We filled a hole with dirt and sand a couple of years ago and now the hole is so deep that we can't even tell how deep it is!!! We think a tree may have been there years ago and this is where the root was. It is about 12 inches wide. What do we use to fill it in and keep it from opening back up?
Just kidding. Can you post a photo? It could be several things... an old root system like you said, animals, an underground stream washing away soil, etc.
I would try filling it back in again, using less sand and more dirt (clay if you have it). Sand granules slide over one another more easily, and thus can wash away faster. Get an 8x8 hand tamp and tamp down the soil firmly after you've filled it.
Wait. Let rainfall settle the soil. Repeat until the fill stops washing away.
If it's still like this next year, and it's deep enough, I might actually try filling the deepest parts with stones or concrete, then put soil on the top 6 inches.
I never did get a picture of that hole! I forgot about it until today when my 8 year old son and my dog were both attacked by yellowjackets that came out of it!!! What a mess! My son was running around screaming (he had 3 of them in his shirt) while the dog was rolling around on the ground! It's kind of funny now that I think about it! Anyways it's definitely not a well or an outhouse. The house was built in the 70's. I think we'll treat it as if it is an old root system (the yellowjackets kind of confirm that for me - what do you think?) and fill it in again.
I've had the same problem for many years. I even put big rocks in the hole along with dirt, several times, but the hole always comes back. I saw an old picture of our house from the 30's and sure enough there was a big old Ash tree there. We've been here 18 years and we're still stuffing that hole.
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