A while ago, I posted various threads trying to figure out the best solution to deal with water issues in a crawlspace basement. A swimming pool hole about 15' long, roughly 4' wide and ranging from 3' to 3.5' feet deep. A 40 gallon water heater at the far end, currently sitting flat on the ground - obviously very bad. A furnace/air handler in the middle, approximately one foot off from the floor of the hole, elevated by some styrofoam-type blocks. Also very bad. An open sump at the end. An open sump pit at the end that was never properly enclosed. Lots of water flow when it rains a lot.
The original goal was to flip the system on its side, run it the length of the hole and hang it from the floor joists above. Remove the tanked water heater and have it converted to a tankless, mounted on the back of the house. Bring in a lot of dustless crushed gravel that water can flow through, fill that hole most or all the way to the top, install a proper sump basin halfway through the process of filling the gravel in and then install pumps into the enclosed basin. Then I discovered that flipping the unit to run the length of the hole can cost as much as or more than a new system. I have someone coming out on Wednesday morning to give a quote, but I'm expecting an utter failure on the price and it likely won't be worth doing. I'll also be asking for a quote on leaving the system where it is and flipping that furnace sideways, which would hopefully allow 2 or more extra feet of elevation. I don't know what could be used to elevate it that high. I have pondered using a lot of those cement slabs that they use as a base for a/c compressors outside. But there would need to be two stacks of them, as the machine is about 3' long at least, from front to back.
The water heater could be left where it is at, elevated as high as possible (I'm thinking on probably 8 to 10 stacked 16" x 16" pavers and with as small of a natural gas water heater as I can find in the 35-40 gallon range) and simply converted to the smallest natural gas tanked model. I have decided that it isn't worth converting the water heater to a tankless. The labor and running gas pipes alone due to the tight space would be $2,000 and possibly more.
I had planned to do more, but my company cut overtime for the rest of the year, and I have reached about $3,000 in savings for the project.
I would still use the crushed gravel to fill up as much of the hole as I could, a little below the equipment. Install the proper basin, pumps, backup system, seal off the basin, etc. I wouldn't have to, but at some point I could cover it with thick cement on top of the gravel. The only thing is the "space" between the gravel and whatever will be used to elevate the furnace and water heater. Would that still cause a moisture issue?
There was also an issue with water running under the crawlspace door. I'm planning to build a cement ledge of sorts that will be 3-4 inches tall under the door and keep water out. I can easily rebuild the door to be a little shorter, and it needs to be done, anyway.
The original goal was to flip the system on its side, run it the length of the hole and hang it from the floor joists above. Remove the tanked water heater and have it converted to a tankless, mounted on the back of the house. Bring in a lot of dustless crushed gravel that water can flow through, fill that hole most or all the way to the top, install a proper sump basin halfway through the process of filling the gravel in and then install pumps into the enclosed basin. Then I discovered that flipping the unit to run the length of the hole can cost as much as or more than a new system. I have someone coming out on Wednesday morning to give a quote, but I'm expecting an utter failure on the price and it likely won't be worth doing. I'll also be asking for a quote on leaving the system where it is and flipping that furnace sideways, which would hopefully allow 2 or more extra feet of elevation. I don't know what could be used to elevate it that high. I have pondered using a lot of those cement slabs that they use as a base for a/c compressors outside. But there would need to be two stacks of them, as the machine is about 3' long at least, from front to back.
The water heater could be left where it is at, elevated as high as possible (I'm thinking on probably 8 to 10 stacked 16" x 16" pavers and with as small of a natural gas water heater as I can find in the 35-40 gallon range) and simply converted to the smallest natural gas tanked model. I have decided that it isn't worth converting the water heater to a tankless. The labor and running gas pipes alone due to the tight space would be $2,000 and possibly more.
I had planned to do more, but my company cut overtime for the rest of the year, and I have reached about $3,000 in savings for the project.
I would still use the crushed gravel to fill up as much of the hole as I could, a little below the equipment. Install the proper basin, pumps, backup system, seal off the basin, etc. I wouldn't have to, but at some point I could cover it with thick cement on top of the gravel. The only thing is the "space" between the gravel and whatever will be used to elevate the furnace and water heater. Would that still cause a moisture issue?
There was also an issue with water running under the crawlspace door. I'm planning to build a cement ledge of sorts that will be 3-4 inches tall under the door and keep water out. I can easily rebuild the door to be a little shorter, and it needs to be done, anyway.
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