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    tbracero's Avatar
    tbracero Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Apr 1, 2005, 08:02 AM
    Natural spring??
    Help! I just recently bought a house and after Monday's torrential rainstorm my basement and garage were flooded. I was told by my neighbors that I have a "natural spring" under my house. What does that mean? Am I always going to have water in my finished basement? What can I do to fix this problem?
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #2

    Apr 1, 2005, 09:48 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by tbracero
    Help! I just recently bought a house and after Monday's torrential rainstorm my basement and garage were flooded. I was told by my neighbors that I have a "natural spring" under my house. What does that mean? Am I always going to have water in my finished basement? What can I do to fix this problem?
    Time to consider installing a sump pump. Better safe then sorry! Good luck Tom
    tommytman's Avatar
    tommytman Posts: 153, Reputation: 2
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    #3

    Apr 2, 2005, 12:18 AM
    Do you live by a river/lake? A sump pump is a good idea. But how did your garage flood? Is it below grade?

    Tom
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #4

    Apr 2, 2005, 07:19 AM
    Did you have a lawyer at closing? If so, call him and ask about this. You may be able to have a contractor come and fix the problem and send the bill to the seller. Frankly, I think as a society in general, we are too quick to sue. Still, if they knew about the problem and still sold the house for a price not reflecting it, tough. On the other hand, if you got the house cheap, maybe you should have checked more carefully.

    You may need more than a sump pump. How is the grade around the house? Even if it is on a slope, the ground should slope away from the house for a little all around it. A swale is a nice name for a wide, shallow ditch. You may need to cut one on the uphill side of the house. Look at the downspouts. Make sure the water from them does not run back toward the house. Look around and see if there are foundation drains that are broken or the outlets blocked. A good drain is more reliable than a sump pump.
    tbracero's Avatar
    tbracero Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Apr 2, 2005, 06:29 PM
    Natural spring
    Yes, we did have a lawyer at closing. Turns out that we have water come from all sides of our basement. WE just noticed that today being that we got almost 4 inches of rain. We are at our wits end! We don't know what to do or how to fix the problem.
    The house was not cheap and we actually paid a little more than market price. Please if you have any suggestions I would appreciate them.
    tbracero's Avatar
    tbracero Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Apr 2, 2005, 06:35 PM
    Water in Basement
    Turns out that our neighbors (who are the original owners of their house) told us that they knew from previous owners that the basement flooded. Our house is on the bottom of a slope. We have an inground pool that has a "water curtain" separating the backyard fence from the pool but no water curtain from the pool to the house.
    Do we need to dig around the foundation? Water is literally coming through the foundation (floor). The walls are completely dry. Help please!
    tommytman's Avatar
    tommytman Posts: 153, Reputation: 2
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    #7

    Apr 2, 2005, 07:58 PM
    We lived near a river when I was a kid in an old house. In spring when the river flooded all the basements in the area flooded as well. My old man had a sump pump to pump the water out and since this was a several day/week event depending on how much snow there was he had a back-up pump in case one burnt out.

    Since you are at the bottom of a slope that is most likely a problem in that the water is gathering around your foundation when it rains. I don't know the details involved in installing appropriate drainage for your situation. Sorry. Whatever you decide to do make sure you get more than one opinion... there are some BS artists out there.

    Tom
    tbracero's Avatar
    tbracero Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Apr 2, 2005, 08:19 PM
    Sump Pump
    Who do I speak to about a sump pump and installation? We have a good friend who is a contractor coming to our house tomorrow to check out the situation. What questions/things should I bring to his attention?
    tbracero's Avatar
    tbracero Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #9

    Apr 2, 2005, 08:21 PM
    Where/how do you install a sump pump?
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #10

    Apr 2, 2005, 10:00 PM
    A sump pump usually goes in a pit or sump in the floor. Water collects in the pit, and the pump kicks on when activated by a float switch. The discharge is piped outside.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #11

    Apr 3, 2005, 04:50 AM
    Sump Pump Facts
    Quote Originally Posted by tbracero
    Where/how do you install a sump pump?
    This may help. More questions? Ask away!

    Sump Pump Questions

    For many homeowners the first line of defense against water in the basement is a sump with a pump in it. The sump may be connected to drain tile that drains the footings of the house, under the entire basement, or just the area where the sump is located. Many houses have tiling installed only around a portion of the house. The water that drains into the sump must be removed, and this is accomplished with a sump pump.

    The two basic sump pump models are the up-right (commonly called a pedestal) and the submersible. Either will work well with proper maintenance.

