Fixing my home driveway ditch drain? ~ Thanks for advice!!

[helmsfamily]

A *hole* is opening up between two concrete pipes in my driveway under the rock and dirt that goes over my ditch. The hole is about 3 inches in diameter and I guess rain has disolved the dirt underneath the rock just above the two pipes. I can see that the two pipes underground were not joined together well and there is about an inch or so of distance between the two pipes. Short of digging them up completely, pushing the two pipes together and then putting dirt and gravel back over the two pipes (which would take some time) what advice would you give to fix the problem?

I though I *might* get a large stone paver and just dig down to the pipes and place that over the top of the two pipes, fill back with dirt leaving the pipes separate (they have been down there separated for years anyway) and put the gravel back on top. What do you think? Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[DerbyDad03]

Are these pipes supposed to be attached together? If so, the regardless of how many years they have been separated, I think that they should be repaired. The fact that you are seeing the beginnings of the problems the erosion is finally causing (i.e. the sinkhole) should be an indication that things should not be left as is. I can imagine a scenario where more and more dirt get washed our from under the pipes and the pipes themselves begin to sink, along with everything above it.

Here's my suggestion: Check out this site to see what a Fernco coupling looks like. Go to your local plumbing supply store and get one that will fit you size pipe and fix it right.

[Lawrence]

I guess that depends on what those pipes are for. What are they for?

If they appear to be damaged then they may be abandoned from a previous install in which case you many do as you wish.

If they represent your current electric service then a greater sense of care and urgency would be required. If the conduit for an existing install is broken then you may want to replace. This may not mean digging it up since it is possible to just abandon the old line and bury a new one. Either way, extreme care is to be used.

If they are water pipes and there is no leak or interuption of your water then cover carefully and leave well enough alone.

[EXT]

Are you talking of a single ditch culvert pipe under a driveway that is two pipes long with a gap in the middle or are you talking of a pair of culvert pipes installed in parallel under your driveway? Different treatments for each situation.

[helmsfamily]

It is a single ditch culvert pipe under a driveway that is two to pipes (maybe 3 pipes) long with a gap in the middle. Also in reference to the first post these are just drainage concrete pipes and do NOT have water and sewer or electricity running through them. I think our 3 cats get in them to get out of the rain. I had noticed a while back that one side seemed much higher than the other side and though that was mostly due to more gravel collecting on that side. This higher side is the side with the small "sinkhole". ~ The author

[mm]

What is your driveway made of?

Some houses are on lots that have a drainage ditch right next to the road, parallel to it, and they use pipes where the driveway goes over the ditch. Is that what you have?

Does water run through the pipes when it rains or is it some other way?

How wide are the pipes?

How deep aree they?

Something that wraps around and fits closer to the pipe seems like a better idea to me, but I don't have a sense of the whole picture yet.

[Goedjn]

Shove section of liner down the culverts. (Are they big enough for you to slither down without drowning or getting stuck?) Sheetmetal or cardboard should do. Then squirt a really wet concrete mix down the hole until it starts oozing around the liner.

[helmsfamily]

These pipes are not very deep in the ground actually. There is only maybe about a foot or less of dirt covered by gravel on top of them. The pipes are probably only around (and I need to go out and measure them) a foot in diameter at most as an outside dimension. The pipes are as you say...the ones that you drive over to get in your driveway that are put in the ditch and are covered over so that you can get in the driveway and to your house. They are there to 1. drive over the ditch and 2. allow for water in a BIG rain to pass through to the other side in the ditch. When the work was done (I am the 2nd owner of the house) I was not there, but I don't think they took much time really connecting the (probably) 3 pipes properly. They just laid them in the gound about end to end, dropped some dirt and then some gravel on them and they went on their way. Now it is my problem.

[helmsfamily]

What you said sounds like a pretty good and easy idea..."Shove section of liner down the culverts. Sheetmetal or cardboard should do. Then squirt a really wet concrete mix down the hole until it starts oozing around the liner." And these pipes are only about 12 inches or less outside diameter. I know I will need to schedule a Saturday soon to dig up all around it and see how bad the problem really is, unless I use some cardboard or sheet metal as you say and slide it up "inside" the pipe to keep from actually digging out the pipe on the outside. Thanks.

[DerbyDad03]

Just curious...is my Fernco coupling suggestions out of the running as a possibly more permanent fix?

[Goedjn]

Trouble with that is that it requires you to be able to move at least one of the pipes, at least a few inches. Which probably requires digging out the entire length of it.

[helmsfamily]

The jury is still out on this one folks. I am going to think long and hard before any final decisions are made. Who know's that homeowner's insurance might cover it, but I will have to look into deductables, etc. And in final I will set down with my wife and discuss the matter and then we will both ruminate on it for a while. I probably will put something over the hole temporarily until we can decide on the best fix at the time. (Money is also tight right now.)

[Glen Morse]

replying to helmsfamily, Glen Morse wrote: So how did u fix?