A house I'm trying to sell has a dirt basement with a stone wall
foundation (an old farmhouse). In wet weather water comes in and yes
I've done everything I canoutside to keep that from happening. My only
option is a sump pump I think. But the water that gets in is either
already muddy or gets dirty from the floor. Will sump pumps handle
muddy water or are they made only for clean water pumping?

Recommendation? I'm willing to pay megabucks for the right piece of
equipment.

My next option is dig a hole about 20 feet deep and cover it with a
grate ;-)

Surround sump pump with fine stainless screen cage.

Pump should pump slightly muddy water fine but serious dirt can cause
real grief.

Or buy a TRASH PUMP and add float switch trash pumps will pass
anything.

sump pumps are a fraction of the price

Contact Zoeller pump co with your question

46erjoe wrote:
A house I'm trying to sell has a dirt basement with a stone wall
foundation (an old farmhouse). In wet weather water comes in and yes
I've done everything I canoutside to keep that from happening. My only
option is a sump pump I think. But the water that gets in is either
already muddy or gets dirty from the floor. Will sump pumps handle
muddy water or are they made only for clean water pumping?

Recommendation? I'm willing to pay megabucks for the right piece of
equipment.

My next option is dig a hole about 20 feet deep and cover it with a
grate ;-)

Your new pump should be installed inside a bucket with holes in it.
The place where you buy the pump (not Borg) will have the bucket,
screens and other stuff you will need. You should also pick up some
gravel. Kepp in mind you will need a receptical nearby to plug the
pump into. Here is a picture of the setup:

http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/sumps.html

46erjoe wrote:
A house I'm trying to sell has a dirt basement with a stone wall
foundation (an old farmhouse). In wet weather water comes in and yes
I've done everything I canoutside to keep that from happening. My only
option is a sump pump I think. But the water that gets in is either
already muddy or gets dirty from the floor. Will sump pumps handle
muddy water or are they made only for clean water pumping?

Recommendation? I'm willing to pay megabucks for the right piece of
equipment.

My next option is dig a hole about 20 feet deep and cover it with a
grate ;-)

In my old house, a previous owner retrofitted it with a sump pump,
INCLUDING digging a trench all around just inside the basement wall. I
assume the trench contains gravel and a perforated drain line, leading
to the sump pit. (Can't see it because it's re-buried and cemented
over.) The sump pump discharge is slightly muddy. The arrangement
works well in terms of keeping the basement dry. -- H

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 02:41:00 GMT, 46erjoe
wrotF:

A house I'm trying to sell has a dirt basement with a stone wall
foundation (an old farmhouse). In wet weather water comes in and yes
I've done everything I canoutside to keep that from happening. My only
option is a sump pump I think. But the water that gets in is either
already muddy or gets dirty from the floor. Will sump pumps handle
muddy water or are they made only for clean water pumping?

Recommendation? I'm willing to pay megabucks for the right piece of
equipment.

My next option is dig a hole about 20 feet deep and cover it with a
grate ;-)



Thanks for all the responses. I feel like a submersible is the best
way to go for my situation.

I saw on ebay that there are a zillion brands. Is there one particular
brand that is superior? I've gone through two pumps already: A
pedestal which lasted 3 months and a submersible (bought at home deot
for $150) that lasted 6 months.

I do have a liner (poly). It is dry now and I can see a lot of dried
mud at the bottom.