Re: Sump Pump Question

On Aug 3, 9:26 am, dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> It's certainly not unheard of for water tables to be high enough in
> portions of IA for there to be high enough water tables to cause the
> need for sump pumps.
>

I lived out there for a while in a house with a basement. Even in dry
weather the sump pump would run probably 50% of the time. The whole
neighborhood was like that. During snow melt or rain, the pump could
barely keep up.

On Aug 3, 7:22 am, lagman <[email protected]> wrote:
> All,
>
> I just moved to the midwest from Texas, into a house with a basement.
> The sump pump runs every 15-20 minutes when dry, and every few minutes
> when raining (The previous owner installed a drain tile in the front
> yard that empties into the sump, and the area I live in has a high
> water table). The previous owner claimed that the pump ran even more
> frequently before the tile was installed. The pump empties into a
> city owned french drain. It has a backup battery powered pump that I
> have tested and works fine. Since basements are new to me, I have a
> few questions:
>
> With the amount of use this pump is getting, what is its life
> expectancy? Are there any warning signs I can look for that will tell
> me its time to get a new pump (other than a flooded basement)?

I had a house with more or less similar drainage and pump situation
and a pump would last several years, say 5 years. In my experience
the pump itself rarely fails, its the switch that gives trouble. The
switch becomes intermittent/unreliable. Given how often your pump
runs, don't you'd think you'd notice if it stopped? An unnatural
quiet?

>
> How much electricity do these things use? Would it be worth looking
> for a more energy efficient solution?

I don't think its a huge amount; in any case, there is no more energy
efficient solution (well, maybe pumping with a windmill!)
>
> Do you think it will run this often during the winter (I am in Iowa)?
> Will the pump be able to keep up when the snow melts in the spring?

As for winter, it depends. In my current house the pump essentially
stops when the ground freezes; in a previous house, the pump ran
throughout winter too. As for snowmelt, well, did the basement flood
every spring before?
>
> If the worst were to happen and the pump and backup pump were to fail,
> there is a drain in the basement located about 6 feet from the pump.
> I checked to see if it empties into the sump crock and it does not, so
> I assume it empties into the sewer. Would all the water just go down
> the drain?

It probably drains to the city storm drain system and would limit your
water damage, unless in a severe storm the city storm drains back up
too.
>
> Thanks,
> Dan
One last note: often when a sump runs a lot it's because the water is
somehow short-cycling; the pump pumps it out and then it drains right
back in. You might consider whether the outlet pipe could be leaking
or maybe the french drain is clogged or is just too close to the
house.

On Aug 3, 8:22 am, lagman <[email protected]> wrote:
> All,
>
> I just moved to the midwest from Texas, into a house with a basement.
> The sump pump runs every 15-20 minutes when dry, and every few minutes
> when raining (The previous owner installed a drain tile in the front
> yard that empties into the sump, and the area I live in has a high
> water table). The previous owner claimed that the pump ran even more
> frequently before the tile was installed. The pump empties into a
> city owned french drain. It has a backup battery powered pump that I
> have tested and works fine. Since basements are new to me, I have a
> few questions:
>
> With the amount of use this pump is getting, what is its life
> expectancy? Are there any warning signs I can look for that will tell
> me its time to get a new pump (other than a flooded basement)?
>
> How much electricity do these things use? Would it be worth looking
> for a more energy efficient solution?
>
> Do you think it will run this often during the winter (I am in Iowa)?
> Will the pump be able to keep up when the snow melts in the spring?
>
> If the worst were to happen and the pump and backup pump were to fail,
> there is a drain in the basement located about 6 feet from the pump.
> I checked to see if it empties into the sump crock and it does not, so
> I assume it empties into the sewer. Would all the water just go down
> the drain?
>
> Thanks,
> Dan

Hmm

1) the drain tile drains into the sump? where the pump is?? not
exactly optimum. see if you can get the outlet rerouted easily. as
mentioned, local laws might not let you go into the sanitary sewer,
although maybe the sump pump was grandfathered. but maybe you can have
the drain outlet downslope.
2) a pump will seize from lack of use much more quickly than it will
wear out from overuse, in my experience. (i know that's useless info.)
3) the floor drain might give an outlet for any excess water, but
could also become a nice artesian well when the sewer backs up, again
from experience. You might check into having a cap put on it that you
can remove if necessary for drainage, which will keep sewer backup
from coming up. It's nontrivial, i've had the sewer backup pressure
rip the threads right off a cap that wasn't robustly installed.

"z" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1186168247.462391.308070@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On Aug 3, 8:22 am, lagman <[email protected]> wrote:
>> All,
>>
>> I just moved to the midwest from Texas, into a house with a basement.
>> The sump pump runs every 15-20 minutes when dry, and every few minutes
>> when raining (The previous owner installed a drain tile in the front
>> yard that empties into the sump, and the area I live in has a high
>> water table). The previous owner claimed that the pump ran even more
>> frequently before the tile was installed. The pump empties into a
>> city owned french drain. It has a backup battery powered pump that I
>> have tested and works fine. Since basements are new to me, I have a
>> few questions:
>>
>> With the amount of use this pump is getting, what is its life
>> expectancy? Are there any warning signs I can look for that will tell
>> me its time to get a new pump (other than a flooded basement)?
>>
My old house was exactly like yours. After several years the switch broke
and it continued to pump even when dry; which killed the pump.
I recommend having a second pump on hand so you have it when necessary.
I eventually put in a second sump (and them moved to a much dryer house)

>> How much electricity do these things use? Would it be worth looking
>> for a more energy efficient solution?
>>
You won't find one, so it doesn't matter how much electricity they use.

>> Do you think it will run this often during the winter (I am in Iowa)?
>> Will the pump be able to keep up when the snow melts in the spring?
>>
Your neighbors can tell you what to expect.
Has the house flooded? If not, then it can keep up with the snow melt.
If it has, think about a second sump.

>> If the worst were to happen and the pump and backup pump were to fail,
>> there is a drain in the basement located about 6 feet from the pump.
>> I checked to see if it empties into the sump crock and it does not, so
>> I assume it empties into the sewer. Would all the water just go down
>> the drain?
>>
If it goes into the sanitary sewer, it is probably illegal. That being
said, it is great to have.
My house flooded during a major ice storm. My neighbor had installed an
illegal drain and he stayed relatively dry. I hate to think how many
millions of gallons went down that drain.

>> Thanks,
>> Dan
>
> Hmm
>
> 1) the drain tile drains into the sump? where the pump is?? not
> exactly optimum. see if you can get the outlet rerouted easily. as
> mentioned, local laws might not let you go into the sanitary sewer,
> although maybe the sump pump was grandfathered. but maybe you can have
> the drain outlet downslope.
> 2) a pump will seize from lack of use much more quickly than it will
> wear out from overuse, in my experience. (i know that's useless info.)
> 3) the floor drain might give an outlet for any excess water, but
> could also become a nice artesian well when the sewer backs up, again
> from experience. You might check into having a cap put on it that you
> can remove if necessary for drainage, which will keep sewer backup
> from coming up. It's nontrivial, i've had the sewer backup pressure
> rip the threads right off a cap that wasn't robustly installed.
>