Fixing Sink Holes

This project exemplifies the importance of addressing drainage concerns correctly.
Help Support the channel:
Patreon - / gcfd
Buy Me A Coffee - www.buymeacoff...
Paypal - www.paypal.com...
www.gatecityfo...

[@muggins9389]

Great work once again! i didn't realize just how deep that sink hole was until Ronald climbed inside COMPLETELY... WOW!!

[@GCFD]

It was a big hole!

[@dankification]

Your right hand man is a hard worker! Hope you pay him a good payout

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@TimMcArdle]

We see this quite often in my area around catch basins and manholes. I suspect your main catch basin had some breaches in the old brick and once the water found that path, it just erodes and erodes. Your concrete hopefully sealed that up and you should be in good shape! Have a great new year and enjoy watching Shawn!

[@GCFD]

Thank you and Happy New Year Tim!

[@calebrusso3773]

Great investigative work. It’s always interesting to see you getting to the root cause of an issue trying to rectify that, instead of just repairing the issue / disregarding what caused the erosion / drainage issue to begin with.

[@GCFD]

I like my solutions to last and so we need to fix the original cause. 👍

[@mwrp3597]

I remember when I was young and Friday nights were for going out, now I’m excited to stay in and watch an hour long Gate City Foundation video😬

[@GCFD]

hahah I'm glad you're enjoying my stuff!

[@vjf9052]

I absolutely love watching your work and how you explain everything. I've been a fan probably since the beginning. I'd give just about anything if you were in my area after a truly terrible experience with a "professional" company that created more problems than I already had. Although they came back three times to try to figure out why their system collapsed, they refused to do anything to fix it. The good news is that I've learned so much from watching your videos, when a friend referred a contractor who came out to look everything over and give me an estimate recently, I was able to ask him intelligent questions and figured out pretty quickly he had no idea what he was talking about. Next! Thank you, Shawn!

[@jdw2150]

Miguel has the touch! Lot of finishing experience, follow his lead for sure. Ronald scaring me going in the sinkhole there, he's a good man, I sure won't go in those. . Good work on this one Sean. Love the rain shots!

[@Chestnut0923]

Miguel and his crew do some subpar work

[@GCFD]

Thank you! This was an interesting one for sure.

[@roberto7639]

I have to agree. @@Chestnut0923

[@jeremywilcox]

I did wonder as to where all the material in the big hole went to with no apparent exit in the hole. Bonus for Ronald on that one.

[@GCFD]

Yea!

[@cliffpalermo]

Your attention to detail and problem resolution is what sets you apart. There are alot of contractors out there for a quick buck, easy to cover an issue and cash the check.

[@GCFD]

I think this channel and comments like yours have really helped me with future customers. Thanks Cliff!

[@Dirkxke]

"That's all Ronald's has, folks" cracked me up. I love working with oldtimers that have a sense of humour.

[@wendyandjodymaillet7503]

Teamwork equals dream work! Great job Gate City Crew! Take care and I’ll see y’all down the road…

[@GCFD]

Thank you Wendy!

[@bobwatson957]

Evening Shawn, those wee sink holes are the start of something bigger. They start that size and grow and grow. Its been raining really heavily in Scotland and we're at the bottom of a row of house on a hill next to a forest, so the water flows down the drive into the drainage channel in front of the garage. Since I started watching your vlogs Ive been watching the water flows, and cleaning gutter and channels and checking the concrete to make sure everything good. The water passes us and travels further down the hill. I check the whole drive and paths in the garden to see what is happening with it. Great work!!

[@GCFD]

Nice work Bob! I'm glad you've found some value in my channel!

[@tigercoatings7092]

Hi Bob where is you are you located in Scotland

[@horstszibulski19]

Always a joy to watch you working so dedicated to get the job done! 👍👍👍

[@lilmsmetal]

Miguel is an artist!

[@ncironhorse8367]

Another great job by the drainage whisperer!

[@alexplisko7794]

Great work, love the attention to detail. Can't believe how gnarly those holes were!

