I've been in the HVAC trade for decades and have seen my share of tight craw spaces. You provided one hell of an idea!!!! Great Job on the video! Looks like you were taught well - work smart not hard.
you can do the same thing with the hose from a shop vac & a high pressure air line with an air compressor. this type of system is called a venturi. it will give you so much suction that you may need to get more vac hose to send the dirt directly out of the house as it will fill your buckets too fast. when I used a commercial version of a Venturi vac in Alaska we had to have a brace inside of a 55gl drum to keep it from collapsing.
That looks like a great idea for those first few feet but since its the two of you (not that you will be digging again) a garbage can lid on a rope works really well. You put a few shovels on the lid, she pulls it to the hatch and dumps it into a large pail or bucket to be taken outside. You pull a 2nd rope to pull the lid back to fill again. If you get a third person to take the dirt outside you can get a little assembly line going with a couple of lids and it goes fast. Might help a viewer who stumbles on this.
I've been thinking of using a shop vac on my 6-10" crawlspace under my 100 yr old house. So, maybe add the following, MAKING SURE TO WATCH FOR BURIED ELECTRIC OR PIPES!! We used a 40v Ryobi powerhead with a click link small tiller(think "Mantis..") attachment to dig out my son's crawlspace from 4-15" ..down to 18-24". The battery tiller is amazingly effective in hard clay / dirt and one 4A battery lasts quite a long time It's very quick and has the benefit of breaking up the soil into very fine pieces.. The vac would be the icing on the cake! After seeing your work, I am quite confident that I can create a rather more comfortable workspace under my house
If you're still at it I recommend using a Hoe helps pull stuff from far away to you doesn't take much room and you can tape the hose of vacuum to the end w tape
Caution!! Don't dig too close to your piers or exterior foundation walls. This will compromise the structural integrity of the foundation. Also be careful to avoid electrical lines. Check any metal ducts with "Hot Stick" to insure that they are not conducting current.
For those who need to do this, you might try a tarp or plastic instead of the vac. Pile up the dirt on the plastic and you can move it around pretty easily by dragging. You'll still have to get is in a bucket to dump at some point.
its like a test of will power. do what you can each session and you will have it done, im doing same job but have some clearance to use buckets, dragged out on plywood boards. haha what a job, but its good to see progress and getting little closer to the goal each session. dusty as hell, i spray water and use a mask, house is from 1940
Holy shit my man. I’m not even going to bad talk you about PPE. (I have only one lung and a deviated septum ) holy crap across the board my man! That’s some hard work and I’m proud of you… I would have had to have the house lifted hahaha.
Yes tight crawl spaces are the worst ....especially when your 6'3 and 260lbs....😂....reminds me of that scene in Tommy Boy ....big man in a little coat ....well in this scenario, a little crawlspace 🤣🤣🤣well done my man 👏👏👏👏
Dude, doing this. bought a 3hp dust collector, cyclone separator. just so happens to be a whole lot of field stone in mine. hauled out a 127# rock this morning, apparently its the old front porch foundation
We have to do this under our 100+ year old miner's cabin.8" "crawl space". Extra fun is the dirt under the cabin has never been remediated - so there is toxic levels of lead and arsenic in it. We have to involve the EPA to remove the toxic soil, lay down a barrier and replace 2 feet of clean substrate. We have to dig down 4 feet in order to accomplish this task. Woo hoo.
Wow…and I thought a company would need to come out with large equipment and cost us thousands…I’m definitely scared to do it myself, I’m slightly claustrophobic. But still, it looks like what you’re doing is working. Thanks for sharing
I wonder what sort of setup could be devised to have enough suction to pull all the way into the dump trailer, without having to fill buckets and carry them? I love the idea of using the shop vac, just thinking bigger. anyone know how to calculate something like that?
What was the thought process when people were building houses on crawl spaces like this? Did they expect people to cut holes in the floor to work on all the plumbing?
Many houses with crawl spaces like this were built before anyone ever heard of indoor plumbing. Of course when the indoor plumbing was installed in my parent's 1895 farm house back in the 1960s people were much smaller than they are now. In the 1960s the average American male was 5'8" and weighed about 166 lbs. These days the average American male is 5'9" and damn near 200lbs so finding a plumber small enough to fit under the house is a challenge.
Very nice. I've been doing the same thing but I found a single shop vac stopped being effective once the run got long and it filled too quickly so I have 4 shop vacs plumbed together. How far are you planning to go and how deep?
