Blue/ black water in basement? (drain, smell, appliance, cleaning)
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So we are in the process of having the basement waterproofed, they took out concrete and dug down all around the foundation, and are going to put drain pipe and gravel, but for the time being, the water is just sitting in this trench, I have noticed on one side it has gotten to be a dark blue to black color, not sure what this is from, there is no smell, so do not think its sewage.
A friend that saw it thought it may be from the clay. When they dug this trench out, it was mostly thick clay, and I did notice some it had blue-ish colored marbled sections running thru it, but there was not much of this that I saw.
They will be laying the gravel and pipe next week, so Im hoping this is not something that will cause problems.
It looks like there is some oil floating on the water from the pics. I'd have a sample taken and tested for my own peace of mind. Do you have any oil-fired appliances? Could there be a UST on the property?
1) What did the people who dig basements in that part of the country everyday say it was?
2) Your local County Extension Agent should have a good idea if its natural.
3) Get a sample of it analyzed.
I'd be reluctant to cover it over again without knowing for sure.
But if it was related to fuel oil I think you would smell that... let alone sewage.
No oil fired appliances here. There is no smell either, not even up close. The people doing the waterproofing did not know what it is. Just from looking around on Google a little, one possibility is a certain type of algae, but that doesnt fit entirely either, as the water has not been sitting (standing) long enough for that to start. I will probably have to get it tested.
That looks to be sludge backup. You may want to look into Hydro-Jetting drain cleaning.
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