Sink holes developing in yard - what to do....

[mdurette]

I have noticed about 6 indentations in my yard since we moved here. 2 are in the back lawn, the other 4 are just off the lawn in wooded area. They are all in the same general area. Over the years they have grown larger and deeper. They are all around 3-4 feet circular wide and now about 1-2 feet deep.

Over the weekend, one in the lawn "opened up" leaving a hole about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep. So, this hole is now about 3 feet down from the level of the lawn. Our property is old farm land, could be wood was buried there and deteriorated enough over the years to cause the settling or even old water wells (which is a concern)

I was just going to fill the hole that opened and then monitor, but someone suggested I hire a professional to use sonar equipment to ensure all is ok under ground. Never heard of this.

Anyone with experience with this situation?

 

[RonB]

I had the need to use GPR, (ground penetrating radar), several years ago. It was several hundred dollars for up to four hours. The search was unsuccessful, but the technology did appear to work.

 

[Kel]

That's where the bodies are buried. I guess I watch too much CSI and Forensic Files. But seriously, maybe pets were buried on the property.

 

[bnoble]

Definitely call a pro. If they haven’t always been there this sounds like a change in underground water patterns. That can be very bad.

 

[Passepartout]

Consult your homeowners' insurance claims adjuster. They'll know the right answer.- AND who pays.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

I have noticed about 6 indentations in my yard since we moved here. 2 are in the back lawn, the other 4 are just off the lawn in wooded area. They are all in the same general area. Over the years they have grown larger and deeper. They are all around 3-4 feet circular wide and now about 1-2 feet deep.

Over the weekend, one in the lawn "opened up" leaving a hole about 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep. So, this hole is now about 3 feet down from the level of the lawn. Our property is old farm land, could be wood was buried there and deteriorated enough over the years to cause the settling or even old water wells (which is a concern)

I was just going to fill the hole that opened and then monitor, but someone suggested I hire a professional to use sonar equipment to ensure all is ok under ground. Never heard of this.

Anyone with experience with this situation?

Actually, these sink holes "could be" the results of a previous owner or developer digging deep holes and burying tree stumps.

I remember back in the early 80's I took down some giant pine trees and had a friend with a big back hoe come by to dig up and bury the stumps on site. Big mistake. 20 years later I started to see indentations develop where these stumps were buried.

In retrospect, if I were to remove big trees again I would then "Grind" the stumps and leave them right there without disturbing the root system. It would be cheaper also!




.

 

[Panina]

Whatever the reason, best to find out for peace of mind.

 

[easyrider]

I had a deep hole on one of my properties. The front wheel on a semi tractor found it. After getting the truck out and taking some pictures we filled it up with pea gravel. It was a pretty deep hole and took about six yards of material to fill using a cement truck. About a year after I filled the hole on our property, another hole appeared out in the county road about 200 yards away. The county took forever to try to figure out why the hole happened. They dug the area up but after a couple of weeks of not finding anything they filled it up and repaired the road.

My theory is that these holes were wells left by early settlers of the area. The water table was fairly low and the digging is mostly easy dirt in this area.

Bill

 

[chapjim]

How much rain have you had recently?

We've got sinkholes all over the place here in the DC Metro area. Granted these are under streets and there's no telling what's going on under there.

Here's a photo of one . . .

and a link to another one.

https://nypost.com/video/oh-s-car-swallowed-by-huge-sinkhole/