[@GCFD]

Thank you Alex! Drainage issues can become gigantic if not addressed correctly.

[@alexandersemionov5790]

24:00 sinkhole footage is unsettling. You all are heroes

[@jesperbech8753]

Crazy sink holes! Another job well done! Happy New Years Shawn!

[@GCFD]

Thank you!

[@roger8927]

In all of your vidoes, Ronald is a heck of a hard worker. Hard workers like Ronald are hard to find now days.

[@TomIslav-o7l]

Lovin ma weekly GCFD hit ❤

[@cozysheltie3297]

Great to see y'all using water with that concrete saw.

[@chrishelms1967]

Finding people who are as honest and hard workers as you and your crew is way to hard these days......well 👍 done

[@GCFD]

Thank you Chris!

[@chrispixx]

Great video as always. I love your videos because of the attention to detail and the quality of work of you and your crew. Also your exceptional camera work as well. But mostly I am just in love with North Carolina. I have been through there a bunch of times when I was an over the road truck driver, I even visited there a few times when a friend lived in High Point. I just think it's awesome down there. I'm from cold snowy Buffalo New York.

[@hifiandmtb]

"Let's quit looking"! Wise words :-)

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@rustyshackleford498]

Great viewing, as usual. Happy New Year GateCity🎉!

[@GCFD]

Happy New Year Rusty!

[@rustyshackleford498]

@@GCFD thank you, cheers mate.

[@tucobenedicto109]

Sean love the work and the cheap method with the PVC. At 24:45 there is sunlight but the catch basin. Maybe when it's full it flows from there causing the damage. It needs to be regrouted or brick work. Not sure if that's you or a sewer contractor. The camera in the catch basin manhole would do the trick.

[@GCFD]

That's a great observation. The basin is like 8' deep and 24" pipe so I don't think it's overflowing. Also, there is much more water flowing down the curb of the parking lot and I'm convinced this is the cause/provided the energy to do the damage. The drainage basin was the exit point and the place where all that soil left the area (as muddy water). What do you think?

[@tucobenedicto109]

@@GCFD you got the point. Where did all the dirt go? Right to the basin then down a pipe. Good thing on thinning out the mix and shooting it that way. It might have sealed it. On that side. Concrete seals everything. I've seen a pin hole in a roof dripping into a store. They put a bucket. The next day the rain blew out that section and took down some drop ceiling tiles. Sometime it's just a small hole that can do that!

[@Jetpac74]

Another great and very informative video Shaun. Keep up the fantastic work and thanks very much for taking us along for the ride. Happy New Year to You, your family and also to Ronald & Jeremy !!

[@GCFD]

Thank you! Happy New Year!

[@denisemurray412]

Your hardest worker (by far) has the most gray in his hair. I'd keep him if I were you. Seniors know an honest day's work.🤔🤜🤛👏

[@mib20000]

interesting video. I watched it all. nice fix. there was a crap load of water coming off the steps in that rain footage .

[@Kholoured]

Seriously that is a nice apartment complex, they have these people I'm sure paying top dollar to rent there, they can afford to spend the money they just choose not too... They made your job so much harder because they wanted to be cheap. Seriously I would have never done what you did. I'd have opened it all up so you could get the stone it, tamp it down and do it right from the bottom up. I get they were getting tired of having their concrete undermined bit being cheap,is what got them in this mess in the 1st place... time to spend the big bucks and do it right. You did a great job with what the client would allow bit Seriously these greedy SOB's ..

[@SHOE53]

Those jobs like that one can eat the man hour up it look pretty simple but once you get in to it there more work then one would think but bye the look you guys did a very nice job.

[@nevillesmith9795]

As a suggestion...maybe in future you might want to use a smoking machine/ blower to blow smoke into one end of a hoke and see where the smoke comes out. That might give u a good indication as to how far the hole stretch. It might not indicate the depth but in this instance it sure would have helped you a lot

[@GCFD]

That's a great suggestion. I have never used smoke like that but I will keep it in mind. Thanks Neville!

