Official Gramps' Memorial Eternal OT Thread

#30,701
#30,701
0nelilreb said:
I grew up on Memphis style BBQ and sauce ( sweet and sometimes a little heat ) , these people here in Virginia / North Carolina ( the food places ) are killing me with that vinegar BBQ stuff .
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I’m not a big fan of the vinegar BBQ either. I made quarterly trips to Columbia, SC (working with the ChE Dept at USC) for about 10 years and had a couple of places I would go for BBQ there, but both Memphis and Texas style are more to my taste.
 
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#30,704
#30,704
AM64 said:
A question for some of you who deal with building projects. My other house is on a very slight grade - not much more than a couple of feet drop from front the back. The ground under the front of the house is dry as a bone, but the back is perpetually wet, and I can't find any plumbing leaks. There is a cellar that was dug years ago - just dirt walls, but with a sump pump, so obviously the moisture problem has been there for decades - the house was built in 1918. The floor joists etc are oak and hard as a rock, but I don't like the moisture keeping humidity in the house up around 60%. Obviously one "easy" step is a plastic barrier - I put some down basically to crawl on while running some cables for my son. I've had a thought though about spreading dry concrete without aggregate and letting the concrete absorb the moisture and harden. I've tried to find any references to doing just that and only found comments about not pouring concrete under a house because of the tremendous water content - makes perfect sense. Since I really think the issue is ground water, any thoughts about spreading dry concrete and letting it form a barrier under there? The cable work was during a really cold snap during the winter a few years ago, and it was cold under there, so I did what needed to be done and got out - especially in the front any work is really tough - can't even crawl on hands and knees.
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I wish I had an answer for you, but it sounds like Slice is most likely the one that can help
 
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#30,706
#30,706
Carl Pickens said:
I wish I had an answer for you, but it sounds like Slice is most likely the one that can help
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Thanks. Maybe he'll see the question and take a stab at it. Sometimes when the AC is off the house can smell a little musty, so I was thinking lime on the wet part of the crawlspace - and then it clicked concrete contains hydrated lime. I just did a different search tonight and hit several things about remediation of contaminated sites with concrete for stabilization. Most seem to be about mixing concrete with the surface material rather than spreading it on top - maybe my thought process isn't that far off. If I don't come across anything negative before I'm back there, I think I'm going to give it a shot - should be great fun dragging some bags of concrete through the little access. My parents owned the house since the late 50s; I'm pretty sure I would have known of any sewage or other kinds of spills under there. On this last trip I decided the well pump is bad - 220 coming into the pressure switch and 220 out to the pump - but no water - probably just let that one ride. It was nice for washing cars etc, but not used much since the advent of city water there about thirty years ago.
 
#30,707
#30,707
AM64 said:
Thanks. Maybe he'll see the question and take a stab at it. Sometimes when the AC is off the house can smell a little musty, so I was thinking lime on the wet part of the crawlspace - and then it clicked concrete contains hydrated lime. I just did a different search tonight and hit several things about remediation of contaminated sites with concrete for stabilization. Most seem to be about mixing concrete with the surface material rather than spreading it on top - maybe my thought process isn't that far off. If I don't come across anything negative before I'm back there, I think I'm going to give it a shot - should be great fun dragging some bags of concrete through the little access. My parents owned the house since the late 50s; I'm pretty sure I would have known of any sewage or other kinds of spills under there. On this last trip I decided the well pump is bad - 220 coming into the pressure switch and 220 out to the pump - but no water - probably just let that one ride. It was nice for washing cars etc, but not used much since the advent of city water there about thirty years ago.
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This is the type thing that drives me nuts. You know it’s going to be a lot of work, but are unsure if it will solve your problem. The only sure thing is a lot of sweat and most likely some cursing.
 
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#30,708
#30,708
AM64 said:
Thanks. Maybe he'll see the question and take a stab at it. Sometimes when the AC is off the house can smell a little musty, so I was thinking lime on the wet part of the crawlspace - and then it clicked concrete contains hydrated lime. I just did a different search tonight and hit several things about remediation of contaminated sites with concrete for stabilization. Most seem to be about mixing concrete with the surface material rather than spreading it on top - maybe my thought process isn't that far off. If I don't come across anything negative before I'm back there, I think I'm going to give it a shot - should be great fun dragging some bags of concrete through the little access. My parents owned the house since the late 50s; I'm pretty sure I would have known of any sewage or other kinds of spills under there. On this last trip I decided the well pump is bad - 220 coming into the pressure switch and 220 out to the pump - but no water - probably just let that one ride. It was nice for washing cars etc, but not used much since the advent of city water there about thirty years ago.
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Sounds like it might work, you might want to try a couple of test areas.... hydraulic cement may work better than regular.

Quikrete 20 lb. Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement Concrete Mix-112620 - The Home Depot

Good luck!
 
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#30,709
#30,709
AM64 said:
A question for some of you who deal with building projects. My other house is on a very slight grade - not much more than a couple of feet drop from front the back. The ground under the front of the house is dry as a bone, but the back is perpetually wet, and I can't find any plumbing leaks. There is a cellar that was dug years ago - just dirt walls, but with a sump pump, so obviously the moisture problem has been there for decades - the house was built in 1918. The floor joists etc are oak and hard as a rock, but I don't like the moisture keeping humidity in the house up around 60%. Obviously one "easy" step is a plastic barrier - I put some down basically to crawl on while running some cables for my son. I've had a thought though about spreading dry concrete without aggregate and letting the concrete absorb the moisture and harden. I've tried to find any references to doing just that and only found comments about not pouring concrete under a house because of the tremendous water content - makes perfect sense. Since I really think the issue is ground water, any thoughts about spreading dry concrete and letting it form a barrier under there? The cable work was during a really cold snap during the winter a few years ago, and it was cold under there, so I did what needed to be done and got out - especially in the front any work is really tough - can't even crawl on hands and knees.
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Sounds like a draining issue on the high side of the house. You need a ditch or French drain on the upper side to divert the water away.
 
