First, the Romans beheaded the Kevins.
I'm sure we have a competent Kevin on the forum but MP's Kevin was an idiot that was given a Home Depot gift card.
Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?
- Thread starter mimico_polak
- Start date
I'm sure we have a competent Kevin on the forum but MP's Kevin was an idiot that was given a Home Depot gift card.
I'm doing a Kevin stab in the dark but if there is a reducer from 4 to 3 inches it could possibly fit inside the clay pipe on one end and allow you to connect more 4" pipe on the other if that is what is needed.
I'm not a plumber but don't see a problem if a size is reduced at the upper end but logic says no if the size is reduced as the pipe goes downhill, theoretically gaining flow volume.
I assume the pipe under the garage floor is down 4 to 6 feet.
Just trying to better envision the problem so I assume both pictures are of the same pipe and it is horizontal except for slope.
The upper picture looks like the pipe is embedded in concrete and drainage pipes should be on undisturbed soil or concrete on undisturbed soil. Did they lay some tile on back-fill and it settled except for the bit on the concrete?
Robbo
Well-known member
@mimico_polak are you 100% sure of the direction of water flow through that pipe? I have a difficult time believing that was put there to guide water to flow back into your house.
It would make more sense (to me anyways) if that was there to collect and move water outside.
Is it possible that over time, there has been enough sludge pushed towards the opening from the inside wall and has effectively blocked off the outflow of water? And now the water can’t find its way out so it now flows out from under the stairs?
I would find a way to dry that entire area and then see where the source and flow is before moving forward.
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It would make more sense (to me anyways) if that was there to collect and move water outside.
Is it possible that over time, there has been enough sludge pushed towards the opening from the inside wall and has effectively blocked off the outflow of water? And now the water can’t find its way out so it now flows out from under the stairs?
I would find a way to dry that entire area and then see where the source and flow is before moving forward.
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@Robbo the line is plugged somewhere along. The weeper SHOULD let water flow away from the house. But it’s flowing into the house from that weeper 100%.
As for todays activities:
And found a clay weeper underneath that was cracked (possibly by our excavation) that is 100% full of sediment. Got the snake to about 25ft in one direction, and the direction to the back of the house about 5ft.
Water is flowing from the weeper into our new trench but has slowed down.
As for todays activities:
And found a clay weeper underneath that was cracked (possibly by our excavation) that is 100% full of sediment. Got the snake to about 25ft in one direction, and the direction to the back of the house about 5ft.
Water is flowing from the weeper into our new trench but has slowed down.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
If that last clay pipe by the stairs being misaligned is a bit troubling. If you can yank it or break it out, you could restore the slope by replacing it with PVC.
That might not be a problem, it could just me the end of the run.
2 choices.
1, a mole pipe connector ($3) or sliding the PVC inside then grout the joint. If you want to maintain a cleanout, put a Tee at the elbow point, then a threaded cap cleanout. I have a pic of this if you need one, I did this for the drain that connects my detached garage to the main house drain.This is not a pressure line and the flow is very low. Changing to 3" drain tile will not be a problem.
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Mad Mike
Well-known member
With that much water under the slab, I'd use perf pipe to connect the discovered weepers to the drain. The gravel should be dry.
sburns
Well-known member
That is troubling. I guess you broke a weeper when you dug the trench. Also with that much water it may be your weepers were compromised and the water had no where to go? More mystery
BTW - you may know this I should have mentioned it before just remembered. Plumbers can do a sonar of your weepers/under ground pipes, to see where they go. That is what I had done to map out were everything was underground.
The problem with things of this sort is not knowing the whole story. That would include details of the original build and every problem afterwards along with the solutions. Unfortunately it's not like lifting a piece of carpet to see what's underneath.
Where does one draw the line? Ground penetrating radar, test bores, soil samples, ground water tables at various times of the year. At some point, if you hire enough experts, the tests cost more than the fix.
In some cases people have spent tens of thousands on fixes only to later discover that all they needed was a five hundred dollar fix. Others have done dozens of five hundred dollar fixes that did nothing and in the end a five figure fix was still required. In the worst case, as the money drains away faster than the ground water there is a temptation to go for cheaper trades and they exacerbate the problem.
Does one keep chipping at it a bit at a time until the culprit is found or bring in the heavy guns and blow it to shreds?
Done for the night. I’m tired.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I think you draw the line when you can't go any further yourself.
So far he's done a bunch of work and uncovered a couple of problems. The house was probably built in the 50s and had several homeowners improve/fix things along the way. Maybe some without really knowing what they were doing (Kevins).
At this point I'm guessing a bit of encouragement to press on would be helpful. It looks like he's uncovered some hidden weeping tile issues, from what I've seen those can be fixed, or al least be made better. The broken weepers are no big deal, they are typically laid end to end with no sealing in-between, so you can just pull out a damaged one then lay in a new piece of same sized PCV.
The strange locations of the weeping tiles doesn't surprise me, I've seen that plenty of times. In many houses the weepers run under the slab to a central location whether they dump into a sump pit, or get connected to a sewer line. They still do it this way in new houses, particularly if the house is on a septic system.
Anyhow -- great work so far! Looking forward to more pictures and seeing the smile on your face once it's dry and buttoned up!
Think I’m going to line everything up, connect it, and let it sit for a week to make sure it’s functioning as it should.
Also turns out dad has a weeping tile laying in the back yard for the last X years (10+) that may just fit the requirement.
Also turns out dad has a weeping tile laying in the back yard for the last X years (10+) that may just fit the requirement.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Have any old Italian friends? They used to steal weeping tiles from jobsites to build wine racks in their cantinas.
Did find a spot of mould against the wall….but nothing else near the wet areas under the floor.
Will take out some sub floor panels just to be sure. But I’m def not ripping apart the entire floor unless I see something of concern.
Will take out some sub floor panels just to be sure. But I’m def not ripping apart the entire floor unless I see something of concern.
sburns
Well-known member
Good call Mike, I felt @mimico_polak might have singaled a bit of defeat in that last message. I still think this is waaaay better then tearing up outside. The water in the trench at bit of a set back but yeah still great for DIY'ng in, and finally figuring out the source of water leak
Nah, not defeated! Tired! LoLGood call Mike, I felt @mimico_polak might have singaled a bit of defeat in that last message. I still think this is waaaay better then tearing up outside. The water in the trench at bit of a set back but yeah still great for DIY'ng in, and finally figuring out the source of water leak
Tomorrow we dig another short stretch and then start connecting and buttoning it up.
Sucks that I had to cut up the stairs…but happy with the progress.
Thanks everyone for the support and tips!
I wonder if I’m causing any issues with settlement if I allow the water to get out now and no longer be in equilibrium with the soil/house….
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I suck at attaching pics etc. Loses all its impact.
Robbo
Well-known member