[@nevillesmith9795]

@@GCFD hi Shawn. (Sorry if i spell you name wrong) you are welcome.

[@tucobenedicto109]

@@GCFD maybe like an automotive smoker or a fogger, for movies. Do not use a dry ice one. As putting CO2 in a confined space is deadly. I figured at least a whole at the other end. One for breathing and two for shoving rock and cement down.

[@nikisrevenge]

For future circumstances like this, you can actually use spray foam and inject it into the voids from the surface through small drilled holes, there are companies that do just this.

[@GCFD]

I don't like doing that because it introduces a third material into equation. If this were just settling going on I would be fine with it. But in this case we needed to identify and solve the sink hole issues.

[@andrewburris2730]

Another great video Sean!!! Did they ever figure out where that water leak was coming from in the parking lot?

[@GCFD]

Yes it was a cracked potable water line. 👍

[@Renatousa17]

Excellent job,

[@GCFD]

Thank you 👍👍

[@tigercoatings7092]

Top job boys 🎉

[@GCFD]

Thank you Tiger! 👍

[@juliehoffman92]

Fantastic great job

[@MrCoxmic]

could have put a tarp down on your clean stone to reduce/eliminate the contamination with the dirt

[@GCFD]

Great idea!

[@marcomcdowell8861]

I know property managers have budget constraints, either because the property or properties aren't overly lucrative, or the owner is frugal, but some things you need to drop coin on to avoid spending even more later. Especially if it could cause damage or injury.

[@JSLEnterprises]

Its a job like this is where you use CSLM, aka, flowable fill. It hardens pretty well, and doesnt wash out much when set. Not to be confused with "mud" they use to lift sunken concrete.

[@kubota33]

Great video Neat project Happy new year 🙂

[@GCFD]

Thank you! Happy New Year!

[@dhabbott41]

Did the management company find out why the water was draining across the parking lot? Did it have anything to do with the fire hydrant or the man hole cover?

[@GCFD]

Yes, I forgot to mention that. There was a crack in the potable water line, I think in a Tee fitting.

[@terryhiggins9700]

Pennywise, has been officially band from here, Shawn, you have now moved into the realms of the paranormal. 👻

[@Johnmonty85]

awesome video Shaun did they find the water leak across the parking lot?

[@GCFD]

Yes it was a cracked potable water line. 👍

[@TorMelkson]

Looks great. Bummer they blew all the seed and straw away. Did the management ever find the cause of the water leak running onto the road? And what the fix was?

[@GCFD]

Yes there was a cracked potable water line under the parking lot. I think it was a Tee fitting that cracked.

[@MistahHeffo]

Miguel does fantastic work, and I got good money says he's just as great doing BBQ

[@andersenlong8835]

That concrete work is ass

[@alibuolayyan9038]

Hi . Why didn't you use the foam injection method to fill the gap under the stairs?

[@GCFD]

Because that would introduce a third material into the mix. I like using subsoil because it self seals and fuses together to form a waterproof layer.

[@michaeliverson1617]

Mr George worky on the sinkhole then after drinky the beer 😂😂😂

[@GCFD]

Haha

[@asdfghjkl12345382]

Very interesting. Why would you not fill the holes with the concrete you broke out? I would be think less rock to put in and less in the landfill

[@Stratos53100]

Another Feature Film...That hole was a doozy and kept going, luckily it didnt collapse for any bystanders etc.. Initially thought you were back at the complex ( with the other flooding & basin work ) though after you said that its another place. That upper part may have gone farther next to the edge of the parking lot though packing the concrete on the edge was good. Could be never ending...At least for this part should be handled. The grading there was the only way. Pizza Qty + 1

[@GCFD]

Thank you! This was an interesting one for sure. I forgot to mention with the hole next to the basin....we could have filled it with concrete but I didn't want a 3' thick chunk of concrete that someone in the future might have to deal with. That's why I decided to pack washed stone in before the concrete.

[@Stratos53100]

@@GCFD - Reffering to the gap on that asphault edge under the existing farthest slab when you got it with the drill...

