A good start Marty and has prove the point where the issues are, Those small size holes wont take much to silt up over time, In my profession option, I would either drill some of the major holes that have the most amount of water coming out of them to either 15mm or 20mm holes min. as a quick option and will relieve the pressure and less chance of water going under the slab, thus under the house. Next step or further option would be 40mm pvc spears(pipes) coming out of the wall (if you dont want them to silt up use geo fab over the internal pipe holes taped sealed with duct tape before you push them through) just like you see on main roads with sprayed concrete retaining walls, they use 50mm pvc spears poking out of the sprayed concrete walls... But like you said in a perfect world install good subsoil drainage behind the retaining wall... i've watched at least 90% of your uploads and you're switched on enough to do most things... so i'm not trying to be an keyboard warrior, I just deal with these type of issues a lot in both commercial and domestic scale many times... but a great start...well done mate either way
These are called "weep holes" in the trade ... quite a bit of engineering goes into design and installation ... 2 or 3 inch diameter usually here in rain country ...
Heavy polythene under the house will help keep your place warm as well once ground has dried tape it up around the piles as you lay it out Marty , cheers , shaneo , nelson 👍
i love all these upgrades to the house you have been showing. once the kids finish school and the wife lets you back to the other property, this house will sell for double what you paid for it probably, because there won't be any downsides when listing it. i dont care how short the videos are, keep posting these please :)
Good to see the house getting some love. The only hope for a lot of people to own a house is to buy a broken down ramshackle building in a regional area and fix it up.
Good quick cure Marty, Throw a few bags of lime under the house, it will get rid of moisture, prevent dampness from migrating and take care of bugs that like damp areas as well.
Water intrusion…..always a challenge. Drilling gave you a good temporary fix. Eventually the holes…being small…will clog. The perils of homeownership. It’s an ongoing battle. Enjoyed your video…thanks.
Oh. the dreaded crawl space, we have them in my area of Virginia in the States, I miss the basements or cellars I had when I lived in New England, Thanks Marty!
Nicely done! I've been in construction for a couple decades and I highly recommend putting a vapor barrier down under your home on dirt. Any thicker plastic will work. There is a constant flow of moisture out of that soil and minimizing it the best you can will yield positive results. The last one I had to work on didn't have enough air flow and no vapor barrier in crawl space. I grabbed a joist to pull myself under and it crumbled into dust. Whole floor had to be replaced.
Yes I plan to put down a moisture barrier once the ground has dried out and I'm sure the drainage is sorted. It has been constantly wet since I got the place last year, only just figured out where the moisture was coming from, it only flows after heavy rain
@@MartyT yep once you figure out what's happening, fixing it is easy . I can also recommend earthwool under floor insulation from Bunnings cheap quick and easy to stapple up under there. As it's soft recycled glass fiber insulation there is measuring or mucking around. Just slam it in there. Wait till you have it reasonably dry then do your black polythene moisture barrier first, that males it a lot nicer job to do. Also if you can get a energizer head lamp and a hammer tracker stappler makes things go smoothly . What do you think about another French drain or some form of tanking to try and stop it permanently... good content for the channel. I think that weather bomb you guys got up there was insane... they said half a meter in 24hrs !!##!
It is amazing how many people do not realize just how rising damp causes so many serious living issues if its allowed to continue, one of the worst is Termites and Mould given that both love damp or wet conditions and poor drainage is the main reason these things get out of control so that is a cheaper solution then digging everything up and doing it properly the way it should have been done in the first place, But in most places its decades before we get continuous wets that show just how bad the problem really is. Another great video Marty I hope Life is treating you and the Family really well Cheers Matey from Oz or the North West Island
Hey once your happy that you have solved the problem. It worth putting some polythene under the house i see you have underfloor insulation but this will really stop any rising damp and there for cold as well. Really makes a difference. All the building inspectors i have spoken to say if you cant afford the under floor do the membrane as it makes a huge difference. We did it here when we did underfloor and makes a huge difference even on sand.
Hi Marty in Victoria we have to put an Agi drain behind retaining walls ,and that concreting job wouldn't pass muster ,anyway love your work as you always find a way to fix any issue.
Near where I live is a railway bridge over the road, one of the abutments has a series of drain pipes sticking out of it that are always running with water. There must be a spring or something under the line at that point and that was the only way to carry away the water.
@@MartyT I would check what's holding the wall up before you cut the path. The footing will be a L shape with the horizontal either under the dirt or in front of the wall where the path is. If you do end up cutting it, go near the house, not the wall. Better to redo the drainage behind the wall. Borrow your mates little digger again.
