Help! We have HUGE pools of stagnated water under the (raised) foundation of a 5 year room addition. The smell in the house has been horrible for almost a year now and we see little black flies all over. My husband crawled under a short ways this morning and discovered thousands of MAGGOTS in the water which I'm assuming is what is causing the flies. I know alot of the water is a result of poor drainage when it rains but I also believe we probably have a sewer leak somewhere. It smells particularly nasty around the d/w and kitchen sink area. We have a number of problems developing as a result of shoddy remodeling done by a crooked contractor back in 2000. This is the most concerning to me right now. Can anyone tell me what the health hazards are and WHO should I call? My husband is not a handyman and I don't know where to start. PLEASE HELP!
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Hi spuddko,
I am really no expert--and hopefully Glenn or another pro will jump in on this post. So I will approach this as one of myriad difficulties that can affect a given homeowner--please take this "advice" (if you can call it that) in that spirit. And, first, the water you describe is not a good thing (as you know!).
That pearl of wisdom aside, if it were me, I would start by finding a way to drain it. Even if it's a portable pump attached to a garden hose. Another alternative might be a sort of sump pump. But do try and get the nasty water out of there.
As for health hazards, I would think an ounce of prevention would be worth a pound of cure.
Hmmmm, calls to make.... A lot of this is "grunt work." Where to start? Perhaps by having dirt sloped away from home, and having gutter downspouts extended away from the foundation. Maybe a competent handyman could do these things. Where do you live? Ask neighbors for references. You might need to call in an exterminator as well. Sewer leak? This is probably in the realm of most plumbers.
If it were me, I MIGHT approach it in the following order. (1) I would get that standing water out of there first. (2) have a plumber inspect for sewer leaks and fix if necessary. (3) hire exterminator. (4) fix drainage problems. (5) re-evaluate (see if this mitigates problems first) and go from there.
You have a job on your hands, but try to break it up into "bite size" chunks (OK, unfortunate choice of words) and tackle accordingly.
Good luck, please post back with any feedback, and hopefully you'll hear from some pros in the meantime.
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
I am really no expert--and hopefully Glenn or another pro will jump in on this post. So I will approach this as one of myriad difficulties that can affect a given homeowner--please take this "advice" (if you can call it that) in that spirit. And, first, the water you describe is not a good thing (as you know!).
That pearl of wisdom aside, if it were me, I would start by finding a way to drain it. Even if it's a portable pump attached to a garden hose. Another alternative might be a sort of sump pump. But do try and get the nasty water out of there.
As for health hazards, I would think an ounce of prevention would be worth a pound of cure.
Hmmmm, calls to make.... A lot of this is "grunt work." Where to start? Perhaps by having dirt sloped away from home, and having gutter downspouts extended away from the foundation. Maybe a competent handyman could do these things. Where do you live? Ask neighbors for references. You might need to call in an exterminator as well. Sewer leak? This is probably in the realm of most plumbers.
If it were me, I MIGHT approach it in the following order. (1) I would get that standing water out of there first. (2) have a plumber inspect for sewer leaks and fix if necessary. (3) hire exterminator. (4) fix drainage problems. (5) re-evaluate (see if this mitigates problems first) and go from there.
You have a job on your hands, but try to break it up into "bite size" chunks (OK, unfortunate choice of words) and tackle accordingly.
Good luck, please post back with any feedback, and hopefully you'll hear from some pros in the meantime.
Regards,
-k2 in CO
Moderator, Miscellaneous Forum
http://www.bobvila.com/BBS/Miscellaneous
