Not quite foundation question?

This doesnt really pertain to the foundation in my house per se, but underneath the house none the less. I apologize if this is in the wrong forum.

I have a pretty big hole under my house where an old abandoned oil heater unit currently sits. I plan to dismantle the unit and pull it out from under the house when the weather gets nicer around here, but once i do this, its going to leave a large space in this hole unfilled.

I just broke apart some concrete / brick steps from the exterior side of my house and was wondering if it would be appropriate to fill in this hole with the broken concrete chunks and then cover over it with dirt? There is enough "this should work for now" fixing around the house (not done by me) that i dont want to add to; id like to do it right. So if this isnt appropriate, what would the right way to fill in this hole be?

Sorry, the pictures arent great. They came from the home inspection a year and a half ago, and i havent taken any other ones. You can kinda see the start of the hole near the chimney foundation on the right side. (yes, the form boards will be coming out before i fill the hole.)



Thanks for any replys! This is my first home, so im just getting into the swing of fixing stuff

Your best bet would be sand. Any problem with water under the house the dirt under the footing could erode and a loose fill will not stop that.

And why are you taking the time to remove anything below the floor?
I would take out any old wood used to form the footing but the rest is not going to do any harm under there.

Thank you for the reply's.

As far as I know, there are no water problems currently. We live above the flood plain / water table, and I'm planning to replace the old cast iron / galvanized pipes with PEX. I know that doesn't mean it wont leak at some point... Thats another matter. Thank you for the sand recommendation. I hadn't thought of that.

I'm taking out the old debris and attempting to level the ground under the house before I put the new vapor barrier down. I guess your right that its not going to do any harm, but I guess, in my head, its just clutter that doesn't need to be there any more. Also, I would rather do it now, than do it in a rush later on when we go to sell the house.

Dosn't matter how dry your house is, always plan for water!! Make sure you get all the wood out and good for you for taking out old junk.