[@mbarrett99]

I can't be the only one who felt sketched out when Ronald started climbing underneath the asphalt.

[@GCFD]

Nope! He didn't climb into the hole...just crouched in.

[@noeraldinkabam]

Did the filling under the stairs not get filmed?

[@GCFD]

We packed the dirt in from the sides.

[@joedoakes8307]

Might look into a large HILTI electric hack hammer ! They are very high quality !

[@GCFD]

Nice! I have a couple electric ones but these gasoline ones are awesome. Until they implode...

[@Dompn]

hope you told the property manager about all the sinkholes under those stairs going up the hill. ronald was poking with the poker and wasnt hitting anything.... you need two swales on either sides of those stairs , and fill in the voids under the stairs too. what a nightmare

[@BeerkegGarage]

15:49 dang ronalds gonna be feeling it tomorrow. That aint fun

[@GCFD]

Hahah He just goes and goes.

[@RuggedArtistry]

I know that cost is always a big factor on these projects. If it were in the budget, would it have been a good idea to create a catch basin near the cement steps and use a directional drill to run a pipe under the parking lot over to the larger catch basin? Great video!

[@nickp3173]

Good investigative work but that sidewalk came out so uneven and out of whack. It was bulging out from the form and too high in the middle. It's going to puddle like crazy. I'm assuming the home owners association didn't want to pay for a full crew to come in, but at the same time it's going to result in more issues in the future.

[@GCFD]

I didn't see any puddling when I have revisited the site. 👍

[@nickp3173]

@@GCFD Thankfully it worked out. I know you didn't have a large budget to get the work done so all in all you did a great job and corrected the source of the problems. I guess in the end, it's going to look different regardless at this point. As long as it's safe.

[@matt08015]

good content keep up the good work

[@GCFD]

Thank you Matt!

[@philh8829]

You can tell by the asphalt patch that the sinkhole was fixed once before and the fix failed. The brick lined drain is like swiss cheese, and washing that area out. Drain needs to be repaired.

[@mr.wallbangr9896]

LOVE THE VIDEOS !

[@Checkmate2500]

Should’ve made a little ramp so OG Ronald can stay above

[@d.d.5633]

You need one of those “snake” cams. 🙂

[@GCFD]

I've thought about getting one as I've had a few uses..

[@d.d.5633]

@@GCFD That would make for neat footage. 🙂

[@kevonslims7269]

Those holes go down into a friggin cave,

[@GCFD]

For sure!

[@duotronic6451]

For next time, look into slurry concrete. Flows easily. Fill up those underground cavities.

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@dhabbott41]

Where did all of the dirt go that was washed out from underneath the concrete?

[@GCFD]

It washed away as muddy water.

[@joudatfd]

That was undermined. You did some more sink hole detection by driving on that parking lot with cement truck :) Did they find the water leak under parking lot?

[@abraham1513]

That guy Miguel would just be a shovel man on my crew, he would never be able to touch any finishing tools.

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@johno186]

Migal is a cement master. He and his crew, in this case Sean himself, do the big work. Then he comes along and does the finishing working and final touches.

[@Chestnut0923]

Migual does subpar work

[@GCFD]

Thank you!

[@BeerkegGarage]

I think the property manager should have had a concrete leveling company come out and put foam under the concrete walkway, that would solve the gaps under the walk

[@jimmyssnowremoval1075]

Then have gate city come in and fix the gutters and downspouts.

[@GCFD]

The problem with foam is it is a third material type in the mix. I like subsoil because it forms/fuses together.

[@ncvman]

Were you nervous having Ronald climb into the hole? I wonder if there was some osha violation there. I would never do that. What is something collapsed?

[@GCFD]

Everything was solid with concrete over top of it. He also didn't crawl back inside there, just crouched down. I would not have encouraged crawling in the hole.

[@matt1544zxc3]

Shouldn't you have tried to locate where the downspout water did end up going? camera with locator?

[@GCFD]

The maint guys are working on that. Hopefully they will report back.

