This is where you encourage your wife to get you a backhoe attachment for your tractor ;) thanks for the videos

motorized snakes aren't expensive to rent. It is still worth the effort. Also, clean the compost down to the concrete then just cut a shallow trench to drain the backside. Just an opinion

Use your tractor and scoop all that stuff out. Getting it down to the concrete and see what you can do after that.

Plumbers usually charge 150-200 for a service call. maybe less in your area. a snake and inspection camera would surely find what the drain system looks like and where the water is going. money well spent inho. Good content.

You could add some dye to the water to help identify where it is coming out. Looks like the tractor has a lot of cleaning to do to get down to the cement in the addition. Thanks for sharing. Hope you can solve the drainage problem. Stay safe

I would not be surprised if you have drains in that newly discovered floor, too. Once you get that area cleaned out (sounds like a fun job) that might tell you more about the drains. I have to believe getting that water out from under the barn is going to be pretty important when it comes to keeping the barn standing.

Call roto rooter and ask questions avóut if he can locate where pipe comes out with his camera and detector

I have used Food Dye in drains to track water flow ..

Idea: Cut out a 12 inch slice of that cement footer/burm that was under the blocks that you tore out and that will allow the cement slab drain well after you clean out the pig and hay liter.

You will have to clean all that compost out of the back of the barn and probably hose down the pad so you can see better where the drain might be. May also need to cut out a bit of that wall to expose the area where the water is draining in that corner....if the pipes stop there maybe you can connect a pipe to it and redirect the flow outside somehow. On the upside you now have extra load or two of compost for the hay feild once you get it cleaned out.

Hey Evan I was watching Ryan Hall Y’all last evening and I saw there were some severe thunderstorms and tornado activity that went through your area last night. I hope you and Rebekah, and the animals and property are all okay

I am so sad for you guys that anyone could/would mistreat property to this level. The incompetence, disregard, horrible choices, and general lack of any sense prior to your arrival are stunning. I don't envy your task, but I respect your ethic towards tackling said task.

Put some food dye in the drain, put some water to it and see whare it comes from.

I look forward to seeing you clean out that lean-to at the back. It will be well worth while getting down to the concrete and seeing what, exactly, you have got there.

I have a feeling the reason why the other drains that had mortar in them because the drain under the pad broke. That is why you are seeing it come out of the corner of the pad its finding the easiest way out. You could possibly be creating a void but not a large one my best advice would be start new then you know it inside and out and not broken.

Great effort on drain but I have a feeling you will have to further address this problem in the future . I will be here to watch .

Try putting food coloring in the drain with the hose to see where the drain is draining to.

That's gonna be some great compose for gardens

Evan, you need a jetter nozzle for a pressure washer they are cheap and you can put it in that pipe and it advances by itself and will clean that pipe out even possibly pop up outside somewhere.

Drill some holes in the outside wall so that the water can get out of the new build on the barn

Great job on drain...Your videos are really great....love the detail in fixing up your place...take care !!

Hope you are able to get the drain thing figured out. Love the idea of lambs and milk cow!

Good evening Rebekah and Evan. Probably the best and most cost effective solution would be to install a sump. I would cut out a hole big enough for a mid sized plastic drum and install a dirty water sump pump. That way you can direct it out the back of the barn. If you have a broken pipe under your slab with sandy soil thats asking for trouble. Ask me how I know 😂

Run the hose downstream underground till it hits something solid. Mark your hose, then pull it back out, and it will give you a rough idea how many feet till it’s plugged.

YES!!! Sheep!!!

With old structures it's hard to tell the drain design & it's integrity after the years. Hopefully the pipe drain is still good & sand from under the barn isn't gradually working it's way out the drain where it will leave space under the flooring that could cause the floor to collapse. Good luck and I will definitely be watching to see how this project comes along. Love watching all your videos!

They sell attachments for the pressure washer, I have had great luck cleaning out clay field tile. Fairly cheap

I couldn't help but think that the little auger you have for your drill (the one you use to plant your garden) would have worked well to pull at least some of that stuff out of the drain. We enjoy your videos, Thanks for bringing us along on your adventures.

Always enjoy your videos!! Thanks!! Colene

Also you could add food dye to the drain and see if it comes out

Stick with it guys and get that drain cleaned out before winter. It will be less hassle in the long run

If that area was a hog confinement with a slatted floor there had to be a way to clean it out. I’d get in there with your tractor and loader or a skid steer and clean all that composted manure out. There had to be a way for all that manure to flow out. If I had to guess it looks like the inside of the barn was used as a farrow operating then the back part was a feeder pig setup. In the end you need to with stop water from entering the barn or figure out the drain system before it washes out under the slab and the barn sinks.

