Struck water@ 2 feet

[kyratshooter]

I am putting a new proch on the back of the shack. Have to dig 12 post holes 3feet deep.

I dug three Saturday, then the rain set in. We got 1.5 inches in 24 hours. The 4 post hole I had already dug and set concrete in were full to the top, even though covered. Fortunately the concrete had some time to set up before the rain started.

Today I went out to do some more. The first went just fine. I moved 11 feet over and got down to the 2 foot level and struck water! It is seeping into the hole faster than I can pull the mud out and gaining on me steadily.

I may have to put this porch on floats!

[Durtyoleman]

Dig it three times the width size of your post and dump in a bag of sacrete quickset behind the post and hose it down. It'll set the post fine. Used to do em that way in louisiana where it's all below sea level and you get water diggin three inches.
D.O.M.

[Rick]

Just make sure it ain't quicksand. I'd hate for you to wake up and find your house has been sucked down. The chickens would be upset, too, since you won't be around to feed 'em.

[hunter63]

Did you call" Diggers Hot Line".......LOL.... Water and septic lines are high buck.......

[Rick]

Ha!! I got a bazillion stories for that. Maybe a trazillion bazillion. I'll give you a couple good ones, though. A buddy went out on a cut cable. Guy planted a tree and chopped the cable in two with the shovel. Buddy digs out both ends and is scooping out around the tree with his hands. He sniffs his hand, looks up at the guy and says, "What is this?" The guy responds, "Sheep chut." He cleared the dog house when he came in that evening. He reaked.

I went out on a cut cable and located the cut at a large hand dig spot in the middle of a small pine forest. The dig is about five feet long and three feet wide. I start digging and pull up a coat sleeve full of maggots. I mosey back to the truck and call the boss who arrives with the county police. "That don't look good," says one cop. "Go ahead and dig it up." I handed him the shovel and said dead body recovery is NOT in my job description. About that time a guy saunters up and asks what everyone is doing. Cop asks if he knows about this. "Sure, I buried him." Cops back up a bit. I back up behind the cops. My boss steps behind a tree. That's why he's the boss. I'm thinking, "Tree! Dang it." "What is it?" asks a cop. "My dog. I couldn't just bury him with nothing to protect him so I covered him with an old jacket that was in the garage." The guy digs up enough of his dog to verify it's a dog and everyone goes on their merry way except me. I have to splice the cable in the pit of death. That dog reaked.

[kyratshooter]

I hate it when the dog gets all maggoty. It's really an irritation trying to get them out of your teeth!

8 holes dug now.

I just plumed and set two of the 16' 4x4 posts next to the house. It took 1 1/2 bags of quickcrete for each hole. The holes were half full of water and I just dumped the concrete in and mixed it up with a breaker bar right in the hole.

After the concrete sets on these two I will use them to plumb in the remaining two in that line.

[hunter63]

Must be low ground?.....Or just a lot of rain?
Just south of us, In IL. a lot of houses are built on pilings with a couple of sump pumps cisterns in the dirt under the house, just to keep it from heaving around or sinking.
Not many basements.

Concrete should be fine it will harden and cure under water........

[kyratshooter]

Too much rain Hunter.

We had double our annual rainfall last year and we are on the way to the same for this year. I dug the holes and we got 1.5 inches Saturday night through Sunday.

[angelhelpreiki]

Rain or not, we couldn't dig 2 feet down here without hitting water -- and that's assuming we could dig 2 feet down at all. It sure wouldn't happen without some heavy equipment!