@@MartyT You could put some black builders plastic down over the area & have the water run off the edge of the retaining wall rather than soak into the ground behind it. Spread some pebbles out over the plastic to hold it in place, save on mowing that bit too.
@@MartyT Better do as Liam suggest: dig behind the wall and install french drains, one at the bottom and one just under the top soil to catch rain waters. Permanent fix. That’s what I did at my house. 100% efficiency.
We have similar problems in Texas. Oil being lighter than water, the oil table sits on top of the water table. We can’t have basements in our homes because the oil always finds a way to seep in and foul up the walls and floor. Now if you could just show us how to build a small oil refinery from an old washing machine we could fill up our big V8 powered cars and trucks with gas (petrol).
@@ionracer24 yep, Plano. We have that really high clay content black gumbo soil. The kind that sticks to your shoes, shovel, tires and has a 70% expansion factor that cracks home foundations. It is so black and thick that you can fool a yankee into thinking it’s the oil table.
Boy, I remember fighting drainage issues constantly. I installed miles of curtain drain and downspout diverters to get the water away from the house. I also installed a vapor barrier under the house to keep the dampness out of the living area. I feel your pain Marty, but looks like you're on track to getting it all fixed.
Aren't hammer drills useful? Good use of one to get a better understanding of the genesis of your water issues Marty! I'm fleeing to higher ground in the state o' Maine to solve my chronic Boston area drainage problems! I know, I'm wussing out but I leave the new homeowners a situation ± under control. And my blood pressure is already much lower! Rock on my Kiwi friend!
Looks good. you may want to add a screen over the end of your garage drain pipe to keep squirrels and such out. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
Great quick fix Marty. I was thinking you were in for another dig around the back, like I had to do. But, sadly, we have So little rain here in California, my French drain is quite dry.
Great lesson in how water builds up behind solid structures and forces water into places it shouldn't be. I guess this is why most solid retaining walls now have plastic pipes inserted to drain the water out of it.
Man, quit being greedy with all that water!! Send some of it this way to us here in California. Lord knows we can use every drop of it. Another great video my friend, looks like the perfect reason to give to your wife about needing another digger! 😀👍
Dig behind the wall to the bottom. Backfill with gravel and wrap in filter fabric. Then you should have a few 4 inch holes in the wall for the water to flow out.
Hi Marty t from Oakley California I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a question and answer video about yourself how did you gain all of the knowledge to do what you do I'm sure your subscribers would be fascinated by the answers I always look forward to your new videos thanks for sharing. Allen
Judging from the way the water came out of the wall, collecting behind the wall is an issue that needs a drainage solution to ensure it clears. You may need to confirm where the footing for the wall extends, as others have said. Punching through the footing could see the wall want to move. At least you have relieved things for now, and a small runway at the side of the path might be all that is needed to help the water on its way. Once more, you are working after the event and clearing the issues others have left for you to find and fix. As usual, you always manage to find a cause and a solution.
I actually had a spring coming out from under my foundation. I have the same concrete apron as you so I had to dig down about a meter and a half to intercept the flow from between the clay layers. Once I routed that around the house it's nice and dry. It was a bugger to get down to and find though. We had a nasty dry spell and that source of water dried up and never returned to any extent. I'm glad the weep holes worked out, I know you are! Cheers Terry from South Carolina USA
Marty, I’m thinking you are wanting to excavate behind the wall and put more french drainage or diversion piping to capture and divert the water to make the crawlspace fully dry. A damp or moist crawlspace will cause problems for the house and the occupants. But this was a great idea to temporarily relieve the pressure.
Super man Marty “Deisel mechanic, road construction, welder, fabricator, plumber, hydraulic specialist, landscaper, painter, panel beater, dad and husband. Dude I think I’m getting a man crush 😂😂
Great job, boss. Logical engineering skills being applied to a wee bit of domestic dampness. Sensible solution as far as I can see. Of course the water builds up behind those bathtub walls. Of course the original builders never designed in drainage. Your solution is best. I wouldn't worry about the drainage holes "silting up" 😂😂 If such an event may be suspected, a certain young fellow sometimes featured in your movies could, um," poke them with a stick". Great job, cheers 👏👏👏
I'm surprised to see that the retaining wall was built without thought of water drainage. Usually you have a exit holes that have a one and a half downpipe sections meant to drain and release the pressure on the wall. Go round and hole drill and insert the pipes to foolproof the repair.
