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I live in the country and have a pole barn with a cement floor. A critter of some sort has dug a burrow in the dirt under the outside of the barn and pulled out a couple of wheel barrows full of the gravel that supports the concrete floor. The entrance he dug out under the slab is at ground level and only about 12 inches wide. I am sure the critter is gone now but I have no idea of how to get all that gravel back under the concrete slab. I don't have any equipment like a backhoe, dozer, bobcat etc. Only hand emplements. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Trent.

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Mix up a wet slurry of cement, sand and gravel and pour it in, then make some a little less wet and pack it in.

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  • For concrete pads, like those for an air conditioner, I just dump the sand right in front of the hole and then use a nozzle on a water hose to "inject" the sand into the hole until it won't take anymore. Then I use a 2x4 or 2x2 to finish it off with dry sand/gravel/dirt. Then let it dry for a couple days and then pack in a touch more, if required (really just testing to see if the wet sand settled).
    – alfreema
    Feb 16, 2016 at 16:22
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Unless you have concentrated loads there (commercial vehicle traffic, etc.), don't worry about it. Shovel what you can back in and be happy (assuming that you can plainly see the extent of the excavation).

If it's a concern, Try using some 2-3" pipe or flex tubing. Fill it with coarse sand or fine gravel. Slide the pipe into the end of the hole, then use a pole of slightly smaller diameter to push the material out as you slowly retract the pipe. Use the pole to compact the soil as you work your way out.

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  • Thanks for your information. Both ideas sound good. I do park a car in that part of the barn, and there are storage racks with equipment and parts around the edge of the slab where he tunneled in, do you think that would matter much?
    – Trejnt
    Feb 16, 2016 at 4:37
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    Note that I have a small section of my driveway that went down an inch because of chipmunks making their home underneath it. There is nothing on this section of driveway except for kid's bikes and such... So if stuff leaves under concrete it is logical to think that said concrete will sink.
    – DMoore
    Feb 16, 2016 at 5:42
  • Yeah, it can happen. My first paragraph assumes that the tunnel is visible and its scale apparent. An entire network is more of an issue.
    – isherwood
    Feb 16, 2016 at 15:44

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