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abeausoliel · Jan 18, 2007, 05:03 PM

I have water in the crawl space under my house. The water is about 2" deep across most of the crawl space. We have had a lot of rain but I have had other houses in Oregon without water under them

I regraded my yard last year and built a retaining wall next to the house in the hopes of moving water away. I have been in the house almost 2 years and the house is only five years old. I have no idea what to do next. I could really use some suggestions and input on who to turn to for help.

letmetellu · Jan 18, 2007, 07:16 PM

One of the first things to do is to someway get the water from under the house. I am not sure is a pump would be a good idea because I just don't know that much about your house. Evaporation may be the best way using fans to move air under the house. Of course running the air conditioner will help condense the moisture in the coil and that will go down the drain.
If you don't get the water from under the house it is going to saturate the wood in the house and every thing in the house will swell up. The floors will warp, the doors will stick shut, drawers will not pull out, clothes will smell musty. It can do lots of damage in a very short period.

labman · Jan 18, 2007, 08:56 PM

You did take care to slope the ground away from the house? How are the rain gutters and down spouts? Go out with an umbrella when it is raining and make sure no water is flowing to the foundation.

My house was 7 years old when I bought it and it had water standing in part of the crawl space. I didn't realize I could make the seller correct the problem. I went at it step wise, first working on sloping the ground away from the house. When that didn't correct the problem, I added a drain. That largely solved the problem although I still went ahead with a larger regrading project. I think my biggest problem now is the access well. I think next summer it is getting a concrete bottom and sealant. I also still have some drainage issues I may not fix until I rip off the old deck and replace it.

The house likely was 10 years old before I added the drain. I can't see that there was any real damage from water standing in the crawl space all that time. Still, it just can't be good. I had enough slope in front of the house to put in a gravity drain. You may have to go to a sump pump.