This is a timber stump that is one of 5 timbers that holds my house up. There is water pooling at the bottom. How can I fix this.
Hi @jess9,
It looks like you’ve experienced some pretty wet weather recently, and this probably isn’t the best time to judge whether the area has a drainage issue or not. The soil around the stump is definitely saturated at the moment, but the more concerning sign would be if water was still pooling there several days after the last rain event.
Timber stumps can generally handle periodic wetting, provided the area is able to dry out again over the following days.
Ideally, you want to create a path for the water to escape and move away from the stump area. If you have any fall or downward slope nearby, one option would be to install some agi pipe/drainage line to help redirect the water elsewhere. In your case, though, it does look a bit more limited due to the surrounding concrete, which may be trapping water in that section. If you can take an image from further back that would help our members to identify the levels and potentially find a route for your drainage. However, if the slab is on the downhill side, you might be looking at more extensive works to evacuate the water. I'd certainly be interested to see whether this water drains away by itself after a day or so. If the water is only pooling there due to the cutout in the concrete, you could use https://www.bunnings.com.au/bastion-20kg-concrete-mix_p0038287 to raise the area back up and fill it in. That won't necessarily solve the issue if water is hitting the edge of the slab and sitting there, but it will stop it from being captured in the cutout.
Let my tag @naresh_m, @Leenamalhi, @Alan__, @GingerNinja and @we2jin, who have had water retention issues in their own yards to see if they have any advice they could share.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Thanks so much. Here is a photo from behind. The rain water in the mud seems to pool there at the timber.
Hello I solved mine with the below, but had access to dig out the grass. This stuff drained water so fast I haven't had a problem since.
However yours looks like its because the stump and the concrete create a swimming pool around the base.
Only thought I'd have is you need to fill that hole around the stump up so that the water goes down the driveway. Probably need a builder on the forum to advise, but surely there is a way dig out around it, fill it with concrete or mortar so that the water stays away from the post itself?
Or if money permits dig that whole garden out at the base of that wall and put in a concrete pad?
Just my thoughts.
Awesome advice @GingerNinja! I'm sure @jess9 appreciates your knowledgeable input.
@jess9, I suspect that you are getting a bunch of subsurface water hitting the back of the retaining wall. It's dropping down the back face and permeating out the base into the lower garden bed that @GingerNinja identified. Clearing out this bed, right up to and around the post, removing 100mm of soil and then filling the area with concrete could be a solution. It will help prevent water from emerging there, and with the concrete now surrounding the post, it will stop water pooling there. The other option would be to install drainage, but that will mean cutting out the concrete and either installing agline under the concrete then patching, or adding surface drains. The passage of least resistance would be across the drive to the right of your photo. Alternatively, running it down the front of the retaining wall and dispersing onto the drive. Please note that plumbing work needs to be completed by a licensed professional for safety and compliance. So, you'll need to discuss options with a professional. I've added a couple of AI-generated images to show solutions. Now that I've seen the area concreted, I'm really liking that idea and think it would resolve the issue at hand.
