How can I dig a hole ?

[Poodle Head Mikey]

Situation:

Concrete basement floor with a 24" square of concrete removed to provide digging access.

I would like to dig a hole about 6-7' deep in the dirt under the floor - primarily dense clay.
I would like to have about an 18-20" diameter hole.

Before I get the depth -
I run out of shovel handle length
I run out of post hole digger handle length (and hole width to work the handles)
The clay is essentially waterproof so I can't wash & mud-pump it out.

Any ideas?

Is there such a thing as a compound-handled post hole digger?

Can anyone think of a way to do it?

[HVACRmom]

Situation:

Concrete basement floor with a 24" square of concrete removed to provide digging access.

I would like to dig a hole about 6-7' deep in the dirt under the floor - primarily dense clay.
I would like to have about an 18-20" diameter hole.

Before I get the depth -
I run out of shovel handle length
I run out of post hole digger handle length (and hole width to work the handles)
The clay is essentially waterproof so I can't wash & mud-pump it out.

Any ideas?

Is there such a thing as a compound-handled post hole digger?

Can anyone think of a way to do it?

What kind of post hole digger are you using? Is it a gas auger? We have a gas auger and we had to dig some holes for posts last year but ours were only 3' depth. We have very rocky clay too so it wasn't easy, and especially with the handles. Washing out wasn't an option for us either.

I looked up "well" diggers and couldn't find any auger extensions as I think with anything you'd run into the handle issues again. I did find a handheld Seymour-Midwest Well Post hole digger up to 8' on Lewiscontractorsales.com. Little pricey ($249) but it might work if you literally can't get any deeper any other way.

http://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/...FmsaAqfV8P8HAQ


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[HVACRmom]

Situation:

Concrete basement floor with a 24" square of concrete removed to provide digging access.

I would like to dig a hole about 6-7' deep in the dirt under the floor - primarily dense clay.
I would like to have about an 18-20" diameter hole.

Before I get the depth -
I run out of shovel handle length
I run out of post hole digger handle length (and hole width to work the handles)
The clay is essentially waterproof so I can't wash & mud-pump it out.

Any ideas?

Is there such a thing as a compound-handled post hole digger?

Can anyone think of a way to do it?

If you are using a gas auger, you could add a shaft extension (lol cant say that without giggling) on the auger bit. Not sure how long in length actually exists but it's a good start. Hope you pack some good elbow grease ha


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[jnsrose]

I'm thinking dig as far as you can go with what you have then garden shovel and grandkids. If you don't want to risk the grandkids go to HD and look for the dudes hanging in the parking lot looking for work.

Now you have to tell us why.

[STEVEusaPA]

...Now you have to tell us why.

Got to be to hide bags of money.

[mbhydro]

Depending one what your budget for the job is one of the hydrovac companies should be able to do that after they snake their hose through a basement window or access door.

[Poodle Head Mikey]

My first grandchild is still in the Grumpy Garage for the next week or two - and I want the hole now rather than 12 years from now. <g> And I can tell you: rich kids don't make good laborers. <g>

For some decades I have been fighting basement flooding. At first I started adding sump pump pits, with pumps, wherever the floor was damp. Five pits didn't really make the walls dry out so I thought: SOB! I'll just pump the GD water to a lower level / get to the water sooner - and then dug a 6' sump pit and installed a piece of 16" diameter pipe in it. I drilled 1/2" holes every few inches and wrapped the pipe with window screen before installing it. All that with the idea of putting a sump pump way down there.

That hole was mostly sand with a hard gravel layer at about 3'. Below the gravel I was digging through water. At about 5' I hit a thin layer of dense clay. As soon as I broke through that tough bastard the hole was immediately dry - with all the water drained down and out. Water was pouring in the sides but then draining right out the bottom

From that I developed the theory that under my property are two layers of dense clay. The hole for the basement was dug through the first layer but Not through the second layer. So any surface water gets down to the first layer and then moves sideways above the first clay layer. Until it gets to my house and then it flows into the 'bucket' that my basement was built in.

And any time this huge gathering of surface water gets too deep - it is coming through my floor and walls.

The deep pit which is completed (at rear wall of basement) has apparently drained the ground for blocks around as my neighbors to that side all have dry basements now.