Great solution. It might also be worth adding some gravel and a pipe behind the wall. Looks like formed concrete, I doubt there’s any drainage behind that wall at all.
Hi Marty, you probably already thought about a sump with a pump and float switches under the house as a backup for when the real heavy rain returns. Many thanks for all your uploads from Nr Liverpool UK.
Now you have the water stopped it would be good to lay plastic on the dirt taping around the piles and that will keep the rising damp from cooling the house. Have done lots of houses and everyone has said it makes a difference. Plus the bonus is you don't get so dirty when under the floor.
Yes I plan to lay a moisture barrier once the ground has dried out, if moisture is trapped under the barrier it can cause more problems with sinking foundations so I want to be sure the ground is dry first
I’ve got a similar house design and found a vapour barrier under the house made a huge difference to the internal humidity levels. May be a worthwhile project to have a look at too.
Nothing says practical DIY like an Ozito drill in the rain! Chur! Once it's dried out you should go for some black polythene, made a big difference to our place.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it here... you need to dig a deep hole behind the wall and put an old diesel engine down there. It acts as a "know it all" water transmogrifier. Half the water is absorbed into the diesel injector flap holes, which is used to lube the flaps. The other half is transmuted into youtube tears, which you can use as toilet water.👍
I had the same problem in my basement with the north wall getting water coming through the blocks near the well area under our front steps! I punched holes in the seams of the blocks in the well area near the bottom of the lowest blocks! It was like turning on a faucet as it relieved the pressure and went down the floor drain! I did this almost 50 years ago, and eliminated the problem!
let this be a lesson for everyone watching this who lives on a hillside. a retaining wall cut into the slope absolutely needs drainage behind it, preferably at the base of the wall, to deal with the run off and subsequent hydraulic pressure that will build up behind it. without that drainage, hydraulic pressure can cause a failure of the wall in a number of ways, push the wall over, push it down the slope, crack it apart, or as in this case, direct the runoff under it and into places you don't want it to be. that holds true even for a wall as small as this one. with over 20 years as a remod sub-contractor, i've seen houses where basement walls had totally buckled and collapsed in to a finished basement, which then allowed it to flood, due to hydraulic pressure, and believe me, that's not an easy, nor inexpensive repair.
Gotta love the Ozito SDS Drills, bloody indestructible and do a great job for the price. I stripped a bathroom out using one and it was amazing. Great solution to the leak!
Hey i didn't notice it was a Ozito. I'm a painter in Wellington and we got a Ozito airless sprayer when our main unit broke, in the hope it would at least get us through the job so we could get paid and fix or replace the other one. 400 bux from Bunnings and its still going like a beast 1000s of litres of paint later. Very impressed by it for a cheap machine
If you've stopped water getting into the crawl space it you can sealt the dirt under radiant barrier. Run it 6' up wall and concrete nail it under strips and your sealed. In Canada we spray foam the walls after and even pump heat in winter making it part of the building envelope. Really takes away the smells, since you remove insulation in your floor joists which just acts as home for pests and mold...A lot of fun mask and suit work but it works on flat terrain like yours.. Just make sure it stays dry. If you have to install weepers and sump do it. Have seen a real moster of a crawl space that was smelling the house up be remedied this way.
Good fix. I have had good luck.taking a household box fan, $30 putting in crawl space door and letting run for a few days, will dry things in the crawl space well. Every house I have flipped, I have had to put in drainage on the uphill sides with roof downspouts connected to dry out the basement or crawl space.
If you continue to have problems I'd recommend installing a curtain drain along the inside of the foundation wall where you think the source of moisture is. If you can't find a low enough point in the yard to drain it to consider installing a catch basin and sump pump with a float. With a moisture barrier and a drain you should be on the road to dry. I dug a full basement under my house in Dallas Texas where they said it couldn't be done. In the wetter months the sump pump pumps about 30 gallons every half hour. In the summer the water table drops below the drain level and the pump is not needed.
Water can be quite a nuisance. We put a concrete floor down under a large veranda 2 years ago. The first year was dryish, but this year has been very wet so far, and a crack has appeared across one corner. I researched the issue, and it is caused by a pipe first laid in 1912 to carry water to a railway dam. When the land was subdivided, the railways didn't bother telling anyone about the pipe, but blocked it top and bottom. The crack in my concrete is directly above this piece of archaeology
From a drainlayers perspective here in welly, you need to install a sump or redo retaining wall with metal and nova coil into sump. Hook downpipe up get water to curbside its amazing the transformation it will make to heating the house and drying your section up, got to think about kids and old mumsi.
