What is causing my foundation wall to sweat?
We had our crawl space under our house sprayed with closed cell insulation last fall. We live in Northern Michigan so it gets really cold in the winters. This summer it was a constant drip by our small window on our foundation wall. It has lasted all summer and now into the fall. I don't know how to solve this issue. Its only happening in a 10-12 ft section. Our house is on a hill down by the lake. I really want to fix the issue before it gets really cold. I have had contractors say I need to dig on the outside of the house along my foundation and put foam board against the foundation wall. I wish I could show a picture of what it looks like on here. Any recomendations would be appreciated.
What you are describing does not actually sound like ‘sweating’ to me. The fact that there is that much volume of water as to provide a steady drip all summer makes me think there is some sort of bulk water source. That could be ground water (a high water table or natural spring), if not perhaps a roof leak finding a meandering path through your walls to the basement, though that is less likely. Here is our page on how to insulate crawlspaces properly, that may help you get a better idea of the physics at play with basements and water infiltration.
The general contractors you spoke with would have the advantage of having seen it, though I would expect that foam on its own may not solve the problem. I would suggest some sort of waterproofing membrane in addition to the foam. The part that really sticks out to me is that it is up against a hill. Water runs down hill, so looking into that as a potential source is the obvious first step from my standpoint. Is the portion where it is leaking below grade?