CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted December 1, 2005 CMS Author Share Posted December 1, 2005 Originally posted by Thunderbroom I've thought about this.The hole opening is smallish...about an 8" diameter hole. It opens up and increases in size as it gets deeper. My plan is to just gradually widen the opening until I can get a clear look at what's down there. I really don't think I'm going to pour any concrete in the hole today. I'm thinking of putting some gravel in the bottom and refilling the hole. From there, I can monitor it more closely. Don't put gravel in there yet. If you have to dig it out later, gravel is a bitch and a half to dig up. Just cover the hole with a big sheet of plywood...if it gets wider as it goes down, theres a danger of someone caving it by standing on the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members M-1 Fan Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 Rotted out tree stump?Mine subsidence?Large moles?Rotted out old steel septic tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 1, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 Originally posted by Craigv Don't put gravel in there yet. If you have to dig it out later, gravel is a bitch and a half to dig up. Just cover the hole with a big sheet of plywood...if it gets wider as it goes down, theres a danger of someone caving it by standing on the edge. Do you think filling it up with dirt would be okay though? My concern is that my central air unit is very near this hole. If it widens much more, there's a good chance that the weight of the unit will cause a cave-in and also damage the compressor/condensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bruto Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 I had something like that happen to my house. I had to have a truckload of dirt dumped in the backyard, and I filled in around the foundation - both under the crawlspace and outside. Volcanos and earthquakes notwithstanding, earth moves in lots of natural ways: with water, by wind, freezing and thawing, drying out (sink hole,) and compression. Fill it, pack it, and if it happens again, call in a foundation expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markee Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 No. Don't fill it up. You need to address what's causing the soil to erode. If your house is old you should have drain tiles that are flared on one end. Sometimes when those tiles were put in place they didn't bother cementing them or over time the cement gets old and crumbles away. Sometimes the tiles themselves fail. The code today is aside from crushed rock, insulation drain pipe, etc. is to have all the downspouts run away from the foundation 5 feet. You can vary this by hooking all the downspouts on one end of your home onto one continuous pipe and lead it to a french drain as long as the drain is at least five feet from your foundation or runs to a swale ( a natural low spot that runs away or perpindicular from you house. This ain't no big deal so don't freak. It's just one of the wonderous bennies of home ownership. Worst case scenario is your house was built on top of an old well, (first attempt at indoor plumbing) in which all they'd do is bring a dump truck up to it and fill it with gravel. Lastly, didn't you just buy this house last spring? If so, the previous owner is liable as there are disclosure laws in effect that cover stuff like this up to (month/years)whatever the law is in your state. It varies from state to state. So check with your realtor as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 http://www.carlspackler.com/sounds/171.wav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted December 1, 2005 CMS Author Share Posted December 1, 2005 Originally posted by Thunderbroom Do you think filling it up with dirt would be okay though?My concern is that my central air unit is very near this hole. If it widens much more, there's a good chance that the weight of the unit will cause a cave-in and also damage the compressor/condensor. No, don't fill it at all until you know what is causing the problem. If it's a continuing erosion, filling it won't save your AC. Also contact your insurance agent and see what their take is on this being a covered loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 1, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 I filler 'er up. I had a hell of a time finding dirt though. Most stores around here have cleared out their outdoor gardening area. Fortunately, Home Depot had some after I tried two other places. I looked in again with a flashlight and realized that the hole was not nearly as big as I thought it was. I opened the hole up wider so that I could take a look. At the bottom of the hole next to the foundation, it was only about 3 inches wide max. The dirt was solid under the AC unit. I'm almost thinking it could be a critter hole. I realize that I didn't get to the root cause of the problem, but am trying to get some perspective and not freak out like I did yesterday. My neighborhood is less than 15 years old and was a cornfield before that. The home was built in '93. We moved in in '99. I'm going to keep a close eye on it. If it starts to open again, I'll take more agressive action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 Possums? If you can whack enough of 'em you can make a pie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mounds Posted December 1, 2005 Members Share Posted December 1, 2005 we constantly get sinkholes out here because of water main weeping-- it flushes a steady amount of soil out from under roadbeds and causes holes ~5' in diameter. it's lots of fun because it happens in the summer and winter-- in the summer, they turn water off (we use evaporative cooling..so no cooler while it's off in 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistermike Posted December 2, 2005 Members Share Posted December 2, 2005 It could be a animal hole that has eroded. If it's close to the foundation it could be the back fill settling. I'd start by look for a source of water. It could be condensation from the AC condenser or maybe your gutters are plugged and over flowing. It could have been the sill cock leaking or a garden hose left running. Maybe someone drained the water from their beer cooler there. Water will flow through the path of least resistance and wash away loose soil. If you