[@ryanpek]

What was the brick inside the hole at about 25min ?

[@GearheadGorilla]

It's the basin for catching rainwater that you can see at 1:00:12

[@GCFD]

Like pirate said above.. that's the main drainage basin for the parking lot. I believe the that brick is where the water flowed through and carried the soil away (as muddy water) to form the void.

[@idontgiveoutname3122]

I know you mentioned cost as a limitation by the customer. However, since you were taking out a concrete section, I first guessed your were gonna put in a french drain along the steps and building side of the sidewalk to then run through a pipe through the new section of side walk. Why? It would collect the water without it having to go over the sidewalk. Any thoughts?

[@GCFD]

A FD takes surface water and sends it underground. It's always best to keep surface water on the surface if possible. Great comment!

[@idontgiveoutname3122]

@@GCFDCorrect, I agree in general. However, given there was a sidewalk, I thought it would be annoying to have the water flow over the sidewalk and any other debris, especially if temps get to below freezing. Thus, a FD would collect both the surface and sub-surface water to then route through a pipe in the sidewalk to the asphalt. As Always, your workforce is amazing! Keep them up, I sure love watching and makes me appreciative of how you balance the job specific needs, the customer, and the business risk!

[@marvtomson574]

pour looks like a semi dry slump? ~4000 to 5000 psi like it's almost a tad bit dry in working.

[@Chestnut0923]

I thought the idea was to get flowable concrete into the washout under the sidewalk? Not putting the flowable concrete left the giant void under there. So the new concrete just covered the issue without fixing it.

[@GCFD]

The side was still very solid with how thick the concrete was so the property managers were happy to leave it. We fixed the cause of the erosion, which was the main issue. 👍

[@Chestnut0923]

@@GCFD I saw the fix but under the slab you didn’t remove there is going to still be a huge void which will make that concrete weak. I’d be worried about that

[@mr2miach]

24:07 "ish" if you pause around that time frame give or take a few seconds, you can see light coming in through the brick wall that surrounds the drain inlet. That's where your water is coming from for that one section in the parking lot where you were able to climb into the hole. Willing to bet that's going to keep eroding the soil around and under the gravel you put in there.

[@GCFD]

I disagree. I think the water was coming in at the parking lot and flowing into the basin through those holes in the brick. The basin is like 8' deep and represents the exit point of the water (muddy water) and where the soil left the area. What do you think?

[@mr2miach]

@@GCFD That's basically what I was stating. The water from the parking lot is going into the drainage inlet and worked its way through those bricks. That's what washed out the soil to create the hole you all were able to climb into. My point is, those bricks are still going to allow water to flow through, which then will seep through your gravel and concrete that was poured on top of the gravel. Not to mention, I have high doubts the concrete made it all the way back filling the entire space. Probably filled the majority but any gaps or space left behind is just another entry point for the water through the bricks to wash out your repair, or at minimum, damage it deeper down. Not saying you all didn't do a good job, saying, that repair needed to be fixed starting at the parking lot drainage inlet and seal the other side of those bricks.

[@thejohnbeck]

repeat business for the win

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@jacobbuckley8232]

What did u fill that hole under those steps with? U never showed that and that hole was big

[@Chestnut0923]

They didn’t

[@GCFD]

We packed subsoil under there in the time-lapse part of the video as we filled in around the sides. I like packing subsoil because it fuses with the surrounding soil and becomes waterproof.

[@bahopik]

Might have take some of the profit on this job and buy a proper sprayer tank for your saw

[@banksiasong]

Leaking pipes cause sinkholes. Putting a CCTV down to the street from the base of the downpipe could've located a problem, of say broken pipe, or draining into dirt. New pipe, or construction of a French drain would be an effective permanent solution.

[@forthrightnight]

Yup. 4 minutes into the video but as soon as he said multiple sink holes I'm thinking, BIG trouble. Let's see where this goes.

[@AUTOMOBILZ]

🔥🔥

[@GCFD]

👍👍

[@larryehrlich57]

I hope that you didn't give them any warranties on you work...that could turn into an expensive Lawsuit real quick.

