I bet you have a check valve. When the pump shuts down the silt/clay filled
water just sits there and the silt/clay settles out and sticks to the pipe.
Try removing the check valve and add a tee just where the pipe exits at its
highest point with a vertical piece of pipe and a drain air valve (or a pump
foot valve) so that the water drains from the pipe and sucks air in through
the valve. This way the silt/clay cannot settle out inside the pipe.

"peterpa" wrote in message
m...
Our 1989 house flooded this fall after our sump pump and backup failed.
The main unit burned out, and the backup's float was stuck with a gooey
orange sediment. After installing a new main pump, it wouldn't discharge
the water, only to find out that heavy sediment had completely clogged the
1 1/2" (or 2") PVC above the check valve. When I cut the PVC pipe at the
ceiling, there was less than 1/8" gap to pump the water ... the entire
pipe was filled with orange sediment (clay probably). I replaced the PVC
pipe up to the ceiling and stuck some hoses and snakes through the PVC
pipe to the outside of the house and got the water flow after installing a
new pump.

Two questions:
1) What's the best way to snake out the PVC pipe ... I opened it up the
bathroom drainage snake, but I'd like to give it a good thorough sweeping.
The run is about 35' long.

2) What could be causing so much sediment to be draining to the sump pump?
I'd always noticed the orange sediment, but didn't realize how much it
could impact things.

3) if you allow me one more, is this at all common, and how may I go about
fixing?

Thanks in advance,

Paul



##-----------------------------------------------##
Delivered via http://www.thestuccocompany.com/
Building Construction and Maintenance Forum
Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup -
alt.home.repair - 323551 messages and counting!
##-----------------------------------------------##