hole/water in crawl space

I have a concrete block foundation around my true crawlspace. Where my septic line angles down into the ground there is a large hole 2-3 feet deep. I suppose it's been there since they built the house 40 years ago. This hole extends right up to the foundation, and in fact I think it goes down as far as the footer does. The water table is only a few inches below ground level in the wet season, so this hole fills with hundreds of gallons of water. I've only recently started pumping it out with a utility pump so I only recently realized the scope of the problem when I saw the exposed footer.

Its not the water per se that I'm worried about, but last year my septic line froze right around where it goes under the footer. I could hear the hot water jet (coming from the septic tank) getting closer and closer to the foundation when the frozen spot finally melted and the whole house flushed at once, lol.

I figured the line froze because my deck prevented snow from piling up where the line leaves the house. And that may be a good part of it so I covered the area with hay this year, but this hole and the water can't be a good thing either. I presume the hole should be filled somehow, but it would take an enormous (impossible) amount of work to bring soil in with buckets by myself. The soil is clay in the crawlspace, so it would also be enormously difficult to redistribute that into the hole. Can I use something else? For now I'd just like to reduce my chances of the line freezing again, but next year I probably should do something more permanent, whatever that may be. I will try to post a picture of this later...

help?

 

Just a wild thought. Since you have a block foundation (assuming no windows) you might consider removing a few blocks ans having a concrete truck load up with some gravel and shoot it directly to where you need it. Depends upon the truck being able to get close enough, but I've had pea gravel delivered that way (in NJ) and is was a lot easier than the alternatives.

The other consideration would be to analyze why the water table is so high. I have a couple of times altered the landscaping to provide an escape path for that water. If it is just a lake 2" under the ground then your septic would be in trouble. Or that water may be your septic argh!

Bud

 

No, its not septic water I know that much. My house sits on a slight rise that is maybe a foot or two higher than the ash/cedar swamp out back. With clay soil, the water just doesn't go anywhere quickly. Its possible that better roof drainage directing water away from the house might help, but I doubt it. I have a steep roof and no gutters.

I do have vent "windows" in the crawlspace but they are grated. I am running the pump hose out one of them now-there is barely room for a garden hose, with the connector cut off.

Thanks for the truck idea, but I doubt I could afford it.