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#1
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Sump basin leaking
I just moved into a new home in Southeast WI, the sump pump has been
running about every 15 minutes. Net summary - after troubleshooting, found out that at the bottom of the sump basin, there are two holes that have been drilled out approximately 1/4" in diameter that are filling the sump basin. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to either A) fill/patch the holes in the bottom of the pit or B) replace the sump basin? The water flows in quite vigorously when the it gets to the bottom of the sump basin, so a simple silicone sealant/caulking doesn't seem like it would stay in place long enough to dry. And I'm not sure how to go about replacing the sump basin (especially if there is an easier, yet effective, option). Any thoughts? Thanks! |
#2
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Sump basin leaking
Unless this is a sink basin or sewage ejector basin, I would expect ground
water is what it's there to remove, and if so, and you plug the water entry holes, eventually the water may rise to a level above the floor wrote in message oups.com... I just moved into a new home in Southeast WI, the sump pump has been running about every 15 minutes. Net summary - after troubleshooting, found out that at the bottom of the sump basin, there are two holes that have been drilled out approximately 1/4" in diameter that are filling the sump basin. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to either A) fill/patch the holes in the bottom of the pit or B) replace the sump basin? The water flows in quite vigorously when the it gets to the bottom of the sump basin, so a simple silicone sealant/caulking doesn't seem like it would stay in place long enough to dry. And I'm not sure how to go about replacing the sump basin (especially if there is an easier, yet effective, option). Any thoughts? Thanks! |
#3
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Sump basin leaking
On Aug 11, 12:10 pm, "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:
Unless this is a sink basin or sewage ejector basin, I would expect ground water is what it's there to remove, and if so, and you plug the water entry holes, eventually the water may rise to a level above the floor Exactly. The purpose of the sump pump is to remove ground water to keep the level below that of the basement floor. The water has to get into the sump basin to be pumped out. Often there is a drain system around the basement perimeter, under the floor that brings water to the sump pit. In any case, the whole purpose of the pit is to let water in, so it can be pumped out. When the groundwater level drops enough, the pit will no longer fill up enough to turn on the pump. Make sure the discharge is going 10+ ft from the house. And there should be a check valve in the line to prevent water left in the line from siphoning back when the pump shuts off. You could also adjust the float switch so that the water level is a bit higher before it turns on, but it's better to have it set a bit too low and have a dry basement. wrote in message oups.com... I just moved into a new home in Southeast WI, the sump pump has been running about every 15 minutes. Net summary - after troubleshooting, found out that at the bottom of the sump basin, there are two holes that have been drilled out approximately 1/4" in diameter that are filling the sump basin. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to either A) fill/patch the holes in the bottom of the pit or B) replace the sump basin? The water flows in quite vigorously when the it gets to the bottom of the sump basin, so a simple silicone sealant/caulking doesn't seem like it would stay in place long enough to dry. And I'm not sure how to go about replacing the sump basin (especially if there is an easier, yet effective, option). Any thoughts? Thanks!- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
#4
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Sump basin leaking
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#5
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Sump basin leaking
wrote in message oups.com... I just moved into a new home in Southeast WI, the sump pump has been running about every 15 minutes. Net summary - after troubleshooting, found out that at the bottom of the sump basin, there are two holes that have been drilled out approximately 1/4" in diameter that are filling the sump basin. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to either A) fill/patch the holes in the bottom of the pit or B) replace the sump basin? The water flows in quite vigorously when the it gets to the bottom of the sump basin, so a simple silicone sealant/caulking doesn't seem like it would stay in place long enough to dry. And I'm not sure how to go about replacing the sump basin (especially if there is an easier, yet effective, option). Any thoughts? Thanks! Please tell me you are trolling! |
#6
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Sump basin leaking
Allrighty gang - here's what I've deduced/tried out thus far:
The foundation does appear to have a drain tile present with two corrugated plastic pipes feeding into the sump basin - it's my understanding that the only water that I should expect to see feeding into the basin should be from these drain tiles as the sump basin is the low spot in the drain tile setup and not from underneath the sump basin (where I am currently seeing a large waterflow/influx). The only other potential is that the two corrugated infeed pipes are coming only from the basement window wells as an overflow versus being present for a drain tile as I was told during the buying process. The biggest "question" I have is that my neighbors are not seeing anywhere near the pumping that I am (up to 5+ times / hour), where they will have almost nothing. The water table seems to equalize at around 10.5" in depth (still below my "drain tile" hoses), but high enough to fill the basin. If I pump it out, it simply gushes back in with great force from the holes in the ground. Some other thoughts: Make sure the discharge is going 10+ ft from the house. And there should be a check valve in the line to prevent water left in the line from siphoning back when the pump shuts off. It is discharging plenty far away from the house and the pump does have a check valve installed (and correctly). Perhaps you need exterior grading away from foundation or somesuch. We are looking to improve the grading to keep water going away from the house, but again, the biggest question in our mind is why does ours go off and literally flood parts of our yard as its pulling up groundwater while neighbors units are not doing anything. I would think the overall water table would be relatively similar from house to house (~15 - 20' away) |
