Soak away adjacent to footings?

[Safety First]

Greetings,

Updated. Had plenty of views but now there are real photo's that should help...

We are in a 1930's semi. Front room bay window wall is damp at about 600mm. In the bay the floor goes boards/joists/slate/earth. Out of the bay, as in into the room it goes boards/joists/slate/ brick piers/earth. Don't know why they did not dig out the earth next to the bay wall?

Anyway. Other side of the damp (outside) is/was a concrete 'skirt' poured 20 years ago? It was def higher than as built ground level. I removed concrete to find loads of big stones and rocks, very wet soil. Gravel drive joins to concrete skirt. Drive slopes to house. I don't [/i]think I have removed footings! Just a lot of rocks - this place used to be a quarry site!

I cannot think of a way to make a soak away.

Seems to me that to excavate down next to wall or footings, then do continue down and in fill with gravel or the milk-crate things, would only make the area drier? I know this is not 'proper' I cannot find such a spec' that does not feature a perf pipe taking water away. As I say I cannot take water away anywhere as drive (with gravel on) slopes towards the house.

Is it madness? Please

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[flameport]

You cannot build a soakaway next to your house. It needs to be a significant distance away, normally at least 5m.

Contrary to what you believe, digging a big hole next to your house will cause it to fill up with water and the area will be permanently wet. At best, it will do nothing. It is more likely to make the situation worse.

A soakaway is not a magic hole to get rid of water. It's a place for excess water to be held temporarily while it gradually disperses into the ground.

 

[rjm2k]

Assuming the source of the water is the drive, can you not add a drain across the driveway and connect it to that manhole? You would need to investigate who owns it.

 

[Safety First]

You cannot build a soakaway next to your house. It needs to be a significant distance away, normally at least 5m.

Contrary to what you believe, digging a big hole next to your house will cause it to fill up with water and the area will be permanently wet. At best, it will do nothing. It is more likely to make the situation worse.

A soakaway is not a magic hole to get rid of water. It's a place for excess water to be held temporarily while it gradually disperses into the ground.

Triffic! Once again I have managed to find THE move that can make matters worse! Lol

Thanks for the reply though.

Can I ask what would happen if I dug down really deep, say 2.5m and filled it with stone chips. I am thinking that the stone in my wall currently (previous to excavations) had a volume of wet soil against it.
Why would it be worse if the same volume of water now could not be held against the stone?

I am not 'calling you' on your experience- just asking what you would see going wrong if I did put a very deep 'soak away' adjacent to the wall?

And on the other tack- would I be better of putting cement in the hole?

Cheers for taking the time....
Tom

 

[Safety First]

Assuming the source of the water is the drive, can you not add a drain across the driveway and connect it to that manhole? You would need to investigate who owns it.

Never thought of that. Thanks.

The drain; Who owns it? Would I start with a water bill and go from there..?

The drain says 'Airtight' on it. There is some water pooling there already so I have gravity on my side which always helps...

If the gravel area was concrete I could run a drain across the lot to the manhole. Oddly, the previous owner lay all that gravel on TWO layers of DPM, NOT terram.
There is a slight slope to the gravel towards the house.Currently it seems the gravel areas-worth of water is 'delivered' straight into the pictured trench...

If I can move all the stone and replace DPM with terram, would this do much?

 

[stuart45]

You shouldn't be digging down below your footings.

 

[Safety First]

You shouldn't be digging down below your footings.

Just guessing... it will allow movement.. movement is bad...?

 

[stuart45]

You shouldn't be digging down below your footings.

movement is bad...?

It is if your walls start moving downwards.
Where does your rainwater from the roof go?

 

[Safety First]

You shouldn't be digging down below your footings.

movement is bad...?

It is if your walls start moving downwards.
Where does your rainwater from the roof go?

rain water... mostly (gutters not too bad) across to neighbours side and away.


re the movement there's an obvious difference between digging below the level of the footings, and digging actually beneath them. if either is equally bad then consider me warned and grateful for the warning. I did think I might get away with digging beside them given that it's just the bay wall, window and roof. now that i list it, that's quite a lot of Load!

 

[stuart45]

The area you can dig out is normally 45 degrees from the bottom of the foundation.
Is there enough room to put a soakaway in the front garden 5M from the house? Are you on clay soil?

 

[rjm2k]

I would say that removing the membrane which stops water getting through to the soil would be a very good start! You could just cut across a few sections along it rather than take it all up.

 

[flameport]

just asking what you would see going wrong if I did put a very deep 'soak away' adjacent to the wall?

You will end up with the foundations of your house wall significantly weakened, followed a few weeks/months/years later by the side of your house falling off.