I really like Rebekah in the videos a lot more the way she has been ❤️ Do you think you are going to try to clean all of that compost out of there before you get the new steers? I am just curious All in all, at least you got the drain problem within the barn fixed for now

Add some dye in the water,such as Easter egg dye maybe that will help fine the drain outlets.

Thanks 😊

Interesting video as always! I love following your story :)

Now you will have to clean up that compose for your garden.

That compost in the back shed section of the barn will probably be nice for the garden or pasture. Cutting a hole in the back wall near the concrete floor ought to drain out most of the water in the shed section. If you cannot find a Jersey milk car, have a look for a Geurnsey.

You will run across the perfect milk cow.. I am excited for that... I still wish someone would step up and paint that barn.. #wellseeyouinthenextone

That barn would sure look nice painted.

I've had this problem. Water is probably coming up through cracks in the floor. A tedious repair that uses epoxy. Getting the drains cleaned sure helped.

Rent one of those jet drain openers that goes on a pressure washer. It will blast the blockage out.

Get your tractor and bucket, scrape all that stuff off the pad, then u can take the next step, perhaps jack hammer out a portion of the concrete and see where that drain goes.

Awesome guys.

While ground is soft, try finding pipe drain under drip edge using slim rod. Plunge rod into ground one or two feet or until hitting something hard. May take some time but may help find clogged pipe. Can get this tee rod at most hardware plumbing stores. Good luck.

Praying you all are not in the path(s) of the tornado outbreaks 🙏❤🙏

Usually, those drains terminate well away from the barn. I'm curious to see what you find when you clean off the slab. Interesting. I was raised on an old dairy farm with an added on milking parlor. It's a puzzle to figure out how to fix the old stuff sometimes. Good luck! -Laura P.S Thanks for the gardening guide! Very helpful.

I had a plugged drain that's in the center of the floor in the basement I bought a cobra tool 25ft pistol grip drum auger for sinks, tubs and showers from menards it can hook up to a drill it took a couple runs through but it unclogged the drain it only has a 1/4 inch diameter cable

Borrow your Dad's machine with the backhoe. It should be small enough to clean the slab. I would also get a jetter end for the pressure washer to clean the pipe as they would clean as it was pushed in, make sure to have 100' of hose to get to the end of the pipe. I would wait a little bit to let the ground dry to see the wet spot as you go. would need to make sure the you watch to see if the pipe is cracked so the fill does not get washed away and the floor falls in. Camera would help as well for the pipe.

What a great find. With all the newly found compost, you should have the best garden on KZfaq. I hope to see you using the compost.

You should move all the pig compost to a compost pile or to your garden whichever you prefer.❤❤❤❤

Tape measure down to tell you bottom of pipe. Measure off block from the window? That should give you the depth of the pipe? Wire witching outside maybe you could hit the pipe?

Hopefully it's not undermining under your barn with water erosion. Dig that compost out with your tractor bucket down to the concrete and use it in your garden.

think cleaning out the old manure in the addition might be next step also a pressure washer nozzle might help get farther. several others have suggested cutting a block out probably a good idea , tho you Might find a drain in the lean to floor???? may have to remove dirt from outside the barn to get the water to drain out of the lean to couldnt tell where the outside level and the floor level were . IF you can find an outlet you might be able to sleeve it if you think the pipe is cracked and is leaking underneath the barn would be bad to have a sinkhole develop good luck and take care

Thx again

At about 12.30 ish in the video where you were digging originally than went back to it it appears water is seeping thru the concert blocks. I went back and didn't see it earlier.

My Jersey cow will be calving late may or June. She was bred to a Hereford. It was hard to find a jersey bull. Anyway, for a family milk cow, I'm kind of thinking it would still be good. I would be happy to let you know when she calves if you want!🐂

Evan there is 2 options. Clean the the concrete, put in a bed of rock, fabric and crush n run. Or knock a hole in foundation to found your drain pipe and pipe it out to the outside.

Your speculation that this is some sort of dry well is good however it is not a dry well with sand and clay in it. A dry well would have a much larger aggregate in it. I suggest that you rent a power auger to clean that out and while you are at the rental shop, price the backhoe you will need for your French drain.

