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steveo

mine to stay the same please
Joined
Aug 30, 2005
Messages
7,545
If I had posted this when it started, it may have had the legs to match MK's fridge post. So i'll keep it short but you may get bored.

Earlier this year, probably February time, I saw some damp patches on the left side outside wall of my house. Thought they would dry up but they didn't.

We started to get power failure, consumer unit tripping out. I rang electrician (Ian) who came round next day and couldn't find a fault. But hit the switch and it all came back on. Same again next week so unplugged everything and tried it but no luck. Took every socket off in the house and checked the wiring. By this time the power was back. Ian split the power onto 3 circuits so we always had something working.
Fault kept occurring. Ian popped round again with builder brother (Ray)

at this stage I should say that the ground floor of my house is on 3 levels all the floors are about 3 foot above the oversite. Two years ago we did the lounge and dining room floors, electric underfloor heating, Karndean flooring etc.

Ray works out the electrical fault as a water problem. Drills a hole in either side of the house and water pours out like a bath tap, so it have been building up under the floor and tripping out a junction box. At this stage we realised the problem occurred during heavy rain.

Thought that was all sorted but the water continued to run out of in the hole in the left side of the house.

Essex & Suffolk water spent two days here. After digging up the grass, the pavement and a week later the road, they couldn't find the supply to my house so fitted a new main stopcock in my pathway. They tested the water and said it contained no chlorine or chemicals so wasn't their water. Got hold of Anglian Water who are in charge of waste. They tested the water and said it had no waste in so was not theirs.

My first thought was to take up the lounge floor but was told it would all be scrap and cost about 5 grand to put back down.
Phoned the local council. Nice chap told me not their responsibility but he looked at some old plans and said an extension had been built and a drain had been run diagonally under the house. Phoned insurance Company who sent round a drain bloke. He cleared the drain and poured some dye down to see if it came through but the water remained crystal clear.

Arranged a visit from Essex County council, flood department. Bloke said its only their problem if it affects a number of house and shied away from any responsibility. Thanks.

Ray and Ian came back and knocked a big hole in the left side of the house, climbed in under the floor and identified the water was coming from the right side of the house.

Next option for me was to dig up the footpath, which would mean hiring the tools, or a builder, removing **** loads of concrete, trying to find the source and doing something with it.

If anyone is still reading I have to go out so will continue later.
 
So am somewhat flummoxed with what to do. Ray and Ian trying to distance themselves from sorting this out so got hold of builder friend Tony. His solution was to build a gulley to run the water through, brick up the hole then move asap.

Not really feasible so back to square one. All this time, mate of mine - Steve kept saying you should get one of these water diviners blokes with the sticks that you see in old western films. I had dismissed this idea as rubbish but the insurance company had decided they only cover pipes or drains and this wasn't one of those, so had a look round the internet and came up with www.johnh2obaker.com. sent him an email expecting nothing back but he phoned. Will come round Friday (From Dartford 80 quid for a visit)

turned up as promised and took an old ikea bag out of his car with various bits of stuff in. I said where shall we start and he said how about a cup of tea, fair enough. After the tea and a chat he got two metal angled stick things out of his back, started at the top left side of the drive and walked toward where the water was coming out. When he got there the sticks crossed. Not brilliant as you could visibly see the water flowing.

Next step was to walk across the front of the house and see if anything happened - no result, so he moved to the right side path. Got halfway down and the sticks crossed. He marked that point with some little flags and walked on about 2 foot till the uncrossed. Marked that point with a flag. So we now have a 2 ft band across the path where he says the water is running.

He tracked it back across next doors front garden to a point in the road which he claimed is a natural spring. As he walked round this point the sticks kept rotating and pointing at the source. Being fairly sceptical I looked closely to see if he was manipulating them but they were moving on their own. He then made a calculation that the spring is about 5 foot down and flowing at 3 gallons per hour, all with the help of the sticks.

He then got out his Y shaped bit of tree branch. "when I hit flowing water this will point down". He walked toward the apparent stream and the stick dived down with some force. He wouldnt let me try it but I used the sticks and sure enough they crossed when I got to the point he had marked with flags.

If he is right, I can dig a channel in the path and route the water into a drain which for me is 80 quid well spent. If he is the worlds best bullshitter I've lost 80 quid.

The path is marked, Ray and Ian are popping in tomorrow so I can discuss the feasibility of them drilling through the path and seeing if water is there.
 
pictures

w1.jpg

Water flowing after drilling the hole

w2.jpg


Hole Ian went in under the floor

w3.jpg

Path marked where the water enters my property.
 
That first photo of the water pouring out of your house actually shocked me.

Sorry to say it, but rather you than me!
 
That first photo of the water pouring out of your house actually shocked me.

Sorry to say it, but rather you than me!

Yeah I was quite shocked. Its still running obviously not at that rate. The Dowser fella says about 3 gallons per hour. I did actually collect a glass of it and stand it on a window sill for a week, next to a glass of tap water. The tape water went cloudy after a while, the spring water didn't.

At the moment it just runs under a shed and I don't see it again but the bloke next door hasn't had to water his beans so far this year.
 
Yeah I was quite shocked. Its still running obviously not at that rate. The Dowser fella says about 3 gallons per hour. I did actually collect a glass of it and stand it on a window sill for a week, next to a glass of tap water. The tape water went cloudy after a while, the spring water didn't.

At the moment it just runs under a shed and I don't see it again but the bloke next door hasn't had to water his beans so far this year.

Of course you could turn this into a business. Peckham Spring "springs" to mind.
 
Has there been recent developments local to you? maybe changed the course of natural and old water flows?
Lots of new builds remove so much soil and change the drainage AND cause unknown problems until the new water course shows.
 
Has there been recent developments local to you? maybe changed the course of natural and old water flows?
Lots of new builds remove so much soil and change the drainage AND cause unknown problems until the new water course shows.
Nothing major. John Baker said thousands of years ago the Thames used to run through here, this is when we were physically joined to Europe - nothing to do with Brexit. There are still hundreds of underground clay and gravel pits apparently.
 
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