find the source of water you may solve the "hole" problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markee Posted December 2, 2005 Members Share Posted December 2, 2005 You'll also want to keep an eye on the inside area from which the hole was formed, even if it's where you have a crawl space. If you end up having water seeping in thru your foundation you'll need to dig away from the foundation to seal it on the exterior side and then repair the drain tile. Critters don't usually dig right next to a foundation due to excess crushed rock and or gravel from back fill. But then, the builder might have skimped on that aspect back when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted December 2, 2005 CMS Author Share Posted December 2, 2005 An animal hole that size would have to have the waste soil scattered around it....I'm not aware of any animal that carts off the overburden:D Last month I almost broke a leg in my front yard. A shag bark hickory stump we had cut down 5 years ago rotted and left a 1-1/2ft deep hole barely covered with soil and grass, and I went right through while walking by. The popping noise T-broom heard is interesting...makes me think a sewer line is nearby, but that would typically emit some pretty freakin' obnoxious gases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted December 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 2, 2005 Originally posted by Craigv The popping noise T-broom heard is interesting...makes me think a sewer line is nearby, but that would typically emit some pretty freakin' obnoxious gases. We solved the popping noise! Our home theatre subwoofer is in the corner where the noise is coming from. It's been outa sight...outa mind. We had forgotten it was in the corner as their is a piece of furniture in front of it. I unplugged the sub...no noise! Now...what's causing that popping noise in the sub? It's a JBL unit with a 10" speaker. I think it's model # is WM-10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ToeJamFootball Posted December 2, 2005 Members Share Posted December 2, 2005 im guessing some sort of crossed electrical path?? i get a pop through my speakers when i change the speed of my fan. ToeJam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Low Tone Posted December 2, 2005 Members Share Posted December 2, 2005 Originally posted by Thunderbroom We solved the popping noise! Our home theatre subwoofer is in the corner where the noise is coming from. It's been outa sight...outa mind. We had forgotten it was in the corner as their is a piece of furniture in front of it. I unplugged the sub...no noise! Now...what's causing that popping noise in the sub? It's a JBL unit with a 10" speaker. I think it's model # is WM-10. Are you sure your house ins't on top of a Native american burial ground? Wierd popping noises from speakers and mysterious holes in the ground suddenly showing up.... Next thing you know, Carol Anne is going to be sucked into the TV set......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Looking for answers Posted September 6, 2020 Members Share Posted September 6, 2020 Wondering if anyone ever got an answer to this question? Couple of days ago we found a very large hole next to the foundation - dirt and River rock had sunk down about one and a half to 2 feet deep and about 2 feet wide What is most interesting is that the area is underneath a overhang and gets no direct rain or no direct water from eavestrough or run off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 10, 2020 Moderators Share Posted September 10, 2020 On 9/6/2020 at 9:40 AM, Looking for answers said: Wondering if anyone ever got an answer to this question? Couple of days ago we found a very large hole next to the foundation - dirt and River rock had sunk down about one and a half to 2 feet deep and about 2 feet wide What is most interesting is that the area is underneath a overhang and gets no direct rain or no direct water from eavestrough or run off It's probably just the end of the world, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted September 10, 2020 Members Share Posted September 10, 2020 Ever watch the movie Tremors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jullie Posted October 15, 2020 Members Share Posted October 15, 2020 On 11/29/2005 at 6:07 PM, mrcrow said: might be worth some exploratory digging...you wont do any harm if its erosion from underneath it would be good to know if its a water main...you may get a big water bill... any rivers around?? and is your property on the flat or a slope My property is on a slope. Then neighbor sodded yard and slope all yard to property on side and totally flooded my yard. That’s when the hole in my side yard near foundation happened. Don’t know what caused the hole which is maybe 12 inches from foundation. Who do I call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted October 16, 2020 Members Share Posted October 16, 2020 10 hours ago, Jullie said: My property is on a slope. Then neighbor sodded yard and slope all yard to property on side and totally flooded my yard. That’s when the hole in my side yard near foundation happened. Don’t know what caused the hole which is maybe 12 inches from foundation. Who do I call. Ghost Busters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted October 17, 2020 Moderators Share Posted October 17, 2020 On 10/15/2020 at 6:25 AM, Jullie said: My property is on a slope. Then neighbor sodded yard and slope all yard to property on side and totally flooded my yard. That’s when the hole in my side yard near foundation happened. Don’t know what caused the hole which is maybe 12 inches from foundation. Who do I call. call the local building and safety department. Or ask your insurance company to send out a soils expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happwith12strin Posted October 17, 2020 Members Share Posted October 17, 2020 sink hole limestone bedrock dissolves in water water moves underground get ssink hole homeowners insurance fill hole with peagravel quicksand is likely at bottom of sink hole look for dissapearing water in streams tilting fence lines tilting trees how far away is nearest river or stream hole will likely get bigger mite even swallow house watch youtube video on sinkholes to get an idea of how bad it mite get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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