Thanks for the replies. My pump does run occasionally (once or twice
a day I suppose) even when we have a hard freeze, I guess because of
the natural water table in the area.

It sounds like I'm on the right track.

My next question... is it better to connect the pipe sections together
with cemented couplers, or should I use those rubber couplers with
hose clamps? I realize the cemented couplers are probably best since
they won't ever leak, and they're cheaper too - but I'm wondering if
the rubber couplers would make installation easier (ie, if I need to
remove a section to adjust the grade) as well as making repairs easier
if a section breaks?


"Tom Eller" wrote in message ...
I'm in central ohio, and my pipe is very similar to what you described its
only buried around 3 or 4 inches under the grass and dosent freeze, we get
ALOT of water pumped out during spring-fall (poorly built house in a
sub-division), but once the ground freezes water cant get down into basement
anyway unless you have a spring coming up under your basement floor. As
long as their is a little bit of a grade water should not stay in pipe and
will have all run out between pump last runs and ground gets around to
freezing down to where the pipe is in the winter.