Sealing the Shaft

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We have a water problem with our Elevator shaft. The Shaft was installed below the water table and water is constantly coming up through the shaft. How do we seal this off??

-- Bruce Hicks (brucetci@bellsouth.net), February 08, 2005

Answers

You must speak to the owners of the building-there is special sealant in the form of concrete which can be put on to above the water line. But let the owners decide-they will be liable............

-- kvs (kaph9@aol.com), February 08, 2005.

Cementatious coatings seem to work pretty well. Find a local contractor that has experience with these products. I've seen it done in some pits, and it worked great. It did take two days to do a hydro pit though.

Here are some sites that make the materials

http://www.toolbase.org/tertiaryT.asp?DocumentID=2073&CategoryID=1402

http://www.permaquik.com/site.htm

-- Dan (justsomeguylookin2@hotmail.com), February 08, 2005.


An easier answer may be to create a sump to capture and hold the water and then pump it away to the outside. Just a thought

-- geoff judge (geoffjudge@bchtgroup.org), February 09, 2005.

YEs geoff-there is a sump pump which can be left in pit-can be got from most diy shops-works ok. as long as its not gallons upon gallons piddling in....

-- (kaph9@aol.com), February 09, 2005.

I agree, but we dont know how much is coming in, how often, or even how far it has to pump.The worst case scenario is for it to be pumped up and when the pump float switch turns off the whole column of water comes cascading back into the shaft from the pipe and starts the whole cycle again. What may have to happen is the removal of all equipment in the pit to make sure the sealing takes place thoroughly. However, once the water is unable to get into the pit it may well come up elsewhere in the building possibly ruining any decorations or carpets at the lowest floor. And we know who will get the blame for that. Either way water in a shaft is not a good idea.

-- geoff judge (geoffjudge@bchtgroup.org), February 09, 2005.


There should be a check valve but on the 1 1/4 pipe coming from the sump pump Beleive me, here on the coast it happens all the time .

Richard

-- Richard (the4gals@knology.net), February 09, 2005.


There are companies that seal wet pits and warrenty their work but for an average wet pit is $5000. The best thing I have seen is a cement type product called Zipex. Clean the pit and mix this stuff like cement and it will seal the cement. I had a nightmare wet pit down by the beach and had a 2x2x2 sump but it only went to a drum and then had a leakey jack head to make matters worse. Comtaminated hydro water is $300 a gallon to dispose of propery so it is serious. I put one of those rubber drip rings on the jack and installed a return pump to hydro tank cleaned pit used zipex on the cement floor and now the job is a quartely trouble free service account. This should work also in your hoistway. Jim

-- Jim (elevator555@hotmail.com), February 09, 2005.

WE had to seal our outside block with a oil base clear masonary sealer, and then the inside pit with another oil base sealer(white for light reflection). Builders didnt seal the pourous block, or if they did they used a cheap silicon base . WE were able to install a 1 inch tubing around the bottom of the pit to the sump hole after tapping it into the outside block and it has worked very well.

-- David A. Derk (maddog1.11@netzero.net), February 13, 2005.

No advertising intended,if a low maintenance sump pump is desired, I think You could go for a 110 or 220 submersibe Gorman-Rupp pump.

-- Mathew Bailey (bhm0875@exp.net), February 19, 2005.

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