I inherited my Grandfathers garage a while back and with it an inspection pit full of water.

I’m after draining it and filling it in but trying to figure out how to go about it. I think the water is seeping in through the pit walls but it never overflows over the top.

My thoughts are to fill it with hardcore packing it down as I fill it in and top it off with about 6-8 in thick concrete.

Anyone done this? Any advice suggestions?

theres probably a small drain that allows some water to leak out,thats why doesnt overflow pump it out and have a look.

Ah, good one, that’s what that pipe is coming out where it’s always wet outside.

Don’t fill it in, use it as a small indoor hot tub?

Sod that, I’m sure there’s something living in that pit. I go in and see ripples in the water. I reckon it’s that thing in the black stuff on Prometheus.

I’d love a garage with a pit. Possible valuable feature for resale. Can’t you just board it over?

Possible valuable feature for resale.

You think? Death trap in the eyes of 99.5% of house buyers.

Boarding it over surely stop its being a death trap? Obviously you can fill it in if you want but I’d see at as extra storage space if nothing else.

If you can sort the water issue out, I’d probably make a proper wood/metal cover for it.. It’s extra storage room if nothing else.

personally I’d just get a big sheet of DPM line the hole with it and fill it with aggregate (having blocked any obvious drain holes)

what could go wrong!

I’d be tempted to try & identify the source of the water first.

If it’s filling up with that much water (I’m guessing this is a pit you can stand up in?) that’s an awful lot of the stuff. It’s always possible it’s below the water table, in which case I’d just tank it and use it.

Unless you’ve got someone you need to ‘disappear’?

😉

Think I’d try to find out where the water is coming from first.

It’ll be groundwater and if the pit wasn’t tanked properly during construction there is little that you can do about it.

I’d love a pit, but then I work on my motors myself.

Regarding filling in, compacted fill with concrete over, not the worlds biggest construction challenge.

Id love a pit.

Ive resisted fitting one in my garage simply because modern cars dont fit 😀

Ergo i need a new garage with pit obviously – something about the size of footflaps workshop should do.

Sounds like your new wine cellar needs the leaks plugged.

Sound ideal for storing your illegal hoard of guns and ammo. Just need to sort out the damp problem as you don’t want your AK47s rusting…

Your approach is what we’ve done recently with a friends pit. We flattened the garage, used some of the debris to make the hard core and then topped it.

Although I do think a trap door and loot store would be a better use.

Definitely ground water. My dad’s used to fill up regularly and eventually bought an electric pump once he got bored of shovelling the water out.

I’d love a garage with a pit too. As long as they have a decent cover they are so useful.

I’ll need to get it drained and see what’s going on in there and where the waters coming from but my guess it’s seeping in through the walls. The place hasn’t been used in years and it’s just filled up over time.

My thinking is fill with hardcore compacting it down as I go, every foot or so and then top with concrete. I want to sink a couple of ground anchors into the concrete top to chain the wife’s motorbike down and secure it.

I wouldn’t want to store anything in the pit, it’s too damp.

I think you can buy a suitable pump cheaply enough from Amazon (if it’s not coming in too quickly)…

(and I’d love a pit in my garage – when we knock the current thing down and build a new workshop and garage/studio it’s on my wish list. It’s more practical that a decent 2 post lift)

You’re all making me feel guilty now for wanting it filled in!

I will have a good look it when I’ve drained it to see if it can be saved.

Make sure you have something/someone to bury in the pit before filling it. May a well take advantage of it 😀

How do you get on with your Mrs/ inlaws ?

You could grow cannabis in it, hold people hostage, keep a pike in there or fill it with spiders and renact indiana jones

Steel trap door and you have a hidyhole for the upcoming Zombie apocalypse….

automatically opening cellar type doors with a hydraulic platform to stick the bike on. Ride bike onto platform, push the button and watch it disappear back into the pit with the doors retracting over it.
Don’t forget to get off the bike first though.
Oh and tank it, put a sump in the corner with a pump rigged to work when the water gets to a certain level

Or I might be over thinking this

revs – nice, needs dry ice too for when the doors open on bike retrieval.

just got to think of the right theme tune to play………..

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4[/video]

Keep a mermaid in it

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxV3lDLiJs[/video]

You can’t just fill it in and concrete if it “fills” with water or you will end up with a wet patch on the new concrete. You need to protect its current outfall if possible and then fill with say 20 mm clean which will compact but still be granular enough for the water to seep away through the existing means.

Is this a euphemism?