Evening chaps, Can ayone help me with this problem. Ive just bought a house which has a garage containing an inspection pit. The garage itsself is bone dry but the inspection pit is almost full of water, its appears to have been an old problem as on the garage internal wall is a hand pump to bail it out which has seized solid with age and lack of use. Ive got a pump to drop in it so no problem there. If I want to do away with the inspection pit, what is the best way to go about it ? In the long term I will end up flatening the garage and building another directly behind the existing one. The existing garage floor would therefore become part of the driveway to the garage. I have attended the property while it has been raining cats and dogs but no water appears to be getting under the up and over door so do you think it is penetrating the pit walls ? Im also suspicious that the garage roof panels may contain asbestos any idea how I get rid of that too ? Any advice, solutions or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Cheers David
Hi Ablaze. The garage pit has most likely just reached the natural water table for the ground in your area - or slightly possible it cuts across an underground 'stream'. Either way, you just fill it with rubble, hardcore, ballast, whatever... and pack it down. As for your roof, asbestos cement sheets are really relatively harmless (unless you turn them to dust by drilling, sawing, etc), and can usually be disposed of at your local 'recycling centre'. However, you will very likely have to wrap them in polythene sheet - perhaps double - first. Phone them and see what their procedure is. Here in Devon, it doesn't cost.
Hi David. I think it'll come down to what will your new drive be made from - what are you planning? The filled-in pit shouldn't need anything extra over whatever the rest of the drive will have - provided you pack the fill down hard in layers. But...however well you tamp it down, there's almost certainly going to be some further sagging in time. Even if you concrete it over, all that's likely to happen is that the concrete layer will crack in a year's time as the sub-base compacts further and leaves a tiny gap between it and the concrete layer! I've been told that even if you fill in the whole thing with a concrete mix, the weight will make the complete lump sink over time... If you are planning to put down a gravel - or similar - drive, then a slight sinking wouldn't matter as it would be disguised. CAN OTHERS CONFIRM WHETHER I'M RIGHT ON THIS, AND IDEALLY MAKE BETTER SUGGESTIONS? Perhaps there is an optimum amount of ballast with a concrete layer?
I've been told that even if you fill in the whole thing with a concrete mix, the weight will make the complete lump sink over time... What tosh! So all the foundations of the world's building will eventually sink eh?
What tosh! So all the foundations of the world's building will eventually sink eh? Not all - the ones built on solid rock won't. But all the ones built on footings laid on soil do sink. Basically the average house is floating in the soil. Thats why getting the same sort of ground under all your footings is so important. Any softer or harder bits can cause differntial movement as the footings sink as the building is built on top of them.
As Hallbeck said fill the pit with the roof sheets and a layer of hardcore on top. Either that or pay for hardcore to fill your hole and pay someone to take your sheets and bury them in a different hole.
yorkshireboy and hallbeck seem to be talking through the same hole A year or so ago i buried a few tonnes of white asbestos with the blessing of Environmental Health. I am sure you know far more about the enforcement of environmental law than they do - but they seemed happy enough.
Once you've filled it up with rubble/rubbish, and compacted it as you go, chop out some slots in the top edges and put some reinforcing bars across(at about half the depth of the concrete), then fill the buggggger level, 6-8inches of concrete. Ain't going nowhere. Mr. Handyandy - really
I has same problem with my old concrete garage, dropped roof in the bottom and found the rest of the garage was just enough to fill the pit to ground level.
Lay it close to the surface - it may just get enclosed in concrete. Couldn't be safer! Mr. Handyandy - really
Very unsafe Nige. You wanted to do as Sammy seems to suggest,break all the asbestos up and put in double wrapped bin liners,load in the boot and take about 15 trips to the local tip where they will bury it for you. Much safer than contaminating the under ground streams which are often found running through concrete inspection pits.
Re: Inspection pit in garage problem Posted: Oct 17, 2008 11:12 PM Lay it close to the surface - it may just get enclosed in concrete. Couldn't be safer! The asbestos, that is. Mr. Handyandy - really
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