Hey all, thanks for the replies and comments so far, I’ve cleared out as much as I’m willing to at the moment, I’ve started hitting mainly clay and stone and I’m getting a fair amount of water in the clay (is it possible this dirt is actually attached to outside dirt?)
Anyway, 2 pipes visible in front of the clean-out opening, one large pipe visible out the back side, both seem to go right into the wall of the concrete lower lip
At this point my thought is backfill with clean gravel and install a thick foam board as others have suggested, possibly with concrete poured on top once I’m comfortable that will be ok, maintaining access to the clean-out somehow
But any advice is welcome
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 2 days ago
Yes, this dirt is “attached to outside dirt”.
This is the same ground that’s under all of the foundation. There’d be no reason to bring in dirt to put on top of concrete that’s been poured. Which is why this is so confusing - there’s no reason I can think of for leaving this open and installing a wood floor rather than being finished with concrete like the rest. This just leaves an opportunity for water intrusion.
If you’re down to clay, I’d just fill with gravel (and insulation, as mentioned by someone else) and pour concrete - this is the best approach in my opinion. Otherwise it will always be a moisture problem.