I was digging a hole underneath my house away from any utilities and water started seeping from my house???

Question

I dug about a 2 foot hole close to my foundation for a fence post. As a dug deeper I started to notice clear water trinkling out from the exterior wall of my foundation underneath my basement. I tought I hit a water line but there is no water line in that area and it's not sewage or a drain pipe. Is this water gathered underneath my foundation.

Answer 1

If you are below the level of your basement floor, this is probably not a big deal. A pipe with slots in it is usually laid around the perimeter of the house at the level of the footer to collect water and drain it away from the house. Depending upon the landscaping around the house, there may be additional pipes farther up.

Once you get below the level of the lowest drain tile, the ground may be moist or even wet.

If the water is really coming out of the wall, it might mean that your drains are not working properly. If it is a significant amount of water, it might warrant further investigation. If it is a relatively small amount, probably nothing to worry about, especially if you are not seeing anything on the inside.

If you are digging near the house, you need to take care not to damage the drain tile as well as utilities. If there is any chance you have already damaged the drain, you should dig a bit more and make necessary repairs.

Answer 2

You need to be careful how you word you question.
"...I started to notice clear water trinkling out from the exterior wall of my foundation underneath my basement."
Was it coming from the wall or from underneath the basement?
Here's the big question: Is your basement dry?
If yes...forget it.
The water table in your area may be higher than your basement floor. When was the last time it rained? How wet was the soil you dug through? Do you have a finished basement with a cement floor? Is it cracked? Do have water seeping up through cracks in the floor?
Perhaps your house was built without tile (a pipe with holes in it to drain excess water away from your foundation).
If you have water in your basement you should install tile. This process is expensive and if your foundation is in poor shape you may need to do extensive work to the basement walls.

Answer 3

Go with Dave W: He's right about the water. Put your fencepost somewhere else and forget it. The next time you do any digging, before you get serious do a test. Dig a hole about the size your going to make and wait, say overnight, then see how much, if any, water is in it. Use that as your standard.

Answer 4

if you did not hit any type of piping you may have taped into a underground spring