I’m only digging down to 13” that’s just what my garden trowel measures and been using that as my gauge. I was planning on going more than that but it’s a ton of work. I would guess that soil type and moisture would have a lot to do with how effective the shop vac works. Keeping the hose to only two sections helps too.
Anyone try using PVC for a 10 foot run? Smooth and straight work better than long flex hoses? Clog? I can’t think of a better way to move the dirt. Dragging buckets is killing me. May put kids to work emptying buckets with this method.
@@johndonnelly7156 Yep. PVC is much better for longer runs. Flex hoses are convenient but you loose suction once there’s more than like 10 feet. PVC can get clogs but only at the joints. (The flex sometimes clogs too so it’s not really different.) With my 4 shop vacs, I have 60 feet of 3 inch PVC and then another 10 feet of 3 inch flex at the end.
@@kevinsmith7959 wow. 60 feet. I am going to start with 10 feet of pvc and see how it goes. I have a new 6.5 HP shop vac. Hoping it will perform. Also going to take some vents out in crawl space to shorten runs
@@johndonnelly7156 with a single shop vac, I recommend a 2 inch pipe. The main problem with a single shop vac is it fills up really fast and the filter clogs. It’ll work but like 10 gallons at a time. The way I have mine setup they all feed into a cyclone that empties into a trash can. There are videos of similar setups if you get tired of emptying your shop vac.
That's an interesting option. It's always enlightening reading the comments. I don't know about the hydro-demolition and having all that water and mud splashing around my crawlspace but if you know someone with access to a vacuum truck you could loosen a bunch of dirt during the week and invite them over for beer and barbecue on the weekend and say "Oh yeah. And bring that sucky truck you have."
All the hours bud ! Everyone one of them! Still an ongoing project I work on when I have time. It honestly doesn’t take to long if you have someone to empty your buckets
You're doing it wrong. Tell your children there is treasure in there and they will do it for you! On a side note, my children found some cool old beer jugs, cans and a dead cat skeleton.
Damn dude whoever built that house really fucked you. You'd almost be better off pulling out the flooring and subfloor to have better access but that would open up a whole can of worms too with the increased workload and cost
Fuck crawlspaces. they should’ve never been invented. Full basement or slab foundations only. Anyone who provides services to homeowners will understand
There is just NO reason to do any of that. It’s to “have” access in “case” needed to work on something? Just pull up the floors if that happens. All that work is just for not bro!
We NEED an update!!! This is an awesome idea
Whoever approved a 6” crawl space should be violated in all possible ways 😂 good luck on your project 👍
Shallow or tight crawl spaces preceded the creation of "Building Codes". Judging from the age of the wood the floor structure was built in the 1950's.
No F...kin shit. It is almost done out of laugh for the home owner.
I've been in the HVAC trade for decades and have seen my share of tight craw spaces. You provided one hell of an idea!!!! Great Job on the video! Looks like you were taught well - work smart not hard.
you can do the same thing with the hose from a shop vac & a high pressure air line with an air compressor. this type of system is called a venturi. it will give you so much suction that you may need to get more vac hose to send the dirt directly out of the house as it will fill your buckets too fast. when I used a commercial version of a Venturi vac in Alaska we had to have a brace inside of a 55gl drum to keep it from collapsing.
Thank you for sharing. I have a similar situation and the idea for the shop vac is appreciated.
Awesome set up bro! Men of men👍🏽💪🏽🤙🏽
I will be doing this very soon to my house. Looks very VERY tedious and time consuming. Cant wait.
Story of my life man. I do this for a living. Tight crawlspaces are the worst
That looks like a great idea for those first few feet but since its the two of you (not that you will be digging again) a garbage can lid on a rope works really well. You put a few shovels on the lid, she pulls it to the hatch and dumps it into a large pail or bucket to be taken outside. You pull a 2nd rope to pull the lid back to fill again. If you get a third person to take the dirt outside you can get a little assembly line going with a couple of lids and it goes fast. Might help a viewer who stumbles on this.
Man and I thought my crawlspace under my Century home was tight. Nice work making the room....heck of a lot of time and effort there.
Thanks for sharing. Wow, incredible work ethic and persistence!
I've been thinking of using a shop vac on my 6-10" crawlspace under my 100 yr old house. So, maybe add the following, MAKING SURE TO WATCH FOR BURIED ELECTRIC OR PIPES!!
