Non stop sump pump

[gloo]

I bought a house, demolished it, dug down deeper to get higher celings - and then hit a water table with lots of water flowing constantly into the excavated pit.. The contractor consulted an engineer and the solution was to use extensive weeping tiles throughout to collect the water, have a 3 feet thick concrete slab for my foundation (rather than footings on the perimeter), and install a sump pump basin at the lowest point in the house. Most of the shell of the house is up and now the trades (electrician, plumbers, Hvac, etc...) are doing their thing but the water is still flowing in like crazy and the sump pump fires every 3 to 5 minutes. The contractor said once the back fill was done, the water would find another way around the house and would not settle under my house afterwards. It's been 2 months now and the water still flows into the sump basin at a pretty good rate. My question is, are there houses that have sump pumps firing off indefinitely? Is there a solution besides the obvious back up sump pump with back up battery story?? That's going to kill my electricity bill and doesn't give me peace of mind. What if there is a black out for an exteneded period while I am away? Do I have to listen to this sump pump firing all the time indefinitely? Help!!!!!!

:(

[richard]

gloo,

Yes, in rare rare instances there are houses where the sump pump fires off all the time. The backfill may or may not solve the problem, I do tend to think not entirely because the backfill is loose soil.

There's no perfect solution but a TripleSafe (http://www.basementsystems.com/basement_waterproofing/waterproofing_products/sump_pump/triplesafe_sump_pump.php) sump pump may help a little. It has a snug-fitting lid that dampens the sound of the sump pump (http://www.basementsystems.com/sump_pump/). It also has a secondary pump in case the first pump should fail for any reason, and a third battery backup sump pump (http://www.basementsystems.com/basement_waterproofing/waterproofing_products/sump_pump/battery_backup_sump_pump.php) built in. On top of that system which a Basement Systems dealer can install for you, you could get a generator, but you probably need to be home to turn it on in case of a power failure.

To talk to your local Basement Systems dealer call 1-800-638-7048 or contact us online (http://www.basementsystems.com/forms/contact.php).

[JacquesBouchard]

Hi James.

I believe that DryZone is the only dealer in the Rhode Island area.

[wholm]

I have a similar problem. I purchased a house 6 years ago, the sump kicks on about every 10 to 20 seconds. About a year ago I noticed that the previous owner had put holes in the other pit (the house is roughed in for plumbing in the basement). I assume this was done to releive pressure from the water that is squirting into the pit from these holes. The sump pit also has several of these holes. When we have a heavy rain there is also a large amount of water that comes into the sump pit from the weeping tile outside.

I have been thinking about digging a hole on the outside of the house (right alongside), and go down below the depth of both pits, drain the weeping tile into this hole and hopefully pump the water out before it comes into the house.

Does this sound like it would work?

[JacquesBouchard]

Wholm,

That sounds pretty improvisational- it could work, but I would get some professional advice before taking a chance on it. It could just as easily make the situation much worse. Other than being a lot of work, digging out around the foundation will also displace a lot of soil, and you'll likely find that the hole will collect water instead of letting it run away from the foundation naturally, making the problem worse.

Basement Systems offers free, no-obligation estimates on their waterproofing work. It wouldn't hurt to have one of their experts come, check out the situation, and give you some experienced advice on the situation. Give us a call at 1-800-638-7048 or fill out this form (http://www.basementsystems.com/forms/contact.php), and we'd be happy to connect you with your local dealer.


---

I have a similar problem. I purchased a house 6 years ago, the sump kicks on about every 10 to 20 seconds. About a year ago I noticed that the previous owner had put holes in the other pit (the house is roughed in for plumbing in the basement). I assume this was done to relieve pressure from the water that is squirting into the pit from these holes. The sump pit also has several of these holes. When we have a heavy rain there is also a large amount of water that comes into the sump pit from the weeping tile outside.

I have been thinking about digging a hole on the outside of the house (right alongside), and go down below the depth of both pits, drain the weeping tile into this hole and hopefully pump the water out before it comes into the house.

Does this sound like it would work?