good ol sludge

[Callipygous]

my mother had me build this in her back yard:

she liked how it turned out, so now shes having me build her another one on the other side of the yard.

 

i dug the holes a few weeks ago (the posts were a pain to get)

 

this is the first hole:

to see the second one, picture the exact same thing, but 10 feet to the left.

 

this is the third hole:

 

i dont know what to do about that, but im pretty sure i cant cement a post in it.

any ideas on what would cause that, or how to fix it?

 

(this is my first time using this image hosting site, let me know if there are problems accessing it.)

[Klaynos]

bad links :|

[Callipygous]

damnation... didnt imageshack.com used to host stuff?

[Callipygous]

better?

[Klaynos]

Much better....

 

Hrmmm you could try using a garden fork to break up the ground a bit try and get it to drain away, or cyphen if off....

 

I just guess it's formed a natural pond and then stagnated.... nicely done..

[Callipygous]

what i dont understand is why that one would do that, but not the two holes a mere 10 feet away. the yard is on a very slight slope, if anything that hole is a bit higher than the other two.

[Phi for All]

Are they continuing to fill or did it stop? You mention sludge, is it stinky, oily, watery, what?

[Callipygous]

im somewhat hesitant to stick my hand in it. it looks watery, i didnt notice any smell.

 

it may have gone up a little bit since the last time i looked. it also rained tho : P

 

sludge was in reference to the green crap floating on the top.

 

watery, definately no smell, not oily, the stuff on top actually has a bit of a grainy texture.

[Phi for All]

No smell rules out septic rupture. No oil rules out Beverly Hillbillies scenario : (

 

Bail it out with a tin can and see if it rises without rain. You're right, until that hole is dry don't waste cement.

[insane_alien]

looks like a shrunken version of my neighbours pond. without the fish as well i hope. if it rises on its own then there is something fishy going on, if it only rises with rain then its just poor drainage in the soil at that part of the garden.

 

the 'green crap' is pond scum.

[Callipygous]

no fish, just one enormous snail at the bottom.

[insane_alien]

okay, you need a bucket for the water and a hungry frenchman for the snail. if it fills up without rain your screwed if it doesn't your sorted but you have a frenchman hanging around.

[Glider]

Concrete will go off under water. It's a chemical process, not 'drying'. Put together a fairly dry mix. Bail out the hole. Put in you post and pack down the concrete. Stake the post and leave it overnight. It'll go off ok.

[Callipygous]

Theres a hole in my hole.

 

the hole is indeed refilling on its own (without rain anyway). theres a hole about half way up the side of the hole that seems to lead off to the neighbors yard. it has a small, constant trickle.

[Phi for All]

Does your neighbor have a sprinkler system? He may have a leak somewhere.

Concrete will go off under water. It's a chemical process, not 'drying'. Put together a fairly dry mix. Bail out the hole. Put in you post and pack down the concrete. Stake the post and leave it overnight. It'll go off ok.

I was referring to having the hole dry. Sure concrete will set up in water but you don't want a post in a hole that keeps filling up with it. I'd want it dry before I committed to building anything with that as a foundation.

[Callipygous]

yeah, its not about the cement setting, its about the ground being solid and the post not rotting.

[Klaynos]

does the neighbour have a pond/septic tank?

[Phi for All]

does the neighbour have a pond/septic tank?

A leak from a septic tank would stink wouldn't it?

watery, definately no smell[/b'], not oily, the stuff on top actually has a bit of a grainy texture.

[Glider]

Perhaps you have an impervious layer of clay under part of the yard. That could affect localised drainage characteristics. I think you might need to extend the hole a bit. If you widen it, you might be able to tell if the water is coming from a particular direction, or just seeping up like a water table. If you deepen it, you might find out why it's not draining as the other hole is.

[Callipygous]

the entire valley i live in is a big clay bowl. drainage is always an issue.

 

the neighbor doesnt have a pond, and everyone here is on sewer. he does have a pool, but i dont think thats the issue. he recently put in a new lawn right around where the problem is. he says hell turn down his sprinklers because were guessing hes just overwatering.

 

well see how that turns out.

[Klaynos]

A leak from a septic tank would stink wouldn't it?

 

Yeah, richard suggested it on IRC so thought I would post it, as I was bored...