In a typical: start with one project only to find a can of worms, I was repainting the entrance door to my crawl space, which had a 2x4 sitting below grade. My plan was to excavate below where the 2x4 was, backfill with drainage rock and put 3 patio stones so that it would both look nice and shed water away from the door. I found my foundation drain about 4" below grade:

And here is where it attaches to the low-point drain of the foundation:

Worse, where they cut the block out I could stick my hand straight through to the other side. I couldn't imagine that that would be good for anything.

Worse worse is that I had a rain barrel right above this unknown-to-me foundation drain and hole, which was splashing back towards the foundation when it overflowed. Really really bad.

So I went ahead and did what I was planning, I painted the door, caulked below the 2x4 and block with 100% silicone (this was never done) and added about 200 lbs. of drainage rock above the foundation drain, put some paver base and added the 3 pavers under the door, and tried to assure that it was graded away from the foundation.

Right now I just filled in the hole with drainage rock. But it would be relatively easy to do something else. Should I use mortar or something like hydraulic cement to seal this penetration? To the left of the last picture lies a lot of water. There are 2 upstream downspouts that put a lot water near my foundation.

I also put a new aluminum downspout (replacing the rain barrel) and guided the water away from my foundation. I just didn't want to do something permanent like pouring cement before asking for a second opinion.

I always seam to have water in the drain pipe (in the crawl space), which makes me really unsettled. Just trying to get to the root cause.

As an aside, is this a reasonable depth to have a foundation drain? Seems awful shallow to me. And thanks builder for not covering it with fabric, just putting backfilling and putting sod on top. *sigh*

Here is the final:

 

Yea, you could have mortared the hole shut but your repair looks very clean and professional. I think your filling the hole with stone was a good choice as it will let any water inside drain out freely and the stone is a good barrier to vermin. And, now that you've noticed that area I'm sure you'll keep an eye on it in the coming years and spot any issues before they become expensive problems.

In the end I think a lot is reflected in how you addressed the situation. You are keeping an eye on your home and performing maintenance and repairs as needed. That is head and shoulders above what many homes receive. Breathe a bit easier. I think your common sense is working properly.

 

Thanks @Pilot Dane. I appreciate that.