I am going to tell you dan it depends totally on the type of soil you currently have where you are digging. we have solid clay and clay does not take to water. now if you hae more of a gravel soil or something with a good perk test then those drains or pipes you have in mind would work quite well. Lee
On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 11:37:12AM -0400, Dan Rossi wrote: > OK, so does anyone know anything about hydrology? I have started digging > my basement door. I actually got further in 2.5 hours last night than I > expected. > > My concern is drainage of the pit. I will slope the slab away from the > house and put at least four inches of gravel under the slab. > > Here is a question. The slab will be about 24 inches below grade. If I > were to use a power auger and bore a couple of 12 inch diameter, three or > four foot deep holes at the low end of the slab, (obviously before it is > poured), and fill those vertical holes with sand and gravel. And if > the upper ends of the shafts were open to the slab. What would > happen when it rains? Would water from the surrounding soil just fill the > vertical shafts preventing water from the slab to drain into the shafts? > That would make the shafts pretty useless. > > What would happen if I fitted 12 inch diameter PVC pipe down into the > shafts, assuming you could find pipe that big. That would prevent water > from the surrounding area from flowing into the shafts from the sides, but > the bottom would still be open. Does that make any difference? > > OK, the real real question here is , is there anything I can do to prevent > my door pit from becoming a swimming pool? The best solution I can come > up with is illegal. The down spouts for the house are tied into the > sanitary suer system, the house is grandfathered for the time being. I > could try and tie the drain for the pit into the same drainage for the > down spouts. I am not allowed to do that, but if no one is looking. dot > dot dot. > > I am willing to do whatever it takes to do it right, it's just a matter of > more work and probably a bit more money, I am just not sure what will be > the best solution. > > OK guys, let's hear what you've got. > > -- > Blue skies. > Dan Rossi > Carnegie Mellon University. > E-Mail: [email protected] > Tel: (412) 268-9081 -- malpractice, n.: The reason surgeons wear masks. .
