Girl in need of some advice...

[Julia]

Hello...

Thanks for clicking my post I have a crack in my basement foundation that leaks during heavy rainstorms creating a puddle in my laundry room. The room also functions as a bathroom and houses my gas heating system and water heater. I am aware of 2 options to fix the problem. One would be to fix the crack - but I have been told it would be costly - as it is directly behind my water heater and the heater would have to be removed to access it. The other option is to dig a hole and put a sump pump in. Seeing as it doesn't happen all that often, I'm wondering if there is some sort of auto water detecting pump that can just sit flat on the floor and pump the puddle water into the laundry drain when it detects it. I really don't want to dig a hole in my bathroom/laundry room floor, but I guess I will have to if that's the only way to fix it.

Do you know of any pumps like the one I describe above? Or do you have some other advice? I appreciate the help!!!

~Julia[]

[kactuskid]

You can use a shop vac to clean up afterwards, but no pmp that I know of that'll automatically go on to extract surface water. The best thing you can do is to slope the land around your foundation walls so that the water will drain naturally back from them. I' guessing that the land currently slopes towards them. Ideally you should have a slope that's 1" per foot for 4 feet out. Also make sure your gutters are clean and leak free and that your downspouts are directed far away from your foundation walls. This should help.

[LazyPup]

Normally sump pumps have a type of float switch to detect the presence of water and require at least two inches of water to activate the switch.

You might consider digging a small trench along the wall to another location where the sump would not be objectionable, then install sump well and regular sump pump to handle the problem.

[Troy]

I've had pretty good success at redirecting the water on the outside of the house. You can install a french drain to reroute water, make sure your gutters are working properly, etc. These are all things you can do yourself. If they don't work, then that's when I would consider spending money. Now you have a lot of options.

Welcome to the forum, Julia!

[HayZee518]

I've got a sump pump that pumps to within an eigth of an inch depth. It normally uses a diaphragm pressure switch to activate the pump but I modified mine to use a water detector switch. Consisting of two probes, of exact length - I arranged it to detect water a quarter inch in depth before the pump turns on. And it pumps down to 1/8th inch - I just mop up using a shop vac.

[mrcaptainbob]

Since it usually happens during 'heavy' rain storms, sounds like the downspouts are emptying too close to the house. Install some downspout material about 5' long to each of the downspouts. There are downspout hinges you can use to raise them up when mowing. I had similar at my other house. I always new when that one diverter got disconnected. Had a real nice stream squirtin' from a mortar joint. But only at the one spot!

[HayZee518]

They have polyethylene "hoses" that roll up and are attached to the downspouts. When it rains the pressure unrolls the hoses to divert the water away from the house at any length. When its done raining you just roll the hoses back up.

[LazyPup]

Hayzee,,if your really lazy like the ole lazypup,,they have some of those roll up vinyl extensions that have a light spring wire frame in them. When it rains the water pressure rolls them out, and when the water is gone the springs roll them up again.

[HayZee518]

Oh jeez - now I know where your handle comes from!

[LazyPup]

Actually, although it is appropriate, i can thank my daughter for the handle.

Back in the early 70's I was living in Chicoppee, Mass. and driving truck for a living. One day I had to make a quick trip to Boston to deliver a load and return home. I took my 4yr old daughter along for the ride. I was then driving a Mack truck which my daugher affectionately called the "Puppy dog".

I had the truck loaded pretty heavy and we were climbing a long hill on the eastbound side of the Mass pike. I was in the slow lane and all the traffic was going around.

After a few moments of watching the cars pass my daughter turned to me and said,,,"Daddy,,,you are a lazypup today" Been daddy's handle ever since.

[HayZee518]

eastbound side - hmm - from worcester on out its pretty much flat. must've been from palmer west.

[LazyPup]

Just before auburn there is one good pull there,especially back in my young and dumb days when i was hauling steel. We used to run severely overloaded, often as much as 100k payload.