We had a house built three years ago. Never had a problem with water
in the basement...until today. Lots of water down there. We did get a
massive 3" of rain in only a few hours, and the power went out for a
bit so the sump pump couldn't work. This has happened before and there
wasn't any problem. Also none of my neighbors had any flooding
problems and their power was out as well.

Recently builders have dug up the land right beside us as a new
development is going in. Sewers are getting installed. This is the
first big rain since they dug everything up. I'm worried they may have
broken a pipe or done something to cause water to back up into my
basement.

I didn't see any water around the outside of the house. I don't really
know how a sump pump works or how the water gets in there. But I need
to figure this out. I'd appreciate any ideas or input on this. thank
you.

69strat wrote:
We had a house built three years ago. Never had a problem with water
in the basement...until today. Lots of water down there. We did get
a massive 3" of rain in only a few hours, and the power went out for a
bit so the sump pump couldn't work. This has happened before and
there wasn't any problem. Also none of my neighbors had any flooding
problems and their power was out as well.

Recently builders have dug up the land right beside us as a new
development is going in. Sewers are getting installed. This is the
first big rain since they dug everything up. I'm worried they may
have broken a pipe or done something to cause water to back up into my
basement.

I didn't see any water around the outside of the house. I don't
really know how a sump pump works or how the water gets in there.
But I need to figure this out. I'd appreciate any ideas or input on
this. thank you.

If the sump pump is working it should be pumping anytime there is water
in the basement. Does it come on at all now? I suspect it is dead and
needs replaced. You may want to consider backup plans as well. You seem to
have power outage issues so a pump not dependent on the local power grid
would be advisable. There are pumps that work on water pressure and water
is usually available even during storms, unless you are on a well system.
There are also battery backup, but I don't have a lot of faith in them as
you would need a huge battery to supply enough power to handle any serious
power outage and water problem.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

69strat wrote:
We had a house built three years ago. Never had a problem with water
in the basement...until today. Lots of water down there. We did get a
massive 3" of rain in only a few hours, and the power went out for a
bit so the sump pump couldn't work. This has happened before and there
wasn't any problem. Also none of my neighbors had any flooding
problems and their power was out as well.

Recently builders have dug up the land right beside us as a new
development is going in. Sewers are getting installed. This is the
first big rain since they dug everything up. I'm worried they may have
broken a pipe or done something to cause water to back up into my
basement.

I didn't see any water around the outside of the house. I don't really
know how a sump pump works or how the water gets in there. But I need
to figure this out. I'd appreciate any ideas or input on this. thank
you.



Did they lay the floor in the new house next door? This can cause
pressure in the ground water and raise the level a bit causing
neighboring houses to take more water.

Sump works by ahh skip it, see this website
www.misterfix-it.com/keepbasementdry2.pdf


--
Respectfully,


CL Gilbert

No they did install the sewer stuff and a road will be next to us. We
will be on a corner and a house will eventually be built behind us.
The tractors have been digging beside us for weeks. It's quite loud
and sometimes the house even shakes a bit!

makes me pretty upset, but I don't know what I can do. If it is some
damage caused by them, how would I go about finding out? They'll just
deny anything saying they didn't touch anything.

The sump was working when power was restored. I asked surrounding
neighbors and no one got water except lucky us.

I will definitely check into a back up system. We did have record rain
fall yesterday and the power was out on top of that. Still the
neighbors stayed dry.

where can I find a water pressure pump?

thank you!

69strat wrote:
I will definitely check into a back up system. We did have record rain
fall yesterday and the power was out on top of that. Still the
neighbors stayed dry.

where can I find a water pressure pump?

thank you!

Check out:

http://journeytoforever.org/at_waterpump.html

http://www.pumpbiz.com/products/inde...&series_id=820 http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...c/1275381.html http://www.statefarm.com/consumer/vh...es/sumpump.htm http://www.do-it-yourself-pumps.com/homeguard.htm http://www.basepump.com/--Joseph MeehanDia duit

makes me pretty upset, but I don't know what I can do. If it is some
damage caused by them, how would I go about finding out? They'll just
deny anything saying they didn't touch anything.

They could have changed the drainage significantly without doing anything
improper. It is unlikely they broke a pipe without noticing.

The sump was working when power was restored. I asked surrounding
neighbors and no one got water except lucky us.

My sumppump has not pumped in 23 years (in fact, I just found out it doesn't
even work, but have not decided whether to replace it), while other houses
on the street have water problems. In my old house I got 5' of water in my
basement during a major power outage, while the house across the street got
none. It can vary...

How much water did you get? An inch, a foot? How long was the power out?
Did the pump handle the water when you got power back? It is hard to give
you any meaningful advice without knowing what happened.

"69strat" wrote in message
oups.com...
We had a house built three years ago. Never had a problem with water
in the basement...until today. Lots of water down there. We did get a
massive 3" of rain in only a few hours, and the power went out for a
bit so the sump pump couldn't work. This has happened before and there
wasn't any problem. Also none of my neighbors had any flooding
problems and their power was out as well.

Recently builders have dug up the land right beside us as a new
development is going in. Sewers are getting installed. This is the
first big rain since they dug everything up. I'm worried they may have
broken a pipe or done something to cause water to back up into my
basement.

I didn't see any water around the outside of the house. I don't really
know how a sump pump works or how the water gets in there. But I need
to figure this out. I'd appreciate any ideas or input on this. thank
you.

Call the county / city utility departments and find out who might be
familiar with the water table level around your area. What's its depth?
There should be some civil engineer type who will be knowledgeable, but
you'll have to ask around to find him. describe your situation to him.

With the new excavations, maybe a hole filled in with water during the rain
that then fed water toward your place. If so, that will cure itself.
However, if you have a high water table, and they are changing the terrain,
they might be creating a more permanent problem for you. I'd get on top of
this ASAP.