Discussion of residential foundation and footing drains

[RonG]

FOLKS, I split this discussion out of the "work pics" thread. It's a very worthwhile discussion. I thought it deserved its own thread.

Digger
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Here is a shot of my operater excavating a basment.

I want to take a minute to commend your operator for doing some nice work there......trenching the garage as he did takes the forethought gained from experience.
It makes me smile to see the little things that make a difference that most people just overlook.
I am not sure that the top layers inside the garage could stay here in Connecticut as it looks organic but I can see why you would want to leave it in place at the prices you pay to dispose of excess fill.
How are they going to pour the back wall?It appears to be on the property line and you won't want to get a mixer too close to that cut with all that sand in there.
I hate it when the form guys show up and start throwing their footing planks in the hole before I am finished........they just assume I have my final grade I guess or maybe they don't even give it a thought but I have left a few cellar holes at something less than acceptable by my standards because of it!!
Nice work there. Ron

 

[Nac]

Actully I ran the 160 the 1st day and I new I had to dig out the garage first knowing not to back my self into a corner. Yes the back wall is 5' off the roperty line I believe there are going to pump the footings and foundations. Now the only problem is me bacfilling I have not decided what is best to create a ramp down to the basment or to lift my skid steer in the basment with the 160.

 

[John Banks]

John you are so right about conditions here. Usually the first 3-4ft is pretty clean because it was all farmland, any deeper and you run into problams.

Although the new project going on Federal Road at the Brookfield, New Milford line, they were hauling clean topsoil out of there did not even need to be screened. So much farming over the years that they went a good 6-8 ft without much problem.

I saw that Jesse. Nice clean rich material. There was a site here in Newtown a few years back where they put in a new development. It was all farmland, dairy cows I beleive. Anyway, when they started pulling out material, all you smelled was the methane gas that was trapped in the soil. It was pretty bad for a while, but I guess that's better than blastin'.

 

[John Banks]

Actully I ran the 160 the 1st day and I new I had to dig out the garage first knowing not to back my self into a corner. Yes the back wall is 5' off the roperty line I believe there are going to pump the footings and foundations. Now the only problem is me bacfilling I have not decided what is best to create a ramp down to the basment or to lift my skid steer in the basment with the 160.

If the space is available, my preference is to ramp it. I think it makes things a lot easier. Then if you need the skidsteer, you can just drive it down.

 

[RonG]

Skid steers don't drive too well in that sand........once the end of the wall is backfilled you could cast material behind the back wall with the excavator and push it straight in with the skidsteer maybe.
I would ramp myself right over the garage after it is poured to do that end........just be sure you don't put an anchor bolt through a tire.
It doesn't look like you would need a footing drain in all that sand but if that is not the case then you might want to leave the wall open somewhere so you could get inside to sprinkle the stone around the drain pipe and close the wall up later on.That being the case you could also get by without a concrete pump but I am sure you have already considered those options. Ron

 

[Nac]

I am going to put over the tire tracks on my skid steer. Also am going to put footing drains and gravel before they start the walls.

 

[John Banks]

I am going to put over the tire tracks on my skid steer. Also am going to put footing drains and gravel before they start the walls.

With the footing drain, will you be able to run that out to daylight? Or a drywell, or with all the sand do you need to run it out?

Also with regard to the sand, do you add any extra slit protection to the pipe so that it is less likely to clog? Only on one job have I ever had the pleasure of that much sand, but with all jobs I typically wrap the pipe with the filter sock in addition to using the filter cloth around the stone.

 

[Nac]

Engineer has to get back to me where to run footing drain does not specify on drawing. Yes will rap 6" prefarated pipe with 12" x12" 3/4" clean stone and filter fabric. But probly will intall a stromtech system for the footing drain below footing elevation.

 

[John Banks]

Engineer has to get back to me where to run footing drain does not specify on drawing. Yes will rap 6" prefarated pipe with 12" x12" 3/4" clean stone and filter fabric. But probly will intall a stromtech system for the footing drain below footing elevation.

You guys run 6" pipe for footing drains? We use 4". Was that a typo? or is that typical?

 

[Nac]

6" that what this plan calls for and 8" for all roof leaders.

 

[John Banks]

6" that what this plan calls for and 8" for all roof leaders.

Wow. we run 4" for both, obviously just perfed for the footing drain and solid for the leader drain. Is that typical for your area or just that one site? Does that architect/engineer really think that the site will need that much capacity? I guess he does if he spec'd it that way, duh. Seems like overkill, but I could be wrong.

 

[Nac]

Well for the footing drains I dont know about the capacity od the drywell/ stormtech system yet but lately most homes do call for 6" for footing drains. With the roof leader most homes call for 6" lines in this house it calls for 8" lines that dump into 6 1,000 gal seepage pits. This house also is 12,000 sf

 

[CT18fireman]

That's different. All I have every doen is 4" here. I did combine into a 6" pipe once for a long less sloped flat before daylighting.

Odd how a relatively close region (NJ) uses different specs.

 

[digger242j]

In case somebody is reading this thread later on, here's the thread with pictures of the job being discussed.