High Water Table

[hammerman]

Friend of mine has just bought a bungalow which is at the bottom of an estate which is on a hill.

There is a 3 foot void under the floorboards which are constantly full of about 3" of water. They pump it out and by the morning it's back.

My thought is that it's the water table causing this. The floor under the boards is concrete but I would think the water just seeps through the underground brick work.

Does it sound like the water table? The soil around the garden is clay and they said there's a virtual river running through the garden.

What can be done about it ? I would've thought the water table would be lower in summer and the problem would disappear....could the inside be sealed with blackjack or something ? Would soakaways or some kind of exterior drainage system be the answer.

Any help would be welcome

TIA

[ivor4781]

there all the same where my brother lives around 3" of water permanent except after a very dry /hot spell it is the water table,

[TonyV]

Have they had heavy rain in recent times. If they are at bottom of hill they will get all the runoff from the hill. I would leave till the summer and see what it's like after a dry spell. IMHO almost impossible / expensive to seal water will build up and find another way in. What sort of survey did they have done?

[gingejbee]

"virtual river running through the garden"......are they SURE that there is not a water mains leak near-by? My first action would be to phone the local water company and say "there is a suspected water leak at/near my property". They will send staff ("water inspector") who will sample the water and their laboratory staff can identify it's origin (mains, surface water etc). There is no charge for this service.
It would be pointless to do anything else until you have eliminated a possible mains/service supply leak.

[TonyV]

Hammerman let us know final outcome

[The Builder]

I've come across this several times, Hammers. It'll most likely be an underground spring.

Assuming there is lower ground below the building, the best thing is to just cut into the masonry and install a simple drain. Carry the water away for a few metres from the building if possible.

It'll probably be difficult to drain through clay, so would it be possible to route the drain to the stream?

[TonyV]

That's a brilliant thought Builder or depends on what is at end of garden i.e. No houses or see where this virtual river is going and route it into that. Only thought is I wonder if the water will rise naturally from its current level in the Bungalow to the surface but that I guess will depend on the gradient of the ground?

[The Builder]

That's always a possibility, Tony. As with everything, you need to be there to have a look at the lie of the land

[malagabob]

He could, if there is not one there, create a sump. Install a sump pump with a float, which will trigger a pump to pump water to outside via a suitable sized discharged pipe