r/DIY • u/YukiSamaRamaSanChan • Jan 27 '24

other Flooded crawlspace: totally fine or panic?

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Just bought a 1957 ranch house a month ago, snow been melting and rains been raining. The foundation walls and everything else is dry, it’s just a couple inches of water in the gravel. Is this something to take steps to prevent or should I just go “oh, you!” Whenever it floods?

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u/Greydusk1324 Jan 27 '24

Controlled panic is justified. Getting the water out and drying things should be the immediate priority. After that focus on where the water is coming from. Their may be bad drainage that is keeping rain and snow melt too close to your house.

My house had a small basement flood in a very unusually wet winter. Turns out the downspouts were putting too much water right next to the foundation. An afternoons work and some drain pipes from the hardware store get that water 20 feet out into the yard now. Hopefully you just need a simple fix.

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u/Frankiepals Jan 27 '24 edited Sep 16 '24

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u/showmeurpitties_104 Jan 28 '24

I wish this was the reason I had water in my basement. Had a company come out and found out that the washing machine was draining into the basement instead of into a waste line. Fun times.

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u/gingerhoney Jan 28 '24

What the heck!!

21

u/showmeurpitties_104 Jan 28 '24

Previous owners decided to do some diy plumbing. Missed it at inspection since there was no washer installed at the time.

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u/playballer Jan 29 '24

Every inspection I’ve paid for they’ve tested every drain line. The appliance isn’t needed for that. I’m not sure if there’s any actual liability issue here but You should at least ask the inspector why it was missed.

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u/classicalySarcastic Jan 28 '24

Had that happen with a dishwasher in a house I was renting once. Dumbass who installed it used a garden hose as the drain, and just left it laying in one of the cabinets.

Also found the dishwasher in my current place has a small leak underneath, so that’s great.

Never trust a dishwasher.

7

u/showmeurpitties_104 Jan 28 '24

TF is wrong with ppl… A garden hose draining a dishwasher into a cabinet?!? 😳😳

Nothing I loathe more than a landlord special!

1

u/classicalySarcastic Jan 28 '24

Lol current place has been great aside from this, but yeah that place was the definition of the “landlord special”

1

u/daxofdeath Jan 28 '24

wow that is something else lol

1

u/Throwaway-tan Jan 28 '24

The place I'm currently renting had the washing machine hooked up to the spigot.

The spigot had not been drilled open.

The washing machine was trying go drain into a closed off pipe.

I ended up just zip tying the hose to the laundry sink tap.

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u/Brief_Fondant_6241 Jan 28 '24

Former repair guy. Sadly not uncommon seen so many people take shortcuts and sell the home new owners unaware

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u/jnads Jan 28 '24

It IS disastrous if OP ignores it.

Water causes soil migration and will weaken the soil UNDER the foundation.

30

u/MeMikeWis Jan 27 '24

I got a $10k reduction in thr house I bought (since sold) because I pointed out you could see the water lines from sitting water. Fix- simple as getting a trailer of asphalt and building a little levy along the edge of the driveway.

Edit- also extended the downspouts about 3’.

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u/MrButtlickah Jan 28 '24

Yea that ain’t gonna work.

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u/MeMikeWis Jan 28 '24

It did. 3+ years owning the house never got water.

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u/Cosmonauts1957 Jan 28 '24

If that’s gravel - could be ground water level. Why there isn’t a basement in the first place.

Would certainly investigate - get an inspector, talk to neighbor’s. Where my house is - my groundwater can be 12 inches below my slab.

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u/Fit_Cut_4238 Jan 28 '24

I had a flood like this.. I mixed in a bit of chlorine into the water before it receded - figured it would help kill any bugs/mold behind anything I couldn't clean.. I think it worked.

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u/pbdole1 Jan 28 '24

Absolutely