I don't know if this will develop into a series but if you have another heavy downpour and a chance to check under the house in a few weeks when there's been a chance to let the ground dry out, it would be good to see if your work was effective. I thought you'd be getting a brick cutting disc on an angle grinder and digging out a channel in the path around the house and putting in a mini gravel ditch. I'm sure you'll be assessing the next step, if there is one, when you've checked under the house again.
Hi Marty, two problems here, water building up behind the wall and flowing out under house and the second problem is the water pressure behind the wall over loading the retaining wall. Best as many have suggested is to drain behind wall. Resolves both problems. Your solution is a good short term solution, as in a short time the holes will block with silt reduce the drainage effect. What was the decision on the old CAT bulldozer that you looked at? Thanks for your videos!
Is a 40 mil vapor barrier common practice in crawl spaces in NZ? It's a minimum requirement for new houses here (NW USA) I believe the theory is it minimizes water vapor under the house, thus preventing mold etc in the crawlspace. Like many things, I've never really been sure if it's actually helping or just the way it's done.
Yes standard practice to lay a moisture barrier here too, I plan to put one down once the ground has dried out and I'm sure the drainage is sorted. It has been constantly wet since I got the place last year, only just figured out where the moisture was coming from, it only flows after heavy rain
@@MartyT It sure looks like a tough hillside to sort out an effective drainage plan. Sheds, retaining walls walkways etc. Looks like you're on the right path.
I see you are having a water problem as well, I had a oven extractor installed and now water is leaking from the mushroom installed in the roof and dripping through the ceiling onto the extractor and into buckets I put on the floor, nobody can do anything until the rain stops. I have water coming into my workshop and water in the basement. This rain is proving to be a bother and getting everything wet.
Good to see they laid the concrete paths properly, sloping away from house.
Good detection.
Wow Marty you're nearly at half a million subs... well done mate, you deserve it
Wow - You fixed Your Water Problem - Mr.Magic done it again ! Loved the Video and many Cheers from us in Australia !!!!
A good start Marty and has prove the point where the issues are, Those small size holes wont take much to silt up over time, In my profession option, I would either drill some of the major holes that have the most amount of water coming out of them to either 15mm or 20mm holes min. as a quick option and will relieve the pressure and less chance of water going under the slab, thus under the house. Next step or further option would be 40mm pvc spears(pipes) coming out of the wall (if you dont want them to silt up use geo fab over the internal pipe holes taped sealed with duct tape before you push them through) just like you see on main roads with sprayed concrete retaining walls, they use 50mm pvc spears poking out of the sprayed concrete walls... But like you said in a perfect world install good subsoil drainage behind the retaining wall... i've watched at least 90% of your uploads and you're switched on enough to do most things... so i'm not trying to be an keyboard warrior, I just deal with these type of issues a lot in both commercial and domestic scale many times... but a great start...well done mate either way
Ok. U have a channel to share to to your wisdom?
@@ebutuoyebutouy lol just chasing snakes off my property
I think he should still cut in a drain. He knows how to do anything so it would not be a big deal
These are called "weep holes" in the trade ... quite a bit of engineering goes into design and installation ... 2 or 3 inch diameter usually here in rain country ...
@@GMans-World lol
Smart fixes like this are what I have come to expect from Marty T 👌
'Elementary my dear Watson'. Great analysis Mart. Bob. LH.👍
Holy cow Marty. Just that simple. Absolutely love your content. Makes me think “I can do that”.
Heavy polythene under the house will help keep your place warm as well once ground has dried tape it up around the piles as you lay it out Marty , cheers , shaneo , nelson 👍
Haven’t seen the town house for a long time. That place is beautiful too.
Add plumber/drainer to your endless of talents mate. Well done!
That's the cleanest crawlspace I've seen. No killer bugs or snakes are apparent
I was half expecting a cobbled hydro power plant set up in that back wall. Cheers
Simple understanding of hydraulics and a decent masonry drill along with some detective work and Voila! Problem solved.
Love your work Marty :-)
i love all these upgrades to the house you have been showing. once the kids finish school and the wife lets you back to the other property, this house will sell for double what you paid for it probably, because there won't be any downsides when listing it. i dont care how short the videos are, keep posting these please :)
You drilled that problem right out of here. I like it.
