The day can only get better

[Crash2510]

I woke up this morning to a terrific suprise. Well I couldn't really call it morning because it was 4:30am or 5:00am, but that did not matter because we already had 4 inches of water in the basement. For those of you who do not know, my basement is also my shop. I have numerous sheets of oak ply I hope do not warp now. The only good news was that I have everything off the ground, but this could all have been prevented if the sump pump would not have gotten plugged. It seems it happens so many times a year. At least we didn't get a tornado, it could be worse.

rant over

[Ken Massingale]

Sorry to hear that, Phil. I hope all your stuff comes out good.

[TheRic]

Sorry to hear about your luck.

If you don't have a backup sump pump, you should consider getting one. I would also suggest finding a solution to keep your main pump from plugging.

Not knowing what / how it is getting plugged can't make a suggestion on how to fix it. A common problem is it gets plugged from the soil /silt getting mixed in with the water, or stirred up in the bottom of the sump when the water pours in. The easy solution is to raise the sump pump a couple of inch from the bottom, like put the pump on a brick.

[Warren]

Have you thought about adding an alarm, a float switch that will set off a claxon or something when the water reaches a certain level. Set it so that you will have time to clear the pump before damage can be done.

[TheRic]

Have you thought about adding an alarm, a float switch that will set off a claxon or something when the water reaches a certain level. Set it so that you will have time to clear the pump before damage can be done.

The problems with this IMHO is that it only works when you are there, as in the alarm is going off for 8 hours while your at work. It is not fixing the problem, it's just telling you when you have a problem (or about to). That is assuming you set it high enough to keep from getting false alarms, but low enough to give you time to react (and your there!!).

I prefer to find the problem(s) and fix them, and fix then as permanently as I can. The house we moved into a several years ago had a history of having a flooded basement. We were told by the owners they spent $10K+ having a water treatment thing done to the basement. All it does is collect the water that comes in, and channels it to the sump. Needless to say it didn't work 100% we found out.

2 summers ago (1 1/2 yrs. ago) I started looking into what was causing the problem. We found about 5 different things combining to cause the problem. I could have fixed one and been done with it. I spent about $10-15K fixing all 5 problems and then some. Ended up with a dry basement when the neighbors didn't, usually other way around. When we heard about the neigbhors water in the basement, we gave each other a high five. We were sorry about their luck, but darn you just HAVE to be happy your hard work paid off.

Also in that cost, some of it is "While your at this, you might as well do this also", or "You better do this now or forget about ever doing it". We ended up with a NICE large patio (about 35'X35') with a fire ring in it. 100Amp service to the detached garage (workshop) plus a line for cable, phone, etc. New landscaping in the backyard which it needed bad. New sewage line, had old clay full of roots and gunk, yep had backup in the basement . New gutters, downspouts, and the storm line attached to the city (the old owners in spending $10K+ didn't reattach the storm line to the town, they used pop-ups near the house to save money). Nice large brick step / platform about 10' X 15' out the backdoor onto the patio.

I might be prejudice but I think my $15K, ended up better than their $10K.

[gerti]

In one of those DIY shows they installed a backup sump pump that did not use any power, it ran on water pressure from the mains. Something to consider!

[TheRic]

In one of those DIY shows they installed a backup sump pump that did not use any power, it ran on water pressure from the mains. Something to consider!

The water backups will only handle about 1/2 the flow rate as a battery backup (at least the ones I looked into). You also have the hassle of running a water line to the sump area. However you don't have to worry about replacing a battery every 5 years or so.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Ground water coming into a basement is probably the number one denied claim under the homeowners policy. Ground water, overflow of sewer and drains, surface water are all excluded. You can buy back coverage for sewer and sump pump overflow. If you have a finished basement and are on a sewer or have a sump pump definately a good idea to get $10k or so of coverage (around $40 per year before deviations). You can NOT buy coverage for water that seeps through walls or foundations. However, if you DO have a sump pump and your DO have the sump pump over flow you could argue for coverage if you have 4" of water in the basement. No one can determine if it came through the foundation or from the sump pump.

[crokett]

Ground water coming into a basement is probably the number one denied claim under the homeowners policy.

QFE. Last summer if you recall our basement got several inches of water in it due to a very heavy rain. Our claim was denied for this reason exactly. We got flood insurance and it will take several years for us to pay out the same $$$ we had to pay to recover.

[Crash2510]

I have to admit the first time we had this happen it was a big loss. We had just moved in and knew nothing about the house. One night the pump quit working after a heavy rain and flooded it propably 6" after heeving the floor. We spent a lot of time throwing things away. Now everything is up on treated lumber, bricks, etc. It just annoys and agravates me having to clean it up. Once good weather rolls around we have lots of plans to fix the problem that probably should have been done when someone built the house. I will definately consider some of your suggestions, which I thank you for.

I was wondering if it would hurt to put something like large gravel a few inches up the sump pump to act as a sort of filter; the problem is all of the stuff getting in the hole from the basement, for example bark and wood from the furnace.

[TheRic]

....I was wondering if it would hurt to put something like large gravel a few inches up the sump pump to act as a sort of filter; the problem is all of the stuff getting in the hole from the basement, for example bark and wood from the furnace.

First the Sump is the hole, the Sump Pump pumps water out the hole. Not sure if a typo, or you don't understand.

I have seen two types of sumps. One were the water comes in from the bottom only. Two were the water comes in from the bottom, and a pipe on the side (I have this type). Putting gravel in the second type I don't think would help much. Putting gravel in the first type might help.I would dig the bottom out a little before you put gravel in. The part I don't like about this is the gunk then is building up under the floor were you can't get to to. Will it plug things up years from now?

Another option that might help is to put a fence around the pump. This should help keep things back. Then every so often you can clean off the filter/screen.

A second pump, which it sounds like you don't have, would be a smart move to make. The battery backup one that I have tells me when the backup kicks in, and for how long. Then I know if I have trouble with the main pump going out / it is out / plugged / not keeping up / etc.