Water under floor...Please help!!!

Suzy-Q

Thanks for the replies everyone....


We still have 2 inches of clear water under our crawl space...


We want to put in a "Sump Pump".


Our access to the crawl space isn't very deep, there are quite a few pipes and elec. cables there that haven't been fixed to the underfloor...(Cables et. hanging down, bricks and debris everywhere...)


We want to access the underfloor area to find the lowest point for the "sump". Our access at the moment is under the floor of a little pantry off the kitchen. ( small area)


Do we just dig a sump there ( has to be dug by hand can't get a spade in)...
or do we lift living room carpet & floorboards and/or lift fitted wood flooring in kitchen/dining hallway and floorboards, clean out, find the lowest point? then make the area under the "pantry "room the lowest point for easy access for the pump for future use?????
Sorry hope I've explained properly..
Many thanks

Suzy-Q

Or....would you wait till the weather is warmer, in the hope it has dried out....then look again and see what can be done????

Ruski

You already know the answer by the sounds of it!


You need to work out the lowest point - i.e. where the standing water is at it's deepest at the moment, combined with the practical issue of access to get at the pump when installed.


But the 'pantry' sounds an ideal candidate as you don't have carpet upheaval all the time, and wires etc can easily be pulled and clipped out of the way.
Don't forget you'll need a power source nearby.


HTH


Russ

Suzy-Q

Thanks Russ,
Yes, just needed another opinion...
don't really want to lift wood floor in kitchen/dining area, or carpet in living room really....


Sump under pantry it is then!!!!!!


Thanks for taking the time to reply.....I know where to come with any future problems!!!

Ruski

Have you found a 'system' yet? Thought about where to discharge it to?


As for future problems....I have enough of my own thanks

Russ

Suzy-Q

Hi Russ/everyone,
We are going to have one that we can use as and when....going to put the hose out off patio doors into left grate...there's a plug socket in the "pantry".
had a look under the floor again, water risen again...by about 1 inch...had a builder round yesterday he said he wouldn't go under the floor cause of ;
1) Lack of space
2) Elec. cables hanging down
3) Rubble etc.


Did say he would have to dig "sump" by hand etc. cannot get a spade down!!!


Qhhh Russ, I thought that's why you were here...to help all Damsels in distress!! lol


Many thanks.
Suzy

Suzy-Q

Hi all,
Water under floor 2/3 inches....still clear.


Decided to get a second opinion on the shared Rainwater drain at front of house...U/Utilities didn't investigate enough.


The "Drain engineer" from another company came on Tuesday night and examined drain said the water level in the "pot" below the R/W pipe was unusually low and he could see what he thought was a crack in there....advised us to contact U/U again...as it was their responsibility...


I rang yesterday am....requested another visit to inspect properly, told them we had a second opinion and their findings..
They returned yesterday afternoon, and were here for approx. 4 hours.
They found a crack in the pipe near to the "pot", silt and roots from a shrub or something, they were very thorough, clearing, flushing , camera down the pipe, amongst checking the street drains etc.
They were also unsure about a "join" in the pipe hence, the "pot" is being replaced and the "join" in the pipe sealed from the inside!!


They tested the water again and it isn't coming from the house water pipes that we drink etc.


They are of the opinion that it isn't these faults in the R/W pipes that have caused the amount of water under the house...they did drain 7/8 tanks of water from under house but, they think they were draining neighbours off as well.


Oh well, we will wait until they have fixed the faults and then
I think we should be draining off some of the water ourselves....I want to lift the Living room /dining kitchen floor up to get the water out, clear the debris, pin the loose elec. cables to the joists and generally check inside the outer walls for damage....any thoughts?????
Sorry about the long post!!
Many thanks for reading.


Many thanks

Suzy-Q

Anyone?????

Ruski

Me again!


Sounds like they are now doing a thorough job which is great - but I'm still leaning towards to water table being the 'issue'.


If they give you a clean bill of health then I think your sump is the only way to go, as we've already discussed.


I note from a previous reply that you couldn't get a spade under the pantry floor - seems unlikely to me - can you explain why? (Normally joists are 14" between - more than enough to get a spade/post hole digger in)


I wouldn't be too worried about 'cleaning' under the floor either - by all means clip back where your access is going to be, but if you fancy going 'mining' for the fun of it then who are we to stop you!!


I would also like you to thing about a more permanent waste pipe route for your sump - you will soon be fed up of putting a hosepipe in and out of your patio windows - a pump with a float switch will happily pump away without any intervention from you when the water levels rise - if you connect the 'hose' from it to a 40mm waste pipe that runs from under the pantry - out through the wall and into the grate you'll never need to do anything other than the normal maintenance of a sump pump.


And if they've been taking away 7/8 tankers full on each visit, you're going to have this system running quite a lot!!


HTH a bit!


Russ

Suzy-Q

Hi Russ/All,


Yes I now think its the "water table" and we are looking into a "sump pump"!
Sorry Russ didn't explain enough, the access area in the "pantry"
is only 1.5 foot x 1.5 foot ( cut out floor boards) and directly below, in the water , there's the old
" lead?" clean water pipe laying along the floor ( more or less in a central position ) .then leading up the side of the pantry door to the Stop tap !!! Tricky area!!! But could cut out more floorboards further in the pantry I suppose.


I would like a more permanent solution, but it means someone going under and fixing the pipe etc. and at the moment its not possible with the water...
also we need to see if the pantry underfloor area is the lowest point ,which I'm not sure it is.


Am I right in thinking that come summer the "water table" will drop? then the ground will dry out? If so we may be able to get someone to go under and sort it, without needing to lift all floors.


I think it was 7/8 tanks full over the 3 visits.....


I was going to try and get some of the 2/3 inches of water out asap....but if its the W/Table it will keep re-filling !!!!!


really worried it's going to do damage under there!!!


getting frustrated now with it all....


Thanks for the reply,