Good to see the house getting some love. The only hope for a lot of people to own a house is to buy a broken down ramshackle building in a regional area and fix it up.
Well done sir!. My father use to say!. Give me the bad news and how it's going to be fixed in one breath!. Thank you marty.👏👍
I like that saying.. Sometimes if you think too hard the problem becomes daunting
I like that saying, to many people focus on the problem instead of trying to find a solution
Great saying. I'm gonna try to remember that
Elegant and simple solution. I had images in my head of digging up behind the wall and busting concrete to add a drain line.
You are so lucky to have all this rain........here in France, the weather is dry as hell :-(
Good quick cure Marty, Throw a few bags of lime under the house, it will get rid of moisture, prevent dampness from migrating and take care of bugs that like damp areas as well.
More videos pls Marty you are in informative and ingenious!
Water intrusion…..always a challenge. Drilling gave you a good temporary fix. Eventually the holes…being small…will clog. The perils of homeownership. It’s an ongoing battle. Enjoyed your video…thanks.
Holey intervention or good old Kiwi ingenuity, call it what ya like it did the job. Nice one bro. Safe travels
Oh. the dreaded crawl space, we have them in my area of Virginia in the States, I miss the basements or cellars I had when I lived in New England, Thanks Marty!
Nicely done! I've been in construction for a couple decades and I highly recommend putting a vapor barrier down under your home on dirt. Any thicker plastic will work. There is a constant flow of moisture out of that soil and minimizing it the best you can will yield positive results. The last one I had to work on didn't have enough air flow and no vapor barrier in crawl space. I grabbed a joist to pull myself under and it crumbled into dust. Whole floor had to be replaced.
Yes I plan to put down a moisture barrier once the ground has dried out and I'm sure the drainage is sorted. It has been constantly wet since I got the place last year, only just figured out where the moisture was coming from, it only flows after heavy rain
@@MartyT yep once you figure out what's happening, fixing it is easy . I can also recommend earthwool under floor insulation from Bunnings cheap quick and easy to stapple up under there. As it's soft recycled glass fiber insulation there is measuring or mucking around. Just slam it in there. Wait till you have it reasonably dry then do your black polythene moisture barrier first, that males it a lot nicer job to do. Also if you can get a energizer head lamp and a hammer tracker stappler makes things go smoothly . What do you think about another French drain or some form of tanking to try and stop it permanently... good content for the channel. I think that weather bomb you guys got up there was insane... they said half a meter in 24hrs !!##!
Good job Marty, fighting nature is usually a loosing battle but at least you gave the water another route
Always nice to fix a small solution now before it turns massive not to mention having relief you know its fixed.
good job. i understand any size retaining wall should have weep holes to also prevent pressure from pushing the wall over.
Glad i am not the only one that fixt such a problem with a drill 😂
Nice job, Marty! Nicely reasoned out.
I need "that is obviously not ideal" on a shirt.
It is amazing how many people do not realize just how rising damp causes so many serious living issues if its allowed to continue, one of the worst is Termites and Mould given that both love damp or wet conditions and poor drainage is the main reason these things get out of control so that is a cheaper solution then digging everything up and doing it properly the way it should have been done in the first place, But in most places its decades before we get continuous wets that show just how bad the problem really is.
Another great video Marty I hope Life is treating you and the Family really well Cheers Matey from Oz or the North West Island
Hey once your happy that you have solved the problem. It worth putting some polythene under the house i see you have underfloor insulation but this will really stop any rising damp and there for cold as well. Really makes a difference. All the building inspectors i have spoken to say if you cant afford the under floor do the membrane as it makes a huge difference. We did it here when we did underfloor and makes a huge difference even on sand.
THAT is some good observational skills👍
Hi Marty in Victoria we have to put an Agi drain behind retaining walls ,and that concreting job wouldn't pass muster ,anyway love your work as you always find a way to fix any issue.
Near where I live is a railway bridge over the road, one of the abutments has a series of drain pipes sticking out of it that are always running with water. There must be a spring or something under the line at that point and that was the only way to carry away the water.
Regardless of the fact that the holes alleviated the problem for now, you should plan for a full drain in that spot to completely solve the problem.
Yes if the ground doesn't dry out under the house I will cut the concrete path and install a drain
@@MartyT I would check what's holding the wall up before you cut the path. The footing will be a L shape with the horizontal either under the dirt or in front of the wall where the path is. If you do end up cutting it, go near the house, not the wall. Better to redo the drainage behind the wall. Borrow your mates little digger again.
