Bain Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 The house was about sixty years old. There were clay tiles--now separated--that ran from the front foundation wall to this pit in the crawlspace. The pit was about four-feet deep, approximately ten-feet by ten-feet in size, and it had concrete-block walls. My first thought was that it had to be a cistern, but clearly not much water could be collected, so probably not. Any clues? Click to Enlarge 52.4 KB Click to Enlarge 56.87 KB Click to Enlarge 51.03 KB Click to Enlarge 45.3 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 It's a substitute habitat for endangered blind cave salamanders. Seriously, though, I think you are right with the cistern guess. Given the age of the home it might have been some goofball attempt at a survival water source in the event of nuclear war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted September 16, 2013 Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Aren't cisterns usually enclosed...with a lid? Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted September 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 Kevin, I've missed you (no homo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 I think it was a big sump pit. Then he electrocuted himself trying to plug the pump in. Never got to see the results of his labours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Cistern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 Kevin, I've missed you (no homo). Missed me? Wouldn't that imply that one of us went away? If that was you, I didn't notice it. But come to think of it, if I went away I didn't notice it either. I hate it when that happens. Damned meds...[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baird Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 I think it was a pit dug to contain prior heating equipment that was replaced. I saw a similar pit in a hundred + yr old crawl. Usually these pits technically under mine the soil support for columns, but i have not seen such undercuts fail yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Amaral Posted September 18, 2013 Report Share Posted September 18, 2013 simple crawl with a little 'cellar' area for that old furnace that is now on it's side... The drain.. who knows.. So, it's a crawl space for structure, with a little pit for the old furnace and has a drain entering it.. maybe the drain was to let water 'out' of the pit to a lower location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted September 19, 2013 Report Share Posted September 19, 2013 The drains tiles are laid around the foundation with a line leading from there to the pit. Could be the pit was there originally for a furnace, now a handy pit to dump excess water? So - No, we don't know what the hell it is, but it is a screw up, we know that. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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