We used a 40v Ryobi powerhead with a click link small tiller(think "Mantis..") attachment to dig out my son's crawlspace from 4-15" ..down to 18-24". The battery tiller is amazingly effective in hard clay / dirt and one 4A battery lasts quite a long time It's very quick and has the benefit of breaking up the soil into very fine pieces.. The vac would be the icing on the cake!
After seeing your work, I am quite confident that I can create a rather more comfortable workspace under my house
That’s a great idea thanks
Thanks for the info, I've been wonder about how to get this done.
If you're still at it I recommend using a Hoe helps pull stuff from far away to you doesn't take much room and you can tape the hose of vacuum to the end w tape
This was such an awesome video. Would love to see how it ended up and more!
Thank you Serra for sharing. I’m gonna do exactly that.
I will try this myself. Thank you for posting your video
Caution!! Don't dig too close to your piers or exterior foundation walls. This will compromise the structural integrity of the foundation. Also be careful to avoid electrical lines. Check any metal ducts with "Hot Stick" to insure that they are not conducting current.
he isn't going below the footing and the walls themselves aren't a concern
For those who need to do this, you might try a tarp or plastic instead of the vac. Pile up the dirt on the plastic and you can move it around pretty easily by dragging. You'll still have to get is in a bucket to dump at some point.
Shit got to be done but I rather you than me🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thank for sharing, I am learning each and everyday to be thankful
Hey its helped me. Thanks man. Similar situation
its like a test of will power. do what you can each session and you will have it done, im doing same job but have some clearance to use buckets, dragged out on plywood boards. haha what a job, but its good to see progress and getting little closer to the goal each session. dusty as hell, i spray water and use a mask, house is from 1940
Like the Great Escape 🙂
You are awesome. Great solution.
Holy shit my man. I’m not even going to bad talk you about PPE. (I have only one lung and a deviated septum ) holy crap across the board my man! That’s some hard work and I’m proud of you… I would have had to have the house lifted hahaha.
Yes tight crawl spaces are the worst ....especially when your 6'3 and 260lbs....😂....reminds me of that scene in Tommy Boy ....big man in a little coat ....well in this scenario, a little crawlspace 🤣🤣🤣well done my man 👏👏👏👏
Dude, doing this. bought a 3hp dust collector, cyclone separator. just so happens to be a whole lot of field stone in mine. hauled out a 127# rock this morning, apparently its the old front porch foundation
That's hard work. My parents house is the same under kitchen & guest room.
My wife and I are doing the same job. I feel the pain. We are using a gorilla cart and a harbor freight winch to pull it out.
We have to do this under our 100+ year old miner's cabin.8" "crawl space". Extra fun is the dirt under the cabin has never been remediated - so there is toxic levels of lead and arsenic in it. We have to involve the EPA to remove the toxic soil, lay down a barrier and replace 2 feet of clean substrate. We have to dig down 4 feet in order to accomplish this task. Woo hoo.
I hope it's a small cabin. Good luck!
Thank you for the video. I have similar problems. Wouldn't a hammer drill with a shovel tip help with the digging?
Lucky you. That dirt is almost like sand. The first foot of mine is like concrete
I guess you never found out what the second foot felt like.
Appreciate your video man
Would you rent the crawlspace out if you're not gonna live under there?
Can we get a progress update?
Maybe get an extension, or make a hole to the outside of the house, it makes dumping easier.
Kudos to the wife!
Wow…and I thought a company would need to come out with large equipment and cost us thousands…I’m definitely scared to do it myself, I’m slightly claustrophobic. But still, it looks like what you’re doing is working. Thanks for sharing
I wonder what sort of setup could be devised to have enough suction to pull all the way into the dump trailer, without having to fill buckets and carry them? I love the idea of using the shop vac, just thinking bigger. anyone know how to calculate something like that?
I think you need the bucket to be an enclosed space to keep suction
What was the thought process when people were building houses on crawl spaces like this? Did they expect people to cut holes in the floor to work on all the plumbing?
Many houses with crawl spaces like this were built before anyone ever heard of indoor plumbing. Of course when the indoor plumbing was installed in my parent's 1895 farm house back in the 1960s people were much smaller than they are now. In the 1960s the average American male was 5'8" and weighed about 166 lbs. These days the average American male is 5'9" and damn near 200lbs so finding a plumber small enough to fit under the house is a challenge.
A drag pan works well with someone outsid using a pulley rope system and a carrbeaner
Where's all the spiders? Under your house looks good!