Yeah digging out behind the wall, installing a drain and backfilling with gravel is the permanent solution
@@MartyT You could put some black builders plastic down over the area & have the water run off the edge of the retaining wall rather than soak into the ground behind it. Spread some pebbles out over the plastic to hold it in place, save on mowing that bit too.
@@MartyT Better do as Liam suggest: dig behind the wall and install french drains, one at the bottom and one just under the top soil to catch rain waters. Permanent fix. That’s what I did at my house. 100% efficiency.
We have similar problems in Texas. Oil being lighter than water, the oil table sits on top of the water table. We can’t have basements in our homes because the oil always finds a way to seep in and foul up the walls and floor. Now if you could just show us how to build a small oil refinery from an old washing machine we could fill up our big V8 powered cars and trucks with gas (petrol).
just get a ram to drive a pump ... just curious, does it mean there will be some bad smell in the house if oil breaks through?
@@garysu5443 It’s a sweat crude, low sulphur. A ram you say, butt butt butt…….
@@ionracer24 yep, Plano. We have that really high clay content black gumbo soil. The kind that sticks to your shoes, shovel, tires and has a 70% expansion factor that cracks home foundations. It is so black and thick that you can fool a yankee into thinking it’s the oil table.
Well done, remember like electricity water will always take the path of least resistance.
Brilliant. Must be a harder way to solve this.
Boy, I remember fighting drainage issues constantly. I installed miles of curtain drain and downspout diverters to get the water away from the house. I also installed a vapor barrier under the house to keep the dampness out of the living area. I feel your pain Marty, but looks like you're on track to getting it all fixed.
Aren't hammer drills useful? Good use of one to get a better understanding of the genesis of your water issues Marty! I'm fleeing to higher ground in the state o' Maine to solve my chronic Boston area drainage problems! I know, I'm wussing out but I leave the new homeowners a situation ± under control. And my blood pressure is already much lower! Rock on my Kiwi friend!
Looks good. you may want to add a screen over the end of your garage drain pipe to keep squirrels and such out. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
Yes I put some netting in the end to keep pests out
Great quick fix Marty. I was thinking you were in for another dig around the back, like I had to do. But, sadly, we have So little rain here in California, my French drain is quite dry.
Great lesson in how water builds up behind solid structures and forces water into places it shouldn't be. I guess this is why most solid retaining walls now have plastic pipes inserted to drain the water out of it.
Good idea drying up under the house. Mold is a serious problem if left to grow wild
Man, quit being greedy with all that water!! Send some of it this way to us here in California. Lord knows we can use every drop of it. Another great video my friend, looks like the perfect reason to give to your wife about needing another digger! 😀👍
Dig behind the wall to the bottom. Backfill with gravel and wrap in filter fabric. Then you should have a few 4 inch holes in the wall for the water to flow out.
Hi Marty t from Oakley California I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a question and answer video about yourself how did you gain all of the knowledge to do what you do I'm sure your subscribers would be fascinated by the answers I always look forward to your new videos thanks for sharing. Allen
That was an interesting solution. Will be interesting to see how it works over time
Judging from the way the water came out of the wall, collecting behind the wall is an issue that needs a drainage solution to ensure it clears. You may need to confirm where the footing for the wall extends, as others have said. Punching through the footing could see the wall want to move. At least you have relieved things for now, and a small runway at the side of the path might be all that is needed to help the water on its way. Once more, you are working after the event and clearing the issues others have left for you to find and fix. As usual, you always manage to find a cause and a solution.
I actually had a spring coming out from under my foundation. I have the same concrete apron as you so I had to dig down about a meter and a half to intercept the flow from between the clay layers. Once I routed that around the house it's nice and dry. It was a bugger to get down to and find though. We had a nasty dry spell and that source of water dried up and never returned to any extent.
I'm glad the weep holes worked out, I know you are!
Cheers
Terry from South Carolina USA
Marty, I’m thinking you are wanting to excavate behind the wall and put more french drainage or diversion piping to capture and divert the water to make the crawlspace fully dry. A damp or moist crawlspace will cause problems for the house and the occupants. But this was a great idea to temporarily relieve the pressure.
Good video Marty, two family places have issues, and I was able to share your video with them
We need some of that rain here in south Texas mate!
Marty you are so smart.
Super man Marty “Deisel mechanic, road construction, welder, fabricator, plumber, hydraulic specialist, landscaper, painter, panel beater, dad and husband. Dude I think I’m getting a man crush 😂😂
The mud wasps are going to love their new homes.
