Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Water at 40" depth - is that bad?
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cmcfarling
08-08-06, 02:10 PM
I started digging holes for the piers that will support the deck I'm working on. So far I've dug 5 right along the back of the house. They're at a stright line parallel to the house and about 14" away from the foundation. (I'm not connecting the deck to the house)
All of the dirt that I dug out was really wet & sticky from about 12" down to the bottom of the holes, which is about 40". After digging the holes and taking a break for a while, I peeked into the holes and noticed that there was standing water in 3 of the 5. The water is as much as a few inches deep.
Is this normal to see this much water at this depth? It hasn't rained for several days (I'm in cental Indiana). Should I go ahead and pour concrete into the hole (I'm using cardboard tubes) and not worry about it? Should I dig deeper or perhaps fill the hole back in some?
This house has a basement. Is there any concern that I have ground with this much water up against my basement wall?
All of the dirt that I dug out was really wet & sticky from about 12" down to the bottom of the holes, which is about 40". After digging the holes and taking a break for a while, I peeked into the holes and noticed that there was standing water in 3 of the 5. The water is as much as a few inches deep.
Is this normal to see this much water at this depth? It hasn't rained for several days (I'm in cental Indiana). Should I go ahead and pour concrete into the hole (I'm using cardboard tubes) and not worry about it? Should I dig deeper or perhaps fill the hole back in some?
This house has a basement. Is there any concern that I have ground with this much water up against my basement wall?
DeckedOut
09-05-06, 09:23 AM
You would be surprised at the water underground at very shallow depths. This is probably just a result of a higher than average spring uder your house.
I wouldn't sweat that to much. Just because you have water in your holes isnt neccisarily going to cause your posts to be unstable. The one thing I might worry about is how firm the ground is at the bottom of your holes. If it is to soft then you run the risk of your posts sinking down into the ground, causing your foundation to go out of level.
You said you are using cardboard tubes and filling them full of concrete? When doing this, you are making the posts very strong in their settlement and shouldnt worry about them swaying or being unsturdy.
Was the dirt you pulled out of the hole clay? sand? soupy mud? If it was decent clay then you shouldnt have much to worry about.
I wouldn't sweat that to much. Just because you have water in your holes isnt neccisarily going to cause your posts to be unstable. The one thing I might worry about is how firm the ground is at the bottom of your holes. If it is to soft then you run the risk of your posts sinking down into the ground, causing your foundation to go out of level.
You said you are using cardboard tubes and filling them full of concrete? When doing this, you are making the posts very strong in their settlement and shouldnt worry about them swaying or being unsturdy.
Was the dirt you pulled out of the hole clay? sand? soupy mud? If it was decent clay then you shouldnt have much to worry about.
Concretemasonry
09-05-06, 10:51 AM
Brace you Sonotubes well to keep them in place. They will not settle unless the concrete settles.
If you have granular soil (sand, gravel, etc.) you should have no problem. If it was hard clay, you should be O.K. also. If you have mud/muck it is hard to tell if you caused it to be that way or it just bad clay.
You can fill the tubes with concrete without a problem. Pour the concrete continuously, slowly and steadily, forcing the water up and out of the tube. The concrete should be on the dry side instead of the wet side. You don't need much strength in the concrete since you are only supporting wood and you have more area.
Dick
If you have granular soil (sand, gravel, etc.) you should have no problem. If it was hard clay, you should be O.K. also. If you have mud/muck it is hard to tell if you caused it to be that way or it just bad clay.
You can fill the tubes with concrete without a problem. Pour the concrete continuously, slowly and steadily, forcing the water up and out of the tube. The concrete should be on the dry side instead of the wet side. You don't need much strength in the concrete since you are only supporting wood and you have more area.
Dick