Anyone Have Experience With Foundation Repairs?

[FJR_pig]

Some background:

Just purchased this home in June. It is nine years old and overall, in excellent condition. Sits on a light slope from the back to front. I have an irrigation system all around the house.

The problem:

In the last day, I've discovered what appears to be a slow leak in my back yard's sprinkler line. It was one of those discoveries where you go, "Oh, that explains everything else I've been noticing." While home quite a bit more than normal over the last few weeks, have heard "new" creaks and pops in the middle of the house and then yesterday, noticed a new crack on the garage floor. The creaks and pops, the new crack and the area of the sprinkler leak are essentially in a straight line if you looked down at my house from the sky. I'm pretty certain I've got a soil erosion issue going as a result of the pipe leak - I just don't know how bad yet or what it's going to take to fix it, if necessary.

Anyone out here ever had to deal with this? New to me and it's got me fairly stressed out as to the stability of the house. I'm not seeing any new cracks inside the home on walls or floors. If that was the case, we'd probably be out.

My plan is to have an expert over here ASAP to assess the damage, but I'm not entirely sure the best type of pro to reach out to.

Looking for any help anyone out there might be able to provide. Thanks in advance.

Pigster

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

I recently used the services of 'American Leak Detection'. They are a franchise and are likely listed in your Yellow Pages. Very helpful.

I was experiencing flooding in the area of my pool pump and had them check my pool and house plumbing for leaks. Turns out, my neighbors sprinkler system had a leak that was flooding my area.

Tip: check your water meter for evidence of flow when all your taps are turned off. Hope you find an easy fix! Good luck!

 

[03HiYoSilver]

FjrP,

What you want to do is contact a local foundation/pier company. Your house may have been built on improperly compacted fill dirt without enough piers/pads to establish a sound foundation. Once identified, they can drill holes and use high pressure cement to create the piers/pads necessary with little to no interuption.

Hope this helps.

 

[FJR_pig]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think we have this properly diagnosed now and we're moving forward tomorrow with some work on it. Didn't end up being nearly as bad as I feared.

Geez, I hate house problems.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

FjrP,

Let me know what they find out. House problems can be a pain...however a little $$ now is better than BIGGER $$$$'s later.

 

[JWAD]

1st the sprinkler systems should only show a leak if the leak is between the point of connection and the valve assembly. This is the only line in the sprinkler system that has full time constiant pressure on it. From the valve assembly to all piping and all sprinklers this portion of the system only has pressure while the system is in operation. Is the house slab on grade or is it a raised foundation with a wood floor. The homes foundation was proably placed first and usually no sprinkler piping or domestic water piping is under the foundation unless a idiot built the house. Usually domestic water is piped thru the outside wall up to the attic and then distribuited thruout the house. Usually all domestic water meters have a glass window showing gallons used. In this window there is usually a small red triangle about the size of a pencil eraser. You can check the entire domestic and irrigation system for leaks if you close off all faucets, toilets, showers everything that useses water. This small triangle will move a small amount when any water is used. It will move even if you fill a tea cup it's very sensitive. So close off all water sit on your ass and watch the triangle if it moves you have a leak. Now start digging in the wet spot in the yard. If you have a single sprinkler or several heads on the same cycle leaking while the system is not in use you will proably find a grain of sand in the diaphram of the valve that operates that cycle. Take the valve apart and clean it or replace it. Hope this is of some help

JWAD

Porterville Ca

 

[Fencer]

1st the sprinkler systems should only show a leak if the leak is between the point of connection and the valve assembly. This is the only line in the sprinkler system that has full time constiant pressure on it. From the valve assembly to all piping and all sprinklers this portion of the system only has pressure while the system is in operation.

True, but not completely accurate depending on the manifold system installed with the system. I have 1 zone that constanly leaks due to downhill flow and the pressure there-in. The valves have been changed 3 times, but.....

I do not have a leak or flow from the master line input. It is all pressure within a closed and shutoff system. It takes a week to bleed out from the last run. But surely not enough to affect a foundation

Is the house slab on grade or is it a raised foundation with a wood floor. The homes foundation was proably placed first and usually no sprinkler piping or domestic water piping is under the foundation unless a idiot built the house. Usually domestic water is piped thru the outside wall up to the attic and then distribuited thruout the house.

It may vary by the code where you live, but here we follow the National revision of 2005 (I think the year is correct?) Builders code, and for YEARS Slab homes and commercial buildings have plumbing under the concrete (as an input and output but not necessarily for distribution within the same building. It is commonly used in colder climates to install the incomming lines below the frost line to prevent freeze-up. Its been done this way for a long time.

Watching the little red triangle is good though

 

[sonicspeed]

i'm a building contractor or rather i was one and my only advice is, if i built your house there is nothing wrong with it, if i didn't build get your contractor out there and blame him LOL

hope everything goes good with your repairs

 

[juniorfjr]

I never heard of a swamp with a slope.