Great job, boss. Logical engineering skills being applied to a wee bit of domestic dampness. Sensible solution as far as I can see. Of course the water builds up behind those bathtub walls. Of course the original builders never designed in drainage. Your solution is best. I wouldn't worry about the drainage holes "silting up" 😂😂 If such an event may be suspected, a certain young fellow sometimes featured in your movies could, um," poke them with a stick". Great job, cheers 👏👏👏
Spot on. Like the handle in relation to this post 😆
@@ArohaKiwi Yes!!😅😅
I'm surprised to see that the retaining wall was built without thought of water drainage. Usually you have a exit holes that have a one and a half downpipe sections meant to drain and release the pressure on the wall. Go round and hole drill and insert the pipes to foolproof the repair.
I think this house is an older one and back then they seemed to not do that because my older house was the same way.
Great solution. It might also be worth adding some gravel and a pipe behind the wall.
Looks like formed concrete, I doubt there’s any drainage behind that wall at all.
Hi Marty, you probably already thought about a sump with a pump and float switches under the house as a backup for when the real heavy rain returns. Many thanks for all your uploads from Nr Liverpool UK.
Yes that is definitely an option But I'd rather keep electricity out of the equation
We do the same in the Netherlands… My dad made a mini well in the crawlingspace where he’d put it in so all water could go towards the lowest point
..good repair, glad you found the problem, keep well and safe...
Now you have the water stopped it would be good to lay plastic on the dirt taping around the piles and that will keep the rising damp from cooling the house. Have done lots of houses and everyone has said it makes a difference. Plus the bonus is you don't get so dirty when under the floor.
Yes I plan to lay a moisture barrier once the ground has dried out, if moisture is trapped under the barrier it can cause more problems with sinking foundations so I want to be sure the ground is dry first
I’ve got a similar house design and found a vapour barrier under the house made a huge difference to the internal humidity levels. May be a worthwhile project to have a look at too.
Hi Marty. I thought you might have put another pipe (tile) in the ground maybe even where it starts to come down the hill. Have good days!
Nothing says practical DIY like an Ozito drill in the rain! Chur! Once it's dried out you should go for some black polythene, made a big difference to our place.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it here...
you need to dig a deep hole behind the wall and put an old diesel engine down there. It acts as a "know it all" water transmogrifier. Half the water is absorbed into the diesel injector flap holes, which is used to lube the flaps. The other half is transmuted into youtube tears, which you can use as toilet water.👍
😆
I had the same problem in my basement with the north wall getting water coming through the blocks near the well area under our front steps! I punched holes in the seams of the blocks in the well area near the bottom of the lowest blocks! It was like turning on a faucet as it relieved the pressure and went down the floor drain! I did this almost 50 years ago, and eliminated the problem!
Well done.
well done sir Marty
let this be a lesson for everyone watching this who lives on a hillside. a retaining wall cut into the slope absolutely needs drainage behind it, preferably at the base of the wall, to deal with the run off and subsequent hydraulic pressure that will build up behind it. without that drainage, hydraulic pressure can cause a failure of the wall in a number of ways, push the wall over, push it down the slope, crack it apart, or as in this case, direct the runoff under it and into places you don't want it to be. that holds true even for a wall as small as this one. with over 20 years as a remod sub-contractor, i've seen houses where basement walls had totally buckled and collapsed in to a finished basement, which then allowed it to flood, due to hydraulic pressure, and believe me, that's not an easy, nor inexpensive repair.
Marty t’s home fixes, also nice to see a video from you!
Gotta love the Ozito SDS Drills, bloody indestructible and do a great job for the price. I stripped a bathroom out using one and it was amazing.
Great solution to the leak!
Surprisingly powerful drills for the price
Hey i didn't notice it was a Ozito. I'm a painter in Wellington and we got a Ozito airless sprayer when our main unit broke, in the hope it would at least get us through the job so we could get paid and fix or replace the other one.
400 bux from Bunnings and its still going like a beast 1000s of litres of paint later. Very impressed by it for a cheap machine
By golly if you didn't relieve that water build up under the structure. Good job.
Thanks for the content.
Keep up the good work.
בס'ד
Nice job m8. Has to be one of the wettest winters I've experienced in Nz.
