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Failed footing inspection. Help!

stinkity stoink

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Apr 8, 2007
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742
Location
New Jersey
O.K. I posted questions a while ago about my garage I am about to build (24x26). There is a 3' difference in grade between the front and back of the building. I dug the footings ,but when I did the back I hit some water seepage because my yard collects water in the area about 10' from the footing. It seeped through out the whole footing. The inspector came when I wasn't there and failed me (understandable) ,but I didn't get to talk to him about a suggestion on how to fix it.
The fourms are allready built for the pour. I was thinking of adding 3/4 stone and tamping it down will that possibly do the trick.

Just to add it rained here very hard for a few days about a week before the footings were dug. When It was dug you saw the water seeping in. Now it hasn't rained and the water appears to have stopped seeping but the footing is just pure mud. The inspector wrote on the sticker "unstable soil dry it out & get the muck out "

Any suggestions .Thanks
 
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brownbagg

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Mar 20, 2006
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scape the mud out to stable material and either pour extra concrete or add stone to bottom
 

JSBriggs

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May 10, 2009
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Auburn CA
If it is rainwater, you should be fine pumping it out. If it is ground water, you will want to put in a french drain around the perimeter 5 ' out from the building. Otherwise it will end up leaching through your slab.

I have a spring near mine. The slab has never been wet since i put it in, but it has been flowing water 24/7 since. Its 18" deep trench with 3/4" crushed rock and 4" styrene perforated pipe.

-Jeff
 

Schrodingers Cat

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Oct 31, 2009
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161
if it happened once, it will happen again
+1 on some sort of drainage system
run it down hill and tie the roof drains in to it
 
OP
S

stinkity stoink

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Apr 8, 2007
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New Jersey
I don't know the whole story of the area I am in ,but there is a storm drain in my yard. It is an easement and it runs down the length of about 20 houses. There is a pipe buried (not sure of the diameter ). I am told before the town put this system in when it rained hard it would be a lake in the back of all the houses.

I don't get water in my basement when it rains , but a lot of neighbors do.

When the slab is poured that area will be 3' higher than it is now. That is because I will have to add fill inside the garge to level it with the front. I don't think I will have a problem with water seeping through the slab
 

Schrodingers Cat

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Oct 31, 2009
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161
the problem may be hydrostatic pressure floating the slab...
water exerts great buoyancy force, 3 ft of water will exert ~186 lb/sq ft of force...
if you have 4" slab, it weighs ~50 lb/sq ft...it will 'float' and crack

also, the soil may be eroded allowing the slab to move...again, not good
especially since you are on a slope...

you can run your drains to the storm pipe (obviously you'll need permission from your local governmnt)

drains are cheap insurance...
I've seen empty concrete tanks (100' L x 25'W x 12' D) jacked out of the ground when they were empty because they forgot to put hydrostatic releif valves in, basically a check valve that allows water into the tank thru the bottom, when empty, and stays closed when there is water in the tank
 
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Torque1st

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Sep 14, 2008
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KC Metro, Kansas
You may have problems with water undermining your footings. Dig down outside the footings and put in a drain line with crushed rock around it. If you can't drain it to daylight then install a sump pit and a pump.
 

rikmeister

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Nov 14, 2009
Messages
196
Location
hometown, pennsyltucky
you can french drain it now and live peacefully or you can ignore it and have expensive problems later on. better to spend a bit more now than later. it is always cheaper in the end.
 

Ord

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Nov 3, 2009
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Location
Ontario, Canada
Can I ask what did you end up doing about this? I have a similar situation with water seeping in to where the footings will go.
 
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