# "keep the water under the work"



## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

a few years ago, we were discussing working in high water tables...
after all of our long winded theories & superstitions, one brief comment has
stuck with me. "keep the water under the work" this short phrase has taken the "panic" out of at least a dozen water jobs, leaving me calm, cool, and collected to get the water under control and work above it.

thanks to nick aka denick for a little phrase he probably long forgot posting "keep the water under the work"

and btw, anybody else in connecticut notice swollen water tables lately??:whistling 

ray


----------



## Sar-Con (Jun 23, 2010)

Absolutely. Get ahead of it and stay on top. Then work up hill from there and you'll have less head-aches!


----------



## Durn210 (Jan 2, 2009)

Sar-con, great comment. it is amazing how many contractors i've seen that work downhill, my motto is water always runs downhill and gravity gets me down.


----------



## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

Durn210 said:


> Sar-con, great comment. it is amazing how many contractors i've seen that work downhill, my motto is water always runs downhill and gravity gets me down.


and "you cant carry water in a basket" aka stone


----------



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

"a little phrase he probably long forgot posting"

Is that an old guy wise crack?

Ray?


----------



## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

denick said:


> "a little phrase he probably long forgot posting"
> 
> Is that an old guy wise crack?
> 
> Ray?


well nick...if the shoe fits:whistling:whistling


----------



## viper6383 (Sep 26, 2008)

I will bite, what does this mean? Are we talking about dewatering to reduce the level or keep machines above the table line at all times? Most of our work is municipal type roadway and drainage and we commonly just install multiple dewatering wells for a project. That might be an overkill for a pool though.


----------



## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

denick said:


> "a little phrase he probably long forgot posting"
> 
> Is that an old guy wise crack?
> 
> Ray?


nah, its just funny how things resonate (real word?) in a persons memory. the phrase really "clicked" with me... well, do you remember posting those words???

thanks again

ray


----------



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

What? What did you say Jay?

Did I say that?

That lesson was learned over a few years and then a job came where an addition had to be dug behind what was the equivelant of a 4 car garage.
The grade was 3' up the back wall and rising away at a 1.5 to 1 slope. The bank of the far side of the excavation was 8'. as we dug the hole the bottom was a little wet and jiggly for the lack of a better descriptive word. We finished the hole and there was about an inch of water on the bottom. No water gushing in anywhere. Boss figured that we dug a little high and we'd clean the bottom as we put in the footing boards.

We arrived the next morning and found 3' - 5' of jello. the banks had slid in and the mud had traveled across the excavation and leveled it's self. Jello is the word for it. Watching the banks you could see water start to wick through the soil and as soon as an area looked wet 3" - 4" would just slide down. A few minutes and the next layer would go. 

There was only 1 side to access the hole. Building on 1 side. High side unstable. Far side no access.

Oh, sorry I've got to take a nap.


----------