But the front hole was almost all solid clay to dig through. At one point I did get about a 4" diameter hole through the clay and into the sand. But I never got the clay chipped out anywhere near sufficiently to install any liner and I've been mostly working in Florida ever since. So today, while looking for joint compound with which to finish building a 'sitting room' for The Baybee, I saw that that front still-undone deep sump pit was almost filled up to the concrete floor.

A pump was sitting there, out of the hole, but was missing a hose adapter as last year I had to quietly dispose of an epic EPA disaster of an oil spill on my boat as it was sitting on the edge of a major bay. After averting that tragedy by guile, stealth, diversion, and highly developed skills, I apparently left the pump/hose adapter somewhere else.

Out at the plumbing house today I got another one and then started pumping the front deep sump pit water across the basement to the rear deep sump pit. Which, by the way, can apparently accept Any amount of water without filling.

In that process I found that the front deep sump pump pit is no longer deep - now it's less than 3' below the concrete floor. Apparently it has washed in while I worked elsewhere.

Re-digging it out, and hand carrying hundreds of buckets of clay up the steps, and outside makes me feel quite a bit like running away from home - so I thought I would ask the masterminds here for a solution that I have not thought of.

PHM
-------

I'm thinking dig as far as you can go with what you have then garden shovel and grandkids. If you don't want to risk the grandkids go to HD and look for the dudes hanging in the parking lot looking for work.

Now you have to tell us why.

[Core_d]

Ide hire a mexican, or an uber driver:-)

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[Gunslinger]

I had to use a gas auger post hole digger to drill thru clay for a sign. The clay ate the post hole digger so be careful. I actually had to dig around the auger to free it. I guess you could try some C4.

[oldguy1949]

Specialty hardware or google telephone/electric utility supply's for a " spoon & shovel " set of digging tools. These are used for hand digging poles where trucks can't get. The spoon is just a small shovel at a 90degreeoffset to clean out hole.

[HVAC_Marc]

6 feet long

http://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/...Store_Code=PAL

[Poodle Head Mikey]

The Uber Driver idea may be just The Ticket - I am looking to end up with a leak after all.

PHM
-------

Ide hire a mexican, or an uber driver:-)

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[Poodle Head Mikey]

I asked about renting a gas auger but was told that 4' was the dig depth limit. What you mention makes me wonder if I could maybe weld up an shaft extension (omg; I am giggling!) and use that on a rented machine.

PHM
-------

If you are using a gas auger, you could add a shaft extension (lol cant say that without giggling) on the auger bit. Not sure how long in length actually exists but it's a good start. Hope you pack some good elbow grease ha


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[toocoolforschool]

I think OHM finally snapped. did he say he wanted the hole six feet deep?

[joeysmith]

How about some kind of home built venturie (sp?) To suck the muck out with water and pushed outside through a hose. Maybe an electric pressure washer to jet the muck into a slurry.

[WAYNE3298]

Mikey,
Your situation is really bizarre. I would use a pressure washer like joeysmith suggested. It will be messy but should work unless you have hard pan clay. It will be slow going but not hard physically. You can probably remove the slurry with a good shop vac but I would try connecting a heavy leaf blower to a homemade aspirator made of plastic pipe to blow the slurry out a basement window if you have a window.

[HVACRmom]

Mikey,
Your situation is really bizarre. I would use a pressure washer like joeysmith suggested. It will be messy but should work unless you have hard pan clay. It will be slow going but not hard physically. You can probably remove the slurry with a good shop vac but I would try connecting a heavy leaf blower to a homemade aspirator made of plastic pipe to blow the slurry out a basement window if you have a window.

MacGyver!!?? Went from Secret Agent to home-improvement (sorry..I had to! Haha)


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[pctech]

it's not the length mom it's how you use it

[knave]

If one hole clears the whole neighborhood why not go just outside the house where you have plenty of room and stick a large vertical drain tile down? Would be farther to dig but easier to deal with dirt.

[WAYNE3298]

mom,
I have rehabbed a few houses and built some from scratch but must admit I never ran into the situation Mikey has. With good perimeter drainage most of the time water enters the sump via the gravel under the slab if there is any not 5 to 7 feet below. joeysmith and I were on the same page but his post gave me the courage to chime in.
We all are now interested in how Mikey gets it done.
Cheers