Basement flooding and sump pump questions.

[DIYER WANNABE]

So we have a house that is almost three years old. No sump pump, but there is that hole in the basement for one. We've never really had an issue with water filling that hole up till last fall when we got 8 inches of rain in about a 24 hour period. We didn't flood, but it came close. Now, it's close again as we've been getting some heavy rains last night and this morning and things are still thawing out (I live in Wisconsin). First question is, how much would it cost to have someone put in a sump pump, and should I get one that will run if the power goes out (on batteries)?

Second question I have, is that I keep on scooping the water out right now and got it down to where the holes are and where the water comes in, but it won't go down any further. Is the drain tile that saturated that when I take some out, more comes in...and if it is, why won't it fill up the tub instead of stopping just above the hole? Third question, I am dumping the water in our basement tub....Is this bad? After doing it a few times I was thinking that maybe this water goes right back into the drain tile and I'm not really helping much.

Thanks!

[pushkins]

Your basement tub should drain into the sewer system, it should never drain into foundation drains, code prohibits this.

A basic sump pump with installation cost will be area driven the cost of the pump will be anywhere between $100 and upwards of $400 for battery back up models. Installation probably around $300 but this will depend on just how much work the installer needs to do (if an electrical outlet needs to be installed is another cost).
It's not a terribly hard DIY project if your wanting to save some money.

[DIYER WANNABE]

Ok yes, that was my first concern, that I was putting water back in the drain tile. Thanks for clarifying. How come once I get to the holes in the tub, it won't get any lower? I take water out and more water comes in, but once it gets above the hole it won't go any higher?

I would put one in myself but with putting holes in the house, etc, I'd almost rather watch someone do it first. I'm kind of a rookie....Rather have it done right I guess.

[pushkins]

What your probably finding with the water in the sump is that it could take gallons and gallons of water to actually get the water to drop below the incoming lines, when you bucket out the sump you are probably reaching water level in the lines.
You could be at a high water table level given all the rain and snow melt, that might be another reason.
A sump pump would alleviate your worry by pumping out water as it reaches a pre determined level.

The only hole you would need to put in the house would be above grade in the basement wall and only large enough to fit the discharge pipe out. Most important thing I see that some people miss on a DIY level is a a check valve in the discharge line.

[DIYER WANNABE]

Well, after bucketing probably 1,000 gallons of water today I finally came to the conclusion that I would not be able to put a dent in this. I went out and bought a cast iron sump pump and it's been running strong for about 2.5 hours now. Says it puts out about 4,500 gallons per hour, so that's a lot of water! I'm getting to the bottom now though and it just started running every couple minutes.

When you talk about a discharge valve, what is that?

Thanks again!

[HayZee518]

it is a horizontal or vertical check valve in the discharge line.

[pushkins]

The check valve is a one way flow valve, (so make sure ya install it arrow pointing out ).
It stops the water that remains in the discharge line when the pump cycles off falling back into the sump causing the pump to turn back on.

[DIYER WANNABE]

Got it. When you put a line outside, how is the line 'closed off' so no bugs, etc, can get in there, but will allow water to go through when needed?

[pushkins]

There really is no need to worry about that, water will remain in the discharge line above the check valve all the way up to the lines highest point, any spiders or bugs that want to live in the opening area will get blasted out with the water pressure when the sump pump turns on.

[DIYER WANNABE]

so this isn't a problem even if you only use the sump pump once or twice a year?

[pushkins]

no it's not, if it really is a concern there are "frog mouth" PVC fittings you can put over the end of the discharge line. They have a little spring that pulls a flap closed over the pipe end, the biggest problem with these are the discharge line needs to end on a horizontal for the frog mouth to work correctly. If you really want to add a protection measure (although I don't think you need to) you could add a small P trap right at the very end of the discharge line, that way a small amount of water would remain almost at the exit point.

[DIYER WANNABE]

i'll have to look into that. i guess it sounds like it's not a huge issue, but if it's used sparingly, i'd rather not have anything make their nests in there!

one other question, i've heard that dumping water into the downstairs tub that goes into the sewer (mound) system is not recommended right? is this due to watering down things in the mound and can kill bacteria that is breaking down wastes?

thanks!

[pushkins]

It's not recommended to pump the sump water into septic systems because of the potential amount of water your sending into the system. You mentioned earlier about bucketing out 1000 gallons of water from your sump, imagine if that was being sent to your mound.

Small P traps are also used on HVAC systems condensation discharge lines.

[DIYER WANNABE]

i put all that water in the tub and it went to my septic before i found out i wasn't supposed to. can this cause problems for me down the road, or is it one of those things that if there aren't any problems right now, there won't be? i'm guessing it was around 1,000 gallons....about 200 5 gallon pales.

what is the main reason not to do that...is it so it doesn't kill the bacteria? when i think of this, i think of a family of 5 all taking long showers, and this all goes to the septic right?

thanks!

[pushkins]

No it's not fatal for the septic, what it will do is add a load to the system, septic tanks are sized for the number of bedrooms in the home, pumping a sump / foundation drain into it may well overload the drainfileds ability to absorb the water, especially in heavy rains or snow melt.
Sump water doesn't need "processing" in a septic system so it's a waste of room in the tank.