I'm not so sure your problems are related to the ground being dry. It
sounds like the ground is settling, and I think adding water to it will
accelerate that process. Hire a professional foundation expert and get
their opinion. You may need to excavate around the foundation, prop the
foundation up to the proper location, and add sand to keep it at the
proper height.
Luther KB5QHU Forest Park, IL
'98 ML320 "Max" (170,xxx mi)
On 9/13/2013 1:17 PM, Randy Bennell wrote:
Some of you may recall my query a year or two ago about what I might do
about too much moisture in my garage.
I did learn that covering the surface of the table saw and jointer out
at the lake with a sheet of tar paper helped a lot.
I did that last fall and this spring, they were better than the previous
year and I think things were as wet this spring as last.
I have a new issue that is sort of the opposite.
The ground around my house is too dry and that is causing some shifting.
Doors are sticking and it is obvious that the south side of the house is
down somewhat - not really visible to the eye or noticable when one
walks accross the floor, but put a level on the floor and it is
surprising how much it is down. We added on to that side of the house in
1987. The original basement is still reasonably level but the addition
has sagged somewhat on the outer edge away from the basement. The
basement has footings and a poured concrete wall. The addition is built
on piles and a gradebeam. There are a number of bell piles and a couple
of straight piles as there were a couple of spots where there was water
coming in when they drilled and they were not able to bell the bottom.
Here in the Red River Valley we have lots of good old clay gumbo.
It swells when wet and shrinks when dry. It has been dry.
I have been wondering how I might introduce more water down near the
level of the footings to see if that might help to move the house back
into level or at the very least, prevent it from getting any worse.
I can live with it the way it is if I have to but I would not want it to
get much worse. That would pose issues that would be more visible.
I see tree root feeders but I don't know if they are long enough to go
that deep.
I also wonder about creating cavities if one pumps water in under pressure.
Anyone have experience in this sort of thing or good ideas?
I also wonder about a sort of reverse French drain.
Could I drill some fence post holes deep, fill them with a pipe liner
and stone and just pour water on them from above? Or do you think I
would need pressure to make the water go down the hole?
Randy
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