Could this be tried from the perimeter first. I'll tear up the flooring and dig from there.
I think that I would hire a house mover to jack my house up to at least 4 foot and put higher piers in if it was that low.
Reminds me of the movie "Tha Great Escape", staring Steve McQueen, the POW's dug 3 tunnels, Tom, Dick, & Harry.
I would like the extra dirt for my backyard.
Been there done that! It sucks!
Very nice. I've been doing the same thing but I found a single shop vac stopped being effective once the run got long and it filled too quickly so I have 4 shop vacs plumbed together. How far are you planning to go and how deep?
I’m only digging down to 13” that’s just what my garden trowel measures and been using that as my gauge. I was planning on going more than that but it’s a ton of work. I would guess that soil type and moisture would have a lot to do with how effective the shop vac works. Keeping the hose to only two sections helps too.
Anyone try using PVC for a 10 foot run? Smooth and straight work better than long flex hoses? Clog? I can’t think of a better way to move the dirt. Dragging buckets is killing me. May put kids to work emptying buckets with this method.
@@johndonnelly7156 Yep. PVC is much better for longer runs. Flex hoses are convenient but you loose suction once there’s more than like 10 feet. PVC can get clogs but only at the joints. (The flex sometimes clogs too so it’s not really different.)
With my 4 shop vacs, I have 60 feet of 3 inch PVC and then another 10 feet of 3 inch flex at the end.
@@kevinsmith7959 wow. 60 feet. I am going to start with 10 feet of pvc and see how it goes. I have a new 6.5 HP shop vac. Hoping it will perform. Also going to take some vents out in crawl space to shorten runs
@@johndonnelly7156 with a single shop vac, I recommend a 2 inch pipe. The main problem with a single shop vac is it fills up really fast and the filter clogs. It’ll work but like 10 gallons at a time. The way I have mine setup they all feed into a cyclone that empties into a trash can. There are videos of similar setups if you get tired of emptying your shop vac.
Should make any follow up videos. Curious to see how it looks along the way.
A flat tub with two ropes either end. Get another person to pull the full tub out. And then pull it back to you once emptied
Ah yes, another person. Why didnt I think of that
Hydro excavation rentals ? VAcuum truck rentals ..... maybe complete in one day? $1000.00 cost around here
That's an interesting option. It's always enlightening reading the comments. I don't know about the hydro-demolition and having all that water and mud splashing around my crawlspace but if you know someone with access to a vacuum truck you could loosen a bunch of dirt during the week and invite them over for beer and barbecue on the weekend and say "Oh yeah. And bring that sucky truck you have."
I would rig up a conveyor belt some way.
thank you, might do this.
How many years?
Your house is built on sand! I have clay in my crawl space and I had to use a hammer drill to dig that stuff out.
Before I try this at home, how many hours does a project like this take?
lol. “Hours”.
All the hours bud ! Everyone one of them! Still an ongoing project I work on when I have time. It honestly doesn’t take to long if you have someone to empty your buckets
@@jamesbizs lolll day's? Weeks!!???
Great setup.... BUT.... Wear a good dust mask. Don't compromise your health.
Very smart!
Smart!
You're doing it wrong. Tell your children there is treasure in there and they will do it for you! On a side note, my children found some cool old beer jugs, cans and a dead cat skeleton.
Not to mention all the asbestos they breathed into their young lungs
Do you need a permit to do this?
IDK about you, but I don't need a permit to build a house. And this is how it should be.
If you ask, you probably need a permit to change a lightbulb. As long as he's not digging out the footers, I don't think there's any issue here.
Imagine asking permission to work on something you own.
This looks like it would take 2 years
Damn dude whoever built that house really fucked you. You'd almost be better off pulling out the flooring and subfloor to have better access but that would open up a whole can of worms too with the increased workload and cost
That really sucks, not a lot of good ways to efficiently remove all that dirt.
Double shop vac! *scratches chin*
Id rather run my plumbing through the wall with Pex.
Savage
Yes?
Damn man it’s a CRAWLspace not whatever this shit was/is
Bro wear a mask I can see particles everywhere I work in crawl spaces
I have clay.
Fuck crawlspaces. they should’ve never been invented. Full basement or slab foundations only. Anyone who provides services to homeowners will understand
LOL ghetto style
There is just NO reason to do any of that. It’s to “have” access in “case” needed to work on something? Just pull up the floors if that happens. All that work is just for not bro!