Blog of Death
Installing a Sump Pump
April 20th, 2007
We had a very heavy snowfall this winter and the entire thing pretty much went under our house in the spring. I noticed water coming in from under the steps one day and found a spot on the wall where it was coming through. I quickly patched it with some aquaplug (a fast-setting concrete designed to stop water leaks):
Figure 1: The triangular dark shape on the left wall was patched with aquaplug.
As soon as I patched that spot, the water started coming out of the corner... patching that pushed it out of another area. Very quickly I learned that all I was doing was pushing the water to another area - and the opposite walls have been framed so I had to keep the water away from those at all costs. I stopped patching to keep the water located where I could see it and where it couldn't do any damage. Me and my fiance spent the next day or two mopping up water with towels while I went on the web to research the causes and possible solutions for the problem. We have plans to develop our lower basement and can not have a water problem if we do that!
Figure 2: Wet towels galore. What a pain in the butt.
After a ton of research and phone calls to contractors, all roads pointed to one solution: Get rid of the water under the house. No water, no leaks. And the best way to accomplush this is with a sump pump. A sump is a small pit in the lowest part of your basement which allows ground water to seep in, and has a pump inside of it which carries it to a safe area outside of the house where it can drain.
I had a plumber come in to provide suggestions and the best place to put the sump pump would be under the steps. That way it will be out of the way and safely blocked off from kids once the basement is developed. I started out by mapping the center of where the sump pit will be located, and then using painters tape to mark out a route for the drainage pipe. I centered the sump pit under the landing (spacing the outer edges 10" away from the walls to ensure I don't run into the base of the foundation). I then ran the pipe up beside a support beam, into the rafters, and straight out of the house. I tried several scenarios, and exiting the pipe out of the front of the house was the cleanest and most functional solution:
Figure 3: Planning the route for the drainage pipe.
Figure 4: The pipe will exit near the downspout (about 2 ribs up the siding).
The front location was excellent because I could tie into the downspout, which drains away from the house directly into a sewer drain. In the summer, the plants in front of the house will completely hide the exit pipe.
... more to come (it's getting late so I'll continue this post tomorrow.) For now, a picture of the work in progress:
UPDATE: I will soon be selling bottled water! It will be sold under the brand name "Basement Springs - From Our Family to Yours®" Any takers?
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