About a month ago my basement had water due to the week long rain in
the Northeast in mid-October. Since then I've been trying to educate
myself with the water table in my area.
The previous owner of my house use to have a shallow well pump in the
basement. The pump is gone, but the 2" galvanized pipe is still in the
ground, sticking up about 3" above the basement floor. If you look
inside and measure, the water is 23" below my basement floor. Just to
be sure this was not "trapped water", I used my shop vac to suck out as
much water as I can in the pipe, but within minutes the water level
rose again. So I'm assuming this is the water table. It has been a
constant 23" for the past 2 weeks. I am assuming this is what it is
normally since we had little or no rain recently.
So my question is should I be concerned? Is this normal for the water
to be just 23" below the basement floor? I live in a 45 year old
split-level. I don't know if its been like this since the house was
built or if the water table changed over the years. Any input
appreciated. Thanks.

It is 2 feet lower, it will do no harm but make your basement humid
which painting with oil paint and a dehumidifier can cure. I live a few
feet from a lake and many people I know have much higher levels. I
would plant trees if you are concerned and there are few, you might be
able to irrigate your lawn cheaper with a pump and free water.

"Mikepier" wrote in message
ups.com...
About a month ago my basement had water due to the week long rain in
the Northeast in mid-October. Since then I've been trying to educate
myself with the water table in my area.

I can't help you with the water table issue. I can, however shed a little
light on the problem this time. Many areas of the Northeast received far
more rain than normal in the course of nine days. Basements that have been
dry for 40 years had water in them. At work, we had 16.5" of water in the
building, the first time since 1936 when it was 1/4" higher.

You can expect it to happen again. It was 69 years between events this
time. It may be another 69 years, 150 years, or next month. Plan
accordingly.

the answer lies somewhere between your 2 neighbors and their basements,
your frost line, the house drainage system for rainwater, the house
sewer system, a local old time experienced plumber, the previous owner,
and the local municipality and its requirements.
consider additional uestions...
the local well was replaced by city water or a different well? why?
insufficient? low quality? unsanitary?

"Mikepier" wrote in message
ups.com...
About a month ago my basement had water due to the week
long rain in
the Northeast in mid-October. Since then I've been trying
to educate
myself with the water table in my area.
The previous owner of my house use to have a shallow well
pump in the
basement. The pump is gone, but the 2" galvanized pipe is
still in the
ground, sticking up about 3" above the basement floor. If
you look
inside and measure, the water is 23" below my basement
floor. Just to
be sure this was not "trapped water", I used my shop vac
to suck out as
much water as I can in the pipe, but within minutes the
water level
rose again. So I'm assuming this is the water table. It
has been a
constant 23" for the past 2 weeks. I am assuming this is
what it is
normally since we had little or no rain recently.
So my question is should I be concerned? Is this normal
for the water
to be just 23" below the basement floor? I live in a 45
year old
split-level. I don't know if its been like this since the
house was
built or if the water table changed over the years. Any
input
appreciated. Thanks.

I would be tempted to properly connect a shallow well pump
or sprinkler pump to that well. You could then run the pump
during problem times to keep the water table below the level
that would leak into your basement. It could also serve to
water your yard other times.

Bob

Thanks for you responses. In answering some of your questions:
this pump was used for sprinklers. I believe the previous owner
stopped using well water because it was staining his sidewalk, and
everything else the water came in contact with. So he switched to city
water.
Even if I did cap the pipe, water would still come between the side of
the pipe and the floor. I found this out when my basement flooded. No
water ever came out of the pipe itself because the pipe is 3" above the
floor and the water inside was 2" above the floor when it flooded, but
it did come through the side of the pipe, as well as from under the
slab throughout the entire basement. As the other poster remarked
about Artesian wells, I could measure how deep my well is. If this is a
deep well, then could I assume it does have some pressure in it?
My neighbor next door has lived there for 30 years and said this is the
first time he got water in the basement, as well as other people on my
block. Meanwhile some houses on my block did not see any water, like my
neighbor down the block, whose house sits lower than mine.

Meanwhile some houses on my block did not see any water, like my
neighbor down the block, whose house sits lower than mine.

Be sure to take slope and drainage into account. Someone who's "lower"
might also be adjacent to a better route for water to drain along. When
you're on a gradual slope and it rains well beyond the usual the water isn't
running down the slope 'fast enough' to get away from the house. The house
down the block may simply have the luck of being position such that the
water found it easier to run downhill. There's also geological
possibilities but it's probably just the overall slope of the property.

I measured my well.It is 21 feet deep (below basement floor).

wrote:
On 13 Nov 2005 19:29:11 -0800, "Mikepier"
wrote:

I measured my well.It is 21 feet deep (below basement floor).


OK that sounds like you are looking at ground water unless there is
some containing rock ledge or clay right there.
It may not ever rise but if it does your basement will probably be
wet. Do your neighbors have sump pumps?

Only a few have sump pumps, but they are the minority. For the most
part nobody has sump pumps around here.