I you might consider adding food coloring to the water in the drain. you would then be able to see where the water exits the barn. they do that for septic systems to see where the leaks, clogs are. i dont know the costs, but hiring the roto rooter team to blast out and trace your drains might be an economical way of addressing the issue. another is renting the power snake equipment, most tool rental businesses have them, the water under the barn is going to undermine the whole barn and it might collapse the floor. foundation. This is not something that can be ignored. II cows are herd animals, and need each others company., so a single cow might be depressed I enjoy all your vids and I thank you for sharing

What a clever cover. I would never have thought of using 2 different sizes

Good morning! 🌹🌹🌹

One problem with a Jersey cow is that you may struggle to sell bull calves. Your best option might be to get a daul purpose breed cow and cross with a beef sire.

You could also look for a Guernsey or Brown Swiss the other good easy hand milker is an Ayrshire but not as common, they do have horns but the ones we had were like pets .

Looks like you need an excavator and maybe a skid steer to get down to the concrete and dig for new drains

Nothing is never easy for you. I’m sorry you keep running into problems. Hopefully you will get it figured out.

Not that weird my friend. It’s what I call a poor man’s hydro vac. Lol I have done the same thing. It works my friend.

JudithB Good luck findng your heifer!!! My folks bought one for my birthday years ago and she had never been handled other then a squeeze chute. I was scared to death of her horns, but had to tame her before her first calf arrived. My elderly neighbor came to help me when her calf was born, and train her to be milked!! Personally, I would raise your heifer and handle her so she could be milked and raise extra calves after her 2nd calf. I would still milk her once a week, enough to keep her use to the idea!!!! I milked twice a day and bottle fed the calves, and fed hogs too after making butter and cheese. I didnt work a town job tho!!!! Breed her with a beef bull to get a beefier calf to raise for meat, unless you want to sell Jersey hiefers too.

Evan & Rebecca strike again. Make shift solutions....fantastic

Drill some holes in the wall so the water drains from that puddle into the barn yard. Might help keep that corner a bit dryer 👍

I take it that the tornadoes missed yall!

Put some dye in the drain with water and see if you can find it. Good Luck! Love the channel.

You might want to consider borrowing the little 'Deere tractor to clean out that "back porch" so you can get that part of the drainage issue fixed.

I guess some pig farmers use concrete floors so they can just hose it down...God Bless and have a Great Weekend!! ❤😊🌹

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Look into deck / channel drains. You could install in your concrete slab and run drain through the exterior wall.

Just my pondering on what you might possibly have there on the side of the barn. That slatted floor was probably build over a cement holding pool for liquid manure. They may, at one time, have had fans installed that would suck the air down through the slats and exhaust outside the barn to keep the "aroma" of the pit inside the building low. Then there would have been a hole in the slats that they would open every so often to insert the hose from the honeywagon to suck out the liquid manure. In your case they apparently never emptied the pit when they were done with hogs. The fluid evaporates over time and presto, lots of compost. That looks like its to small of an area to get your tractor into. Maybe you can rent a very small skid loader. but they once the skid loader gets the pit cleaned out, you have the problem of getting the skid loader itself out of the pit. Maybe that outside wall can be cut down further to allow entrance of a tractor or skid loader. What ever you find, the solution isn't going to be accomplished in an afternoon. 😟😕

Try finding a milking cow in Wisconsin, "the Diary state" . . . not to far away. It might be worth your time.

Looks like your tractor has a big job a head of it! 😊 You’ll get it figured out.

Aisle 17 at Lowe's, they will have your drain caps. I would bet the drain runs completely out the back of the barn down the hill and out into the field.

The easy fix is digging a hole in the floor in the back of the barn and make it large enough to put a sump pump in it. You will need to clean all the compost out of the attached section. You understand easy is relative to how much money you are willing to spend. If you live close to a tool rental shop and can get a jackhammer and power snake that makes everything much easier. I would also check the gutters and down spouts just to make sure they are in good shape.

Do you know where the drain comes out? Spend some time first finding the outlet end. All floor drain clearing should START at the outlet end so that 'stuff' has a place to drain TO. When you find that end, use a pressure washer at that end to clear it. There are special nozzles to backwash as you advance the hose/nozzle.

I would only put a french drain across the upper part of the barn and not down the sides. I'd run it from the road down past the lower side past about 10ft and let it drain there. Remember it has to be lower than the floor or it won't work. Evidently the water comes out in the corner from the drains. That part I'd scoop all that manure out to cement underneath and if you have to cut the cement out along that wall and put a drain out the back.

