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Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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Posted by roishechengsu (My Page) on Tue, Nov 17, 09 at 13:28
| I've always had this pipe sticking out of the ground in my backyard, right next the foundation of the house, surrounded by cinder blocks in a rectangular shape. I was wondering if this is some sort of dry well? When I put a garden hose into the hole and try to fill it, it drains very well. The previous owner said the pool company used it once to backwash the swimming pool once, but I don't want to do that if I don't know what it is. I don't want water going under the house and cracking the foundation or something.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| Is it a fresh air intake for some appliance in the house? Maybe a radon fan exhaust vent? |
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| It's all the way on the other side of the house, far away from the kitchen and dryer/washer room. There are no radon fans in the house that I know of. It is slab on grade construction (no basement). I am wondering even if it was a vent, why all the concrete around it. That many cinder blocks to protect that piece of pipe? I have central sewer, no septic tank so it's not that. Baffling to me. |
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| Are you on a level where it might flood and that would drain the water to a lower level? |
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| That appears to be a gas line sleeve vent. Per code, whenever a gas line is run under for through a slab within the confines of a structure the line must be enclosed in a conduit of schedule 40 steel, iron or plastic pipe. If the sleeve is steel or iron pipe, the pipe MUST BE factory wrapped and all fittings field wrapped to prevent contact with the soil. The interior end of the conduit must be sealed. Under the IRC the exterior end must extend a minimum of 4" outside the structure, while under the UPC it must extend a minimum of 12" outside the structure. The exterior end of the conduit MUST HAVE a vertical vent riser extending upward with a 180deg bend on top to prevent rain from entering the pipe. The vent riser must be equal to the size of the conduit and the lowest portion of the vent opening must be a minimum of 4" above finished grade. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER INJECT WATER INTO THAT LINE. |
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| Thanks lazypup! Yeah I don't plan to put any water in there apart from what heavy rainfall naturally gets in there. I am going to research gas line sleeves now so I can learn more about them. Thanks to everyone that responded as well. |
RE: Does anyone know what this is? A well?
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| When running a gas line under a slab the purpose of a sleeve over the gas line is twofold. 1. In the event it becomes necessary to replace the line the vertical riser on the interior end can be removed, then the line can be easily slid out and a new line slid back in. 2. The second, and surely the most important reason is that if the gas line should develop a leak below grade, the gas can then pass through the conduit and safely vent to atmosphere. If we didn't have the conduit and a leak should occur, the gas could build up in the soil under the slab to an explosive level before being detected. |
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