We have a 12 inch by 12 inch hole in the concrete foundation under our tub = filled with sand that has become a nice home for ants. How common is it to= fill this in with concrete because I can't imagine we're the only ones who= 've had this type of problem. I've read on one or two other sites that thi= s hole is generally filled in with concrete after the pipes are set but thi= s isn't the case for us.
Thanks for any advice.
b filled with sand that has become a nice home for ants. =A0How common is i= t to fill this in with concrete because I can't imagine we're the only ones= who've had this type of problem. =A0I've read on one or two other sites th= at this hole is generally filled in with concrete after the pipes are set b= ut this isn't the case for us.
That is whats usually done. When we renovated my in-laws bathroom, we had to chop out the concrete to get at the old trap. We re-did everything in PVC, tested for leaks, then filled it with concrete. If you can get access to the hole, I would fill with concrete.
Thanks for any advice.
The smart way to do this is to remove the sand to a depth of about one inch and then mix up a 40 or 60 pond of bagged concrete. A 1" thick pour will serve the purpose and be easy to break out if you ever need to do so.
Colbyt
filled with sand that has become a nice home for ants. How common is it to fill this in with concrete because I can't imagine we're the only ones who've had this type of problem. I've read on one or two other sites that this hole is generally filled in with concrete after the pipes are set but this isn't the case for us.
pour in some boric acid powder into the sand.
Dunno about ants but mice went right through a foundation hole I blocked with that stuff.
Harry K
Hey guys --
Thanks for all the replies. Also I've been trying to find the technical te= rm for this hole in the concrete and seems most call it a dap out or block = out. FYI on that :)
As for solutions, I've thought about using a foam spray, but I've heard ant= s and other varmints can actually be attracted to it and over time it would= n't hold up. I also heard some people using roofing tar, but again I'm not= sure if that would last as concrete would. I just wasn't sure if there we= re any reasons for not doing concrete from a construction standpoint, but f= rom reading other articles it seems it's common to fill this in for the ver= y reason I'm wanting to do it. Unfortunately for us our tub is right next = to an outside wall so the trap is literally less than a foot from the outsi= de... and with the ground sloping up to the house at almost a 45 degree ang= le this means ants or any other critters only need to go horizontal in the = ground for about 18 inches to two feet and they're under the trap. =20
So unless there's some really huge reason not to fill it in I'll probably m= ake this a project for an upcoming weekend to put a generous layer of boric= acid down then cover the hole in concrete. SHould I put some pee gravel d= own or something down first though or just put concrete right over the sand= ? =20
We have another tub in the second bathroom, but it's more centrally located= in the house about 20 feet from an exterior wall. I don't have as easy acc= ess to that area as I do in the master (garden tub with removable side) so = hopefully that tub isn't another source for ants coming in -- but we'll see= over time if it continues to be a problem. If I have to rip out drywall to= get to it I can in a closet. But the Master bath seems to be the biggest = source of unwanted things entering the house.
Thanks for the advise...
Fill it with any poison. BOOM
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.