If you've stopped water getting into the crawl space it you can sealt the dirt under radiant barrier. Run it 6' up wall and concrete nail it under strips and your sealed. In Canada we spray foam the walls after and even pump heat in winter making it part of the building envelope. Really takes away the smells, since you remove insulation in your floor joists which just acts as home for pests and mold...A lot of fun mask and suit work but it works on flat terrain like yours.. Just make sure it stays dry. If you have to install weepers and sump do it. Have seen a real moster of a crawl space that was smelling the house up be remedied this way.
That was genius solution!
My only question is- won't those drain holes, erode soil from them?
Thanks Marty
Good fix. I have had good luck.taking a household box fan, $30 putting in crawl space door and letting run for a few days, will dry things in the crawl space well. Every house I have flipped, I have had to put in drainage on the uphill sides with roof downspouts connected to dry out the basement or crawl space.
If you continue to have problems I'd recommend installing a curtain drain along the inside of the foundation wall where you think the source of moisture is. If you can't find a low enough point in the yard to drain it to consider installing a catch basin and sump pump with a float. With a moisture barrier and a drain you should be on the road to dry. I dug a full basement under my house in Dallas Texas where they said it couldn't be done. In the wetter months the sump pump pumps about 30 gallons every half hour. In the summer the water table drops below the drain level and the pump is not needed.
I wish we could get some of that rain.
More on the house would be fantastic fella 👍
Maybe keep a fan running in the crawlspace to help it stay dry.
Good job Marty👍👍👍
Water can be quite a nuisance. We put a concrete floor down under a large veranda 2 years ago. The first year was dryish, but this year has been very wet so far, and a crack has appeared across one corner. I researched the issue, and it is caused by a pipe first laid in 1912 to carry water to a railway dam. When the land was subdivided, the railways didn't bother telling anyone about the pipe, but blocked it top and bottom. The crack in my concrete is directly above this piece of archaeology
I've got the same ozito hammer drill, its a beast and makes quick work of drilling into concrete
They're actually not bad for the price
From a drainlayers perspective here in welly, you need to install a sump or redo retaining wall with metal and nova coil into sump. Hook downpipe up get water to curbside its amazing the transformation it will make to heating the house and drying your section up, got to think about kids and old mumsi.
Yes if the ground doesn't dry out I will add a drain around the top side of the house, drilling holes seems to have solved the problem for now
If the holes didn't work, was Plan B to buy another tractor?
Nice fix !!
Oh goodness, I despise my crawlspace. I've had the very same issue.
What about building up diversion berms above the wall to divert water before it runs behind the wall?
I don't know if this will develop into a series but if you have another heavy downpour and a chance to check under the house in a few weeks when there's been a chance to let the ground dry out, it would be good to see if your work was effective. I thought you'd be getting a brick cutting disc on an angle grinder and digging out a channel in the path around the house and putting in a mini gravel ditch. I'm sure you'll be assessing the next step, if there is one, when you've checked under the house again.
Yes if the ground doesn't dry out I will lay a drain around the top side
Excellent solution.
Many years ago dad and I had to cut in a drain in front of this widow's garage. back then the job was done with a star bit and sledge.
Hi Marty, two problems here, water building up behind the wall and flowing out under house and the second problem is the water pressure behind the wall over loading the retaining wall. Best as many have suggested is to drain behind wall. Resolves both problems. Your solution is a good short term solution, as in a short time the holes will block with silt reduce the drainage effect. What was the decision on the old CAT bulldozer that you looked at? Thanks for your videos!
I left the cat, it was too far gone and would have been a time/money pit to sort out
Some weeping tile goes a long way in those kinds of situations.
UA-cam is up to its old tricks again and this video was hidden from me and I’m subscribed with the bell rung!
Is a 40 mil vapor barrier common practice in crawl spaces in NZ? It's a minimum requirement for new houses here (NW USA) I believe the theory is it minimizes water vapor under the house, thus preventing mold etc in the crawlspace. Like many things, I've never really been sure if it's actually helping or just the way it's done.
Yes standard practice to lay a moisture barrier here too, I plan to put one down once the ground has dried out and I'm sure the drainage is sorted. It has been constantly wet since I got the place last year, only just figured out where the moisture was coming from, it only flows after heavy rain
@@MartyT It sure looks like a tough hillside to sort out an effective drainage plan. Sheds, retaining walls walkways etc.
Looks like you're on the right path.
I see you are having a water problem as well, I had a oven extractor installed and now water is leaking from the mushroom installed in the roof and dripping through the ceiling onto the extractor and into buckets I put on the floor, nobody can do anything until the rain stops.
I have water coming into my workshop and water in the basement.
This rain is proving to be a bother and getting everything wet.