"Arkadiy" wrote in message
oups.com...
wrote:

The water should get to the pump, under the slab, before anything is
wet above.

Does this mean a french drain inside the basement doesn't make sense?
Or is it a backup thing (if the water does reach the floor)?

If you don't have drains you will create a dry area around the sump pump.
The water under your floor would rather go to the dry area then up through
your floor. Its ability to do that will vary with your soil. Drains make
it much easier for the water to get to the sump pump.

If you had continual problems, or if you suddenly developed a problem while
your neighbors were dry, drains would probably be worthwhile. But since the
problem happens every 20 years, I sure wouldn't want to spend $5000 to have
them put in. (actually, that sounds cheap and I would be concerned it was
too low) In fact, when you have this 20 year even it might flood whether
you have drains or not, OR it might not flood whether you have drains or
not.