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Civil Engineering/Water flowing in hole in concrete floor

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Expert: - 4/8/2010


Question
Dear Sir,

I don't know if you can help w/ this.  If you can't perhaps you could steer me in the right direction.  I simply don't know who to ask for advice!

I live in near 100 year old house in the northeast of the US.  We have had a very tough winter/spring- a lot of snow and rain and thus a lot of flooding.  I have been running a pump in my basement constantly for two months now.  I have a fist-sized hole in the concrete floor where an old pipe protrudes upward.  I believe it may have once been a drain for a washing machine.  Anyway, water has been bubbling up through this hole for two months.  The rate of flow is high and if my pump were to fail or if were we to have a power outage, I would have a serious problem.  I tried to use hydrolic cement to plug the hole but it just turns to mush.  I am hoping that eventually the water table will drop and I'll be able to fill it w/ hydrolic cement when its dry, but I don't know when or if the water table will ever drop!  Is there anyway to repair this hole to stem this dramatic flow of water?

Sincerely,

Steve

Answer
Hi Steve,

I am not an expert in this, nor do I have enough info on the building/surroundings etc, but have you tried to plug the pipe with a large cork or wooden plug? If that stops the bulk of the water intake, you may be able to use some form of sealant around the base of the pipe, possibly held down with a steel sleeve that you can screw down into the basement floor?

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Arshad Khan

Expertise

I can answer any questions to do with civil and structural engineering consultancy and construction industry in East Africa and the Middle East, and specifically with the analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. My particular expertise is in the aseismic design and optimisation of tall buildings.

Experience

Employment history: 36 years in Construction and consultancy in the UK, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Somalia, Zambia, Austria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha and the U.A.E.

Organizations
.Fellow of Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) .Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers(UK) .Member of the Institution of Engineers, Kenya .Registered Engineer, ERB, Kenya .Member of the Architectural Association of Kenya (Engineers Chapter) .Chartered Engineer (UK)

Publications
•1984: International Conference on the Art and Practice of Structural Design, London •1994: 3rd Int. Kerensky Conference in Structural Engineering, Singapore •2008: International Conference on High-Rise Towers, Abu Dhabi

Education/Credentials
BSc, 1st Class Hons, in Building Engineering, University of Bath, UK MSc in Concrete Structures and Technology, University of London. Diploma of Imperial College, UK.

Awards and Honors
•Science Congress Special Award (for 2-seater Hovercraft - 1968) •Institution of Civil Engineers Award for outstanding performance at Bath University (1975) •Concrete Society Postgraduate study Bursary Award (1976) •Consular Representative for British High Commission, Nairobi. (1995 to 1998) •Examiner for Institution of Civil Engineers Professional Interviews, Nairobi. (1997 to 1998) •Branch Representative in Vienna for PI assessment for Inst. of Struct. Engrs. (1999 to date)

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