutting out the damaged section & coupling in a new piece. For metal conduit, the repair might be more complex. This is definitely a job for your electrician.
  4. Apply a Waterproofing Membrane: This is the crucial step. You’ll use a high-quality sealant, like a polyurethane caulk or hydraulic cement, to fill the gap between the conduit & the foundation wall. After that, a liquid-applied waterproofing membrane or a peel-and-stick membrane is often applied over the entire area, extending several inches around the pipe to create a multi-layered, bulletproof seal.
This method is obviously more labor-intensive & expensive, but it’s the only one that truly stops water from getting near your foundation or into the conduit in the first place. This is where you might hire a waterproofing contractor in addition to your electrician. The electrician handles the pipe, & the waterproofer handles the seal against the foundation.

Solution 3: Rerouting the Conduit

In some extreme cases, the conduit might be too damaged, too hard to access, or the water problem too severe to be fixed by sealing alone. For example, if your garage sits at a lower elevation than your house & the conduit is acting like a French drain, constantly channeling water towards it.
In this scenario, an electrician might recommend abandoning the old conduit in place & running a new one. The new line might be routed overhead (if possible) or buried in a different location that is properly graded & sealed from the start. This is the most expensive option, but sometimes it’s the only way to guarantee a dry garage for the long term.

The Aftermath: Dealing with Damage & Clearing the Space

Once the leak is stopped, you're not quite done. Now you have to assess the damage. Water can be incredibly destructive, & even a small leak over a long time can cause big problems.
1. Inspect for Damage:
  • Drywall & Insulation: If the water got into the wall, your drywall is likely toast. It will be soft, stained, & will need to be cut out & replaced. The insulation behind it will be wet & compressed, which means it’s not insulating anymore. Worse, it’s a breeding ground for mold. All wet insulation must be removed & replaced.
  • Wood Framing: Check the wooden studs in the wall for signs of water damage or rot. If the wood is soft, discolored, or crumbly, it may need to be repaired or replaced.
  • Concrete Floor: While the water itself won't hurt the concrete, it can leave behind efflorescence (a white, powdery stain) & the constant dampness can contribute to a musty, humid environment that encourages mold growth elsewhere.
  • Your Belongings: This is the one that often hurts the most. Cardboard boxes stored on the floor will have soaked up water like a sponge, ruining whatever was inside. Tools can start to rust. Furniture, holiday decorations, old photos… anything stored in the path of the water is at risk.
2. The Big Clear-Out: To do any of these repairs properly—whether it’s sealing from the inside, digging outside, or replacing drywall—you’re going to need to clear out a significant portion of your garage. Let's be honest, for most of us, the garage is a black hole of stuff. It’s filled with tools, bikes, lawn equipment, storage bins, & all the things that don't quite have a place in the house.
Moving all of that stuff is a HUGE hassle. Where do you put it? The driveway? The lawn? What if it rains again while the repairs are underway? This is where you need a temporary storage plan.
And here’s a thought: instead of just piling everything in your backyard under a tarp, you could find a simple, local storage spot. Turns out, there are pretty cool solutions for this now. Prked is a great example. It’s a platform that connects people who need storage with homeowners who have extra space in their garage, attic, or even a closet. So, you could find a neighbor's garage to rent for a week or two while your own is being repaired. It’s a convenient & often much more affordable way to keep your belongings safe, dry, & out of the way so the contractors can work their magic without tripping over your kid's tricycle. It makes the logistics of a major repair project SO much easier to handle.

The Bottom Line

Finding water trickling out of an electrical conduit is a genuinely alarming discovery. But don't panic. The key is to act methodically:
  1. Safety First: Power OFF, call an electrician.
  2. Investigate: Work with your contractor to figure out the real source of the water.
  3. Choose the Right Fix: Decide between sealing from the inside, sealing from the outside, or rerouting, based on your specific situation & budget.
  4. Deal with the Aftermath: Clear the space for repairs (maybe using a service like Prked to make life easier) & thoroughly inspect for & repair any water damage to your home & belongings.
It can feel like a big, complicated problem, but by tackling it one step at a time, you can get it resolved, protect your home, & get your garage back to being a safe, dry space.
Hope this was helpful & gives you a clear path forward. Let me know what you think
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