Random hole appeared a couple weeks ago and has grown since. The grass is still intact and I don’t see signs of digging, but curious if anyone has any ideas what would cause this to happen and continue under the sidewalk. I’m worried the sidewalk will crack, or a bottomless abyss will emerge causing local kids to disappear.
NJ for context, so it’s been freezing cold since it happened.
by sbcmurph
13 Comments
If a clown pokes his head out and tells you you’ll float down there, don’t believe him!
Gopher/moles is my guess..
New home? I had this issue due to the ground not being graded correctly/settling at my home. It could be a combination of things.
Critters? Could be a skunk?
Stick your hand in and feel around
The fact that the ground is sinking and not dug out is concerning. Are there any storm drains nearby and has it been raining? My first thought is this is the beginning of a small sinkhole that will collapse the sidewalk.
Yep *spits
You got yerself a Pennywise.
I reckon you’re gonna want to git yourself 7 plucky kids to git rid of that.
I’d figure someone probably dug a hole under the sidewalk to pass a wire or pipe and didn’t fill it back in well.
Our HOA is trying to figure out how to pay for our last event that started like this. The sidewalk eventually broke and went down into to what become a ~12 x 12’ x 12’ sink hole. Not natural, it was a overflow for our community pond that went to the lake.
A crew of 4 to 5 was here for several weeks.
https://preview.redd.it/b66hk0okvrke1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0928c2b122a0d16f6e3c551479b596ff451d525
The photo is well into the repairs and not near as deep as it initially was.
Excavate to see what your dealing with
Grass grows back
Do you have an irrigation system? I bet whoever installed it ran a conduit under the sidewalk and didn’t compact properly when they were finished.
Turn off every faucet, dishwasher, washing machine, shower, spigot, water hose, etc…, everything, then check your water meter. Come back and check in 15 minutes. If it has moved, you may have a leak in your supply line, which may be under the sidewalk. How do I know? This exact scenario happened to me.
Looks like drain water is washing it out to me but it’s odd because usually grass will hold the soil together. Maybe a sinkhole?