Downpipe drains into foundations- how to proceed?

[wombleshome]

Hi All,

First home 1930s, first post. Go easy please...

Suspected that cemented-into-drive drainpipe might be a bad thing...

Dug out sopping wet soil soil, hoping to find a hopper-thing, then got carried away.

Found that it runs into ground, right against foundations.

No major damp-that I have seen...

No subsidance-that I have seen.
Dug down about 2 foot then popped into a void that seems about the size of a football and goes as if into the house/indoors? but can't be sure it's not bigger....

Lots of clay down there.

I have outlet running across a drive now while I figure out what to do next. Done some reading within this site; got me worried, will the drying ground contract? It's been like this for over 20 years... Should I send some slurry/cement down there to fill the voids? Pea gravel,....Expanding foam?- Kidding..sort of....

Someone please say "if-its-not-broke."

 

[dormermike]

Just had something similar done, 1930's bungalow on clay, gulley broken and toilet soil pipe beneath concrete floor approx 2 feet inside was leaking. Had lot dug out and replaced. Sipping wet beneath and heavy clay soil, no side effects yet.

How deep were your foundations out of interest? Got a pic?

 

[Safety First]

text

 

[KenGMac]

wombleshome, Hi.

On thousands of occasions, Insurance Companies, who, lets face it undertake more Drain and Subsidence repairs than anyone can shake a stick at follow the principle as follows.

1/. Locate the damaged / leaky drain.
2/. Repair the damage, unblock the drain.
3/. Re-Route the drain if needed?

Now the big one, if there are no indications of there being either cracks on the walls of the Property, or lots of water in the sub floor then let the ground recover on its own.

As a "temporary" "FIX"? [Not a full time diversion of the underground drain] you may consider? the following?

temporarily, divert the down pipe to discharge into a "Rain Butt" [A large barrel] BUT attach to the butt at about 75% up the wall of the Barrel fix a suitably sized plastic drain, so that the barrel fills but only as far as the plastic drain where the rain water is diverted out of the barrel.

Lead the Plastic pipe to the grass, as far away from the house as is possible, this "ploy" will buy you time and allow the sub soil to "begin" to recover.

You could leave this "arrangement" in place until the weather improves and the ground below the pipe "recovers"

I have handled a lot of Subsidence claims where the clay does recover.

Hope this gives you some ideas?

Ken.