Installing downspout drains. Found this when excavating. How do I fix it?





On my way to Home Depot.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Skins2881,

That is probably a hollow block they trimmed for the end of that row. Assuming water is not entering the basement, you can fill it with cement or rebury it.

A bag of mortar mix is not a bad thing to have around. I buy one every couple of years and distribute it into jugs and containers, and keep a little on hand on most jobs. Comes in handy.

Mix it nice and dry. You want to be able to make a firm snowball with the mix.

You need concrete bonding adhesive and water stop cement. A bag of gravel to fill most of the void so you're not filling all of it with cement.

You need to expose more of the foundation, and rinse it clean. Fill void with gravel so you repair is a few inches deep. Apply bonding adhesive to the area, and also use bonding adhesive instead of water in the cement.

If that were my home I'd dig out that area until I found the water seal coat which should be present, then I'd coat from it up and over the repair.

If there is no sealer, typically a black almost rubber like coating, you can apply one by doing it in sections, digging and filling in as you go.

Here's my plan, I'm in a hurry. Have two laborers digging trench and dry well. No time for perfect solution. Was planning on filling with some gravel, then hydraulic cement dry mix with water already in block, then parge with hydraulic cement.

Will be scrubbing block face with bleach and dish soap to get hydraulic cement to adhere.

Good, bad, stupid, adequate, great idea?

Just water. The best thing is to use the bonding adhesive how I described. Don't be in too big a hurry or your repair will fail. The block is getting too wet and freeze/thaw probably did that.

I am in a hurry, don't have time to do it "right" way. Got hydraulic cement and bonding adhesive. Gonna wing it.

Oddly this is below slab. I would think it would be sitting on footer. Since it's below slab and no moisture inside. I'm not extremely worried as it's probably been like this for 20 years. Also my downspouts will no longer drain there.

Well I patched up the hole after completely filling it with hydraulic cement. Hopefully it works out. The block has likely been filled with water for years, never had any moisture, mold, or mustiness in that room. Since it's below slab, not sure how water could have came in house anyways.

+++++++

60' of sewer pipe laid, drain/clean out installed in middle of the run, and dry well dug, but not complete. Got flashflood warnings for tonight. Well will be completely filled in AM, will have to wait til the week to fill it

Hired two guys from our staffing agency to help dig, both were excellent and. I love the idea of paying a US citizen and a legal immigrant to do the work rather than some unknown illegal from 7-Eleven or HD. Cost more, but well worth it. Boss let me use our account and said he'd just hand me the bill whenever it comes.

Beautiful job! (Both the patch and the pipe). Miller time yet?

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also use bonding adhesive instead of water in the cement.

Oops forgot that step. Would have been nice to do as I now have a bottle of this stuff I'll never use and just takes up shelf space.

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Originally posted by Woodman:
Beautiful job! (Both the patch and the pipe). Miller time yet?

I wouldn't call the patch beautiful... I did smooth it over a little more that when I took pic.

My dry well has a couple feet of water in it, curious to see how long it takes to drain. Earth here is 75% rock, 20% clay, and 5% top soil. I am actually going to to have to buy dirt to finish backfilling since it was all rock. Normally, in others houses I'm trying find somewhere to dump excess dirt after laying conduits, rather odd. All the excavated rocks removed will be dumped into dry well, rest to be hauled off, then I'll top dry well with some pea gravel. Hopefully my dry well/rock disposal idea works.

That 75% rock must make it fun to dig in...