There is a lentil (2) running from the front of my foundation to somewhere above the garage ceiling. The soil beneath the lentils has washed away for about 2 feet. Does this lentil need support beneath it?? There is a block/ frame wall about 12 feet wide above it.I can e mail a pic if needed.

Lintel - Horizontal members that span a door opening; may be structural or solely decorative.

Typically a member described as a lintel is over a window or door opening and is normally used in masonry construction. A lintel may also be used below a non-structural section of masonry wall to carry the load to vertical structural elements - piers or columns.

I have never heard of a lintel being supported on soil. You will have to describe better. Does your house have a garage below it or have a grade change from back to front?

If the member runs through your garage then it is best described as a beam. In general bearing points for any structural member should be maintained. If the bearing point is a foundation wall and the backfill of soil has washed away then it is best to refill the area as the soil provides some lateral reinforcment to the load. If you have had 2' of soil wash away at any area of your home, my best guess from the limited description is to say that you ought to refill the area with gravel and top 8" with top soil.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your corrections. I then have two stacked beams (10-12') running from the corner of my foundation to above the block wall in my lower level garage.My problem is the 2 foot washout is washing into a unbuilt rather large room/crwlspace?? with no access.I guess I will have to open up a door opening to gain access to the washout area from the inside. But then what.