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#30,710
#30,710
AM64 said:
A question for some of you who deal with building projects. My other house is on a very slight grade - not much more than a couple of feet drop from front the back. The ground under the front of the house is dry as a bone, but the back is perpetually wet, and I can't find any plumbing leaks. There is a cellar that was dug years ago - just dirt walls, but with a sump pump, so obviously the moisture problem has been there for decades - the house was built in 1918. The floor joists etc are oak and hard as a rock, but I don't like the moisture keeping humidity in the house up around 60%. Obviously one "easy" step is a plastic barrier - I put some down basically to crawl on while running some cables for my son. I've had a thought though about spreading dry concrete without aggregate and letting the concrete absorb the moisture and harden. I've tried to find any references to doing just that and only found comments about not pouring concrete under a house because of the tremendous water content - makes perfect sense. Since I really think the issue is ground water, any thoughts about spreading dry concrete and letting it form a barrier under there? The cable work was during a really cold snap during the winter a few years ago, and it was cold under there, so I did what needed to be done and got out - especially in the front any work is really tough - can't even crawl on hands and knees.
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Isnt concrete porous? My understanding is concrete slabs, etc need a vapor barrier underneath to prevent seep.
@Orangeslice13. Help us out here, bro.
 
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#30,711
#30,711
AM64 said:
A question for some of you who deal with building projects. My other house is on a very slight grade - not much more than a couple of feet drop from front the back. The ground under the front of the house is dry as a bone, but the back is perpetually wet, and I can't find any plumbing leaks. There is a cellar that was dug years ago - just dirt walls, but with a sump pump, so obviously the moisture problem has been there for decades - the house was built in 1918. The floor joists etc are oak and hard as a rock, but I don't like the moisture keeping humidity in the house up around 60%. Obviously one "easy" step is a plastic barrier - I put some down basically to crawl on while running some cables for my son. I've had a thought though about spreading dry concrete without aggregate and letting the concrete absorb the moisture and harden. I've tried to find any references to doing just that and only found comments about not pouring concrete under a house because of the tremendous water content - makes perfect sense. Since I really think the issue is ground water, any thoughts about spreading dry concrete and letting it form a barrier under there? The cable work was during a really cold snap during the winter a few years ago, and it was cold under there, so I did what needed to be done and got out - especially in the front any work is really tough - can't even crawl on hands and knees.
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If its actual ground water concrete isnt going to do anything. Concrete is not waterproof, which is why it will soak up the water. It may drop the humidity for a bit, but once its soaked thru you are going to have the same issues.

Have you tried digging test holes/wells to see where the water level is on the property? If you dont get standing water/really wet soil elsewhere I would be surprised if the house specifically was having issues with ground water, so digging a hole on the property should tell you a good bit.

If it fills up you have a ground water issue. If it doesnt it may just be that it got wet and hasnt been able to dry out much over time, because there is a house sitting on it.

My list of suggestions would be the following but not in this order.

1. to foam the bottom of your house, the floor of the house, some of that can be waterproof (only do if dried out first). You can dry it out either with a dehumidifier, if it isnt ground water, or it may also be worth installing a exhaust fan down there thru your basement wall.
2.Or at least provide some way for the wet air to get out besides up thru the house. Wetter air has higher pressure than drier air so it should even out over time if given a way. Vents on either side of the house will do this. Highly suggested for radon either way.
3. If it is ground water you may be able to trench or drain pipe it out. A simple trench lower than the rest will allow the water to collect their first before making it to the top soil, depending on the water table this may not have to be too deep. You will need to punch thru the basement wall with some drain pipes. Issue here is you are letting water gather and if it doesnt drain fast enough you arent fixing the issue. The pipes can be those perforated pipes, install them about 6"below the top of the ground at least (deeper is better) and drain those out side the house. I have no idea how you would do this as those would be big holes, and you may have to go under whatever foundation you have if it's a full perimeter wall vs posts down. Which can obviously be an issue.
4. An active pump, you dig a hole under the house, and pump it out, this removes any water but adds a good bit of cost. With this you can do plastic elsewhere.
5. You may need to do some general site grading/drainage way from the house if it's not groundwater specifically. It may just be backfilling from the site somewhere else if there isnt enough drainage.

If there are no vents I would start there as that would be the easiest and is good in general.
 
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#30,714
#30,714
RavinDave said:
I’m not a big fan of the vinegar BBQ either. I made quarterly trips to Columbia, SC (working with the ChE Dept at USC) for about 10 years and had a couple of places I would go for BBQ there, but both Memphis and Texas style are more to my taste.
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Columbia also had the mustard base...
 
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#30,721
#30,721
AirVol said:
Sounds like a draining issue on the high side of the house. You need a ditch or French drain on the upper side to divert the water away.
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I certainly think it wouldn't hurt, and the whole yard needs some dirt and to be properly graded, but this stays damp during even the hottest driest spells. It's like the water table is almost at ground level, but there's a creek maybe 50 feet away that's usually dry. I thought it was possibly where the not so sane original contractor cut really low to put in the first central heat and AC and then we discovered it was just put on some concrete blocks and not a pad, but it didn't go away when the system was replaced and a real pad was poured.
 
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