#7
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Sump basin leaking
Whatever the level it stabilizes at is the level of the ground water under
your house. If you want that level lowered, either try to prevent it from entering by way of curtain and foundation drains, or set your pump to whatever level you'd like it at wrote in message oups.com... Allrighty gang - here's what I've deduced/tried out thus far: The foundation does appear to have a drain tile present with two corrugated plastic pipes feeding into the sump basin - it's my understanding that the only water that I should expect to see feeding into the basin should be from these drain tiles as the sump basin is the low spot in the drain tile setup and not from underneath the sump basin (where I am currently seeing a large waterflow/influx). The only other potential is that the two corrugated infeed pipes are coming only from the basement window wells as an overflow versus being present for a drain tile as I was told during the buying process. The biggest "question" I have is that my neighbors are not seeing anywhere near the pumping that I am (up to 5+ times / hour), where they will have almost nothing. The water table seems to equalize at around 10.5" in depth (still below my "drain tile" hoses), but high enough to fill the basin. If I pump it out, it simply gushes back in with great force from the holes in the ground. Some other thoughts: Make sure the discharge is going 10+ ft from the house. And there should be a check valve in the line to prevent water left in the line from siphoning back when the pump shuts off. It is discharging plenty far away from the house and the pump does have a check valve installed (and correctly). Perhaps you need exterior grading away from foundation or somesuch. We are looking to improve the grading to keep water going away from the house, but again, the biggest question in our mind is why does ours go off and literally flood parts of our yard as its pulling up groundwater while neighbors units are not doing anything. I would think the overall water table would be relatively similar from house to house (~15 - 20' away) |
#8
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Sump basin leaking
On Aug 12, 4:49 pm, "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:
Whatever the level it stabilizes at is the level of the ground water under your house. If you want that level lowered, either try to prevent it from entering by way of curtain and foundation drains, or set your pump to whatever level you'd like it at Agree. It's not all that unusual for one house to have a sump pump that runs more than others in the neighborhood. The ground contours and water level are not perfectly uniform. For example, in some places, a natural spring will be bubbling out of the ground, yet 25 ft away, there is no evidence of water at the surface. You basement could also be 6" deeper, or have another entire block course, which could make a significant difference Forget the idea that somehow plugging any holes in the sump pit is going to stop the pump from running. Water is going to seek it's natural level. It's unclear where the 10.5" is being measured from. But if you want the pump to run less, raise the float level a bit. But be careful and keep an eye on it, as if you go higher, you increase the risk of water showing up somewhere in the basement. It will try to make it's way over to the sump pump, but the higher the sump level, the lower the delta to make it to the sump low spot, instead of surfacing somewhere else. wrote in message oups.com... Allrighty gang - here's what I've deduced/tried out thus far: The foundation does appear to have a drain tile present with two corrugated plastic pipes feeding into the sump basin - it's my understanding that the only water that I should expect to see feeding into the basin should be from these drain tiles as the sump basin is the low spot in the drain tile setup and not from underneath the sump basin (where I am currently seeing a large waterflow/influx). The only other potential is that the two corrugated infeed pipes are coming only from the basement window wells as an overflow versus being present for a drain tile as I was told during the buying process. The biggest "question" I have is that my neighbors are not seeing anywhere near the pumping that I am (up to 5+ times / hour), where they will have almost nothing. The water table seems to equalize at around 10.5" in depth (still below my "drain tile" hoses), but high enough to fill the basin. If I pump it out, it simply gushes back in with great force from the holes in the ground. Some other thoughts: Make sure the discharge is going 10+ ft from the house. And there should be a check valve in the line to prevent water left in the line from siphoning back when the pump shuts off. It is discharging plenty far away from the house and the pump does have a check valve installed (and correctly). Perhaps you need exterior grading away from foundation or somesuch. We are looking to improve the grading to keep water going away from the house, but again, the biggest question in our mind is why does ours go off and literally flood parts of our yard as its pulling up groundwater while neighbors units are not doing anything. I would think the overall water table would be relatively similar from house to house (~15 - 20' away)- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
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