[Nortron]

Hello Everyone, I'm back with another Noobie Question..

I'm working on repairing the Cinder block walls in the basement, as well as installing a drain system along these walls... In my research I know the drain pipes should be Beside the Footings... So my question is this... How far down in general are the footings from the basement floor? I did a small test hole, but I'm not sure how deep I need to go, and I don't want to accidentally jackhammer the footings as well...

Am I safe to jackhammer right up against the cinder block wall?

House is in Ontario, 72 years old.

Thanks!

 

[Bondo]

I did a small test hole, but I'm not sure how deep I need to go, and I don't want to accidentally jackhammer the footings as well...

Am I safe to jackhammer right up against the cinder block wall?

Ayuh,..... There's no way to know for Sure, til ya open yer test hole to the sub-grade dirt,.....

In my experiences, the footers could be 2' wide, or more, 'n the wall of course is the width of the blocks,....
Generally speakin', the wall is centered on the footer, so it maybe up to a foot, from the edge of the wall, to the edge of the footer,.....

That said, I'd start away from the wall, 'n work yer way closer, dependin' on what ya find,....

 

[Nortron]

Hello,

Okay, I will do another test hole, but a lot further out from the wall and slowly work my way in to see what I find...

I was expecting to find gravel under the cement though, but seems like it went from concrete to dirt.... Will see what the new test hold shows...

Thanks,

 

[stadry]

we do this work every day & always start next to the wall,,, generally we find 16" wide foundations - 8" thick wall + 4" on either side & 4" thick conc floors,,, that's 'generally',,, sometimes we'll encounter 'spread footings' ( wider than normal due to low soil strength ) 35yrs & i still can't look thru concrete :vs_mad:
we use 60# elec bosch brutes to break,,, not unusual to find dirt under the conc,,, be nice if you also found vapor barrier but its rare,,, gravel also be nice but even more rare