That was a messy job and I hope you can fine a solution to the problem without it costing an arm and a leg. I hope y'all are able to find a Jersey calf you can raise. So many of the homesteaders have that breed and get plenty of milk for their family as well as for making butter and cheese. Good luck and have a Blessed week.

Yeah my husband is from England and Jersey cows are royalty for their milk and especially their cream. We just moved to south west Mississippi when we bought our first home as retirees from Southern California!!!! We used to be able to get raw milk and all kinds of “ alternative “ milk and meat products there. Surprisingly, the hunt is on for getting the same quality products here!!!! Plus….anything organic is more expensive by 50cents to a dollar on grass fed anything!!!! We did not realize we would be going back in time 10+ years for what had become very common in SoCal. We paid premium prices there but had no idea we would be paying far more than that in here!!! Something to take into consideration for others who might think rural living brings more access to better quality! Anyway, sorry for the diversion. I absolutely believe in you both! I am 100% sure God will provide you with the Jersey Cow all human beings definitely need, as it that will be the best!☺️ God speed, thank you for a very lovely look into everyday homesteading life. When you do get Jersey milk/ cream, and you have a well established flow with extra on the side, I would not hesitate to buy that from you!!! Please be aware of the current, ugly situation that many of us good fellow American’s find ourselves in…many of us cannot even have backyard chickens because of where we live. Hopefully, people like the two of you might be able to provide an avenue for so many…to bring back wholesome food to our lives. I have hope…

Get the tractor out and dig out all the stuff from behind the barn. You may find a big slab and the drain and it will make a nice barn for the cows

Great find,good compost for the garden.

old diy septic tank/drain field under slab was common years ago dairy farms had that outside milkroom door under sidewalk concrete

Thanks Evan and Rebecca for sharing with us. Maybe wait till it dries up a little and get the tractor in the opened up section and scoop out what you can if it is all concrete in there. Leave a ramp in and out till you're done then make an exit for the inside drainage and take it far enough out so it will drain all the time. Hope you can get something figured out so you can dry it out in there. It's a real pain but being able to was down inside would be helpful to you folks. Stay safe and keep up the good videos. Fred.

Run a wire or drain tape down the pipe then a locating device attached to wire or tape to show where the pipe runs. The locating device can be found at a lawn sprinkler supply business. A video camera from plumbing contractor could show pictures not necessarily direction. Good luck. Once cleaned out you might consider pouring a concrete channel to the outside wall exit.

You have at least 10 yards of compost ready for the spreader. Then you can use a concrete saw to put in a new drainage system. Great!

You could try a jetting tip for your pressure washer. Simply remove the hose from the wand and thread on the tip.

Your going to have to get a core drill and bore one into that back wall and a couple in the base of the open air walls. That's some pretty stagnant water

I am almost 70 and I well remember my first "real" job at age 16. My grandfather got me a summer job working at a livestock hauling company in South Dakota. They hauled from the farms to the big meat packing plant. At some point during my work time, the 4' by 4' by 5' deep livestock trailer wash bay sump pit plugged full with manure liquid. It was a horrible task to have to remove the manure with a bucket. That made me really want to get a college education, so I didn't have to do it again.

Great job💖

For now, I would drill a 1" drainage hole in the front of the extension at floor level. Then while slow, it can drain. Then clear all the ancient manure out and do proper drainage after.

Since you tore apart the old pig stalls I have wondered how the pig farmers planned to remove all the pig poop. There must be some sort of door or hatch where they could get in and under to dig out the mess. Now that you know there is concrete you could dig it out. and it will make a better dry space for the cattle. Now would probably be better than waiting for summer to harden the mess.

Evan, Put some dye in the drain fill it full of water and wait for it to drain..that way you will see exactly where it's coming from. If it's slatted concrete under the compost it may be a pit under there that's full...have it pumped out.... on the outside of the pit knock a hole and grout a 6 or 8 inch stick of pvc for the pit to drain into the pasture.....first I would clean all the compost out .... be careful tho if it is a pit don't let the weight of the tractor collapse the slatted pit

Look around the barn for the drain outside.

Well it's great that you got the drain unclogged, I can just imagine how bad it was. A French drain is like a trenched line that is covered with a grate to allow water to flow, is that right? It would be nice if you could find the drain exit and could fix that, good luck on getting it resolved. Thanks for sharing, enjoyed watching, hope you both have a safe and joyous week.☺

About the drains, to see where it goes, there is a small camera with light on it see exactly where it goes. Track it and find out.