Water pooling in crawlspace trench by foundation

[CQHixi]

Looking for advice on how to fix this issue. I live in an area that has a lot of clay in the soil, which makes water flow pretty easily over the top of the ground. However, my crawlspace is primarily sand, with a plastic sheet over the top of it (pretty standard). The sand used under the plastic sheet is dry under the middle of the house, but it slopes toward the foundation at the perimeter. This has caused what appears to be a trench on 2 of my outer walls, which fills with water whenever it rains.

The landscaping on the opposite side of the foundation, in the yard, is sloped away from the house--in fact the top of the ground outside the foundation is 4" - 6" higher than the 'trenchline' near the foundation in the crawlspace. There is quite a bit of landscaping, which has replaced the normally clay-laden soil with topsoil and such, but even though that soil is high near the house and slopes away from it, the water is finding its way under my house. I've pumped out the standing water, only to see water bubble back through the foundation in once spot--I think I have ground water in the soil outside the foundation that is seeking a low point and finding its way through my foundation to the trench in my crawlspace.

A friend has suggested buying a few tons of sand to blow in and fill the trench around the perimeter, essentially building up the edges of the crawlspace to be higher than the level of soil in the yard, potentially raising the entire level of the crawlspace if need be. Will this work?

 

[fattdad]

Sure, but you'll then have water "pooled" into the sand grains. It'll help limit mosquito breeding though. . . (not to be glib).

Are you experiencing any settlement problems? Are you concerned about mold? I'm not sure blowing sand into the crawl space will address either.

Other's may differ, however. . .

f-d

¡papá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

 

[CQHixi]

My porch, looks to be primarily concrete, does show a slope that has been growing over the past 3-4 years--I've got a gap now between the top of the concrete and the bottom of my front door that is pushing 1.5" or so. I suppose this could be due to some settlement issues that I can't see, but the main water pooling near the foundation in my crawlspace is away from that area of the house. Could be some pooled water there too that I can't see, I suppose.

 

[CQHixi]

I should mention that I do have plenty of screened ventilation windows in the foundation, and that the wood subfloor and such are all dry as a bone--just want to get rid of that pooled water near the foundation before I do get settlement issues.

 

[cvg]

you have to collect the water and drain it. this can be done by installing a perforated drain pipe along the foundation wall and backfilled with sand. The pipe needs to drain to either a sump with a dry well or a pump or to a low point in the yard away from and downslope from the house. this has been discussed dozens of times on this forum and others. do a search using the google search option at the top of the page.

 

[fattdad]

settlement of your stoop concrete is likely because the fill dirt wasn't compacted. Happens all the time.

Moisture along won't make settlement happen. Heck think of all the wet soils below the ground and the ground isn't sinking. Think of all the embankment dams that have water flowing through them - they don't turn to mud.

Install drain pipe if you want to, but if you are just trying to make it free of standing water, I'd go with your original plan and just place some fill to the grade over the water surface. Just make sure you have your clearance to the floor joists.

f-d

¡papá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

 

[cvg]

it's also possible that if the stoop is built on fill then the house might also be built on fill. you have not given enough information to determine that. could the back of the house be settling and the stoop isn't? (because of the water) do you have any cracked walls? any doors that won't close? any sloping floors? is your house built on a spring?

 

[oldestguy]

I normally would be recommending an interceptor outside the house on the up-hill side.

Then, I recall way back when I started in college and my folks bought a house up against a hill. The old house had a shed set in the hill and had open crock in there with standing water, labeled a spring house.

The house itself had a crawl space. In making some modification to the back section, access to the crawl space was made.

Guess what, the full crawl space was a pond. The house had been there maybe 50 years or more and no rotting of floor joists or other problems. Making plumbing repairs in that "crawl-space" pond was not easy. There was no venting that I recall, but a stone foundation that maybe acted like a vent.

My dad dug an intercepting trench around the up-hill part of the house area and, before I knew better, we filled it with rocks. That trench lead to a pond and did drain a little until it plugged up and was not functioning.

Dad died soon after that and the house was sold.

Last I knew the place still had a pond under it and was occupied.

So, why remove the pond?

 

[ishvaaag]

Depending on the location, on health issues.

 

[chicopee]

Millions of people live over water all the time and some of the water is pretty nasty--look at Venice,Italy, water is a cesspool and there is no apparent health issue.

 

[ishvaaag]

There are many health issues with living in humid environments. Rheumathological, plagues, etc. Other thing is that people lives with them.