[@GCFD]

Why do you say that Larry? I did give them a warranty on this work.

[@ДмЮнит]

We had once a leak that eroded as much sand as you can fit a school bus in it. On top there was about 45 cm of asphalt witch wistanded excavator pushing sand under him (would not remond you try this at home lol)

[@UpUrHeine]

"Move that shit"😂

[@donaldmendes184]

I noticed you didn't have any compaction. Equipment, hand tamping doesn't get it, you need jump Jack's or virberplate tempers. Using equipment In tight space isn't a go choice. It's been a while since I've seen you on youtube Shawn. Happy new years.

[@sandgroper-ig9nk]

I'm glad you couldn't fly your drone I fast Forward those shots I'm interested in the work I'm not interested in fancy edits I prefer the raw footage . I could work with your new granno guys they do a good job 👍. El trabajo esta perfecto

[@GCFD]

I like the drone shots because they give an overview of the landscape and help to frame/introduce the project.

[@CrimeVid]

First find your water source ! wash away is a pain, but it does not start without water ! I saw a machine that actually blows gravel looks like you could do with one. “The owners don’t want to spend too much (any) money on this ! Of course they don’t, they never do ! and then it falls down, and their insurers won’t pay, and they cry. And still won’t spend any money on their other properties !!

[@ovidiuciuparu6421]

The foundation for all of that was very bad. Seeing the image underneath…i question the fact they even had a foundation. Also a foam solution would probably be easier… but not sure what would be the cost for that. That will involve just some holes… that are already there.

[@GCFD]

I don't like filling with foam because that introduces another material into the mix. I like soil and new concrete because they fuse and form waterproof layers that don't lend well to water flowing along them.

[@steelcitysewerman]

Wouldn't have been a bad idea to fill that void with flowable fill.

[@GCFD]

For sure. The owners didn't want to spend that much since we solved the issue that created it. The sidewalk concrete is super thick and I felt like it was stable.

[@pulporock]

Do not add water, superplastizers are far superior. This could be a scary job not knowing where it stops. Cheers from Oz

[@Z-Ack]

Why wouldn’t you use expandable closed celk foam and not dig up all the concrete after finding out the source? Or at least mudjacking slurry to void fill all of it.. no sense in breaking all the concrete when you already know the source..

[@Z-Ack]

Or just dig out the groubd around it instead of concrete removal.. plus foam wont wash away like mud slurries will..

[@martinworrall5888]

Ronald the mole 😱

[@GCFD]

Haha He definitely gets the job done.

[@martinworrall5888]

@@GCFD he certainly does

[@base2solutions861]

👍🏻

[@GCFD]

👍

[@WhatTheTarnation.]

It is always about money. It is never about the publics safety. Here is a thought...how much is it going to cost you to hire an attorney to litigate all the lawsuits from those seeking damages should the unthinkable happen? Waite, the unthinkable happens all the time. It is called " unthinkable " because someone did not think.

[@jacobbuckley8232]

No way u filled that whole void

[@Chestnut0923]

They didn’t fill under the sidewalk. It didn’t fix it just covered the issue

[@GCFD]

No the owners didn't want to cut out all the sidewalk. The concrete was thick enough and they will be replacing the parking lot at some point in the future. We got the cause and worst of it repaired and felt good about that.

[@varnersvisions6800]

Should have saved the busted up concrete to throw in that big hole!

[@GCFD]

I wanted a more soild fill but I thought about it!

[@varnersvisions6800]

It would have just been filler so you didn’t have to use as much concrete. That hole was huge!

[@andersenlong8835]

Loved the whole video up until the concrete, that guy does shoty work man. I understand though you probably just want it done and cheap, just a sidewalk

[@4sondaprice]

😂 your concrete guy is a hack!!!!!

[@lioneloconnor4785]

Public space? Council Problem!! This should be reported to the Council anyway! A Survey Engineer should be brought out!!

[@kubota33]

Of course..... just call 911 And your problems get solved. Come on