    The pedestal pump has the motor on top of the pedestal and the pump at the base, which sits on the bottom of the sump. The motor is not meant to get wet. The pump is turned on and off by a ball float. One advantage of this type of pump is that the on/off switch is visible so the action of the ball float can be easily seen.

    Submersible pumps are designed to be submerged in water and sit on the bottom of the sump. The on/off switch is attached to the pump and can be either a ball float connected to an internal pressure switch or a sealed, adjustable, mercury-activated float switch. The sealed mercury switch is generally more reliable than the pressure switch.

    Either type of pump should have a check valve on the water outlet pipe so water doesn't flow back in the sump when the pump shuts off. Water flowing back and forth can cause the pump to turn on and off more frequently than necessary and decrease the life of the pump.

    Some frequently asked questions about sump pumps:
    Q. How do you check or test a sump pump?
    A. First, make sure the outlet pipe is not frozen shut or plugged and that it directs water away from the house. Next make sure the pump is plugged in. Remove the lid (if the sump has one) and use a flashlight to check if the sump is clean and that the pump inlet is not plugged. Then slowly pour about 5 gallons of water into the sump. Try to simulate the speed that water would normally flow into the sump. Watch the action of the on/off switch and listen to the pump. Make the pump turn on and off at least twice. If something doesn't work right, fix it as soon as possible.

    Q. Can you burn the pump out if the outdoor pipe is frozen shut, or will it automatically shut off?
    A. Most pumps will not burn up, but they can overheat if left in this condition. Almost all sump pump motors have thermal protection built in. If they do overheat you just have to shut them off and let them cool down. The thermal relay will reset.

    Q. What size pump should I have for my house?
    A. There is no "correct" size. The horsepower requirement for a house is determined by the area of drainage connected to the sump, the depth to groundwater, the depth of the basement, and many other factors. A 1/3 hp pump is satisfactory for most houses.

    Q. Are there any problems with replacing a 1/3 hp pump with a 1/2 hp pump?
    A. When used in similar conditions, a 1/2 hp pump will pump more water and lift it higher than a 1/3 hp pump. Most new sump pumps will have a chart or graph in the instructions or on the box that shows the flow versus height of lift for both sizes. The flow is usually given in either gallons per minute or gallons per hour (multiply gpm by 60 to convert to gph). The height of lift is given in feet of vertical lift. There shouldn't be any problem, but where the flow into the sump is relatively slow there would be no advantage to using the larger pump. However, in situations where water flow can become rapid, a 1/2 hp pump may be able to keep up with the flow where a 1/3 hp pump may not.

    Q. Do sump pumps have filters which need to be cleaned or replaced?
    A. Sump pumps do not have filters, but they do have screens or small openings where the water enters the pump. These can sometimes be plugged.

    Q. Can or should you pump into a sewer drain or basement floor drain?
    A. No, you should not. If you have a septic system, under no circumstances should the sump be pumped into the basement floor drain. During wet conditions the drainfield of the septic system is usually saturated and struggling to handle the normal flow of water from the house. Adding to it with a sump pump can damage the septic system. Even if you are connected to a public system the sump should not be pumped into a floor drain. Putting additional water into the sewer system can overload the public system, and there may be a regulation against pumping into it.

    Q. Where should the sump pump drain hose be run?
    A. Preferably, sump water should be discharged at least 20 feet away from the house in such a way that it drains away from the house. It should not be directed onto a neighbor's lot, into window wells, or onto a septic system drainfield.

    Q. Can the average person replace a defective sump pump or does it require specialized tools or the expertise of a plumber?
    A. Almost all sump pumps come with a list of required tools and directions for installation. It should not be difficult for the "average" person to replace a sump pump.

    Q. How big should the sump hole be? What kind of hole liner should you use? How much gravel do you put under and around it?
    A. Sump holes should be about 2 feet in diameter. This allows space for the pump and associated piping and to store water between pumping events (about 15 to 25 gallons). Metal or plastic liners can be used, but plastic is easier to work with and it the material of choice. When the sump liner is installed, about 3 to 4 inches of coarse gravel should be placed in the bottom of the hole. The gravel forms a solid base for the pump as well as helping to prevent mud and other debris from clogging the pump.

    Q. Should the sump pump be on an isolated electrical circuit?
    A. A standard 15-amp, three-prong grounded outlet is sufficient to handle a sump pump. A sump pump is always in or near water, so it is best to have an outlet with a ground fault interrupter (GFI).

    Q. I don't have a sump in my basement but am concerned about water leaking in. What can I do?
    A. You can push the water to the floor drain, but if water backs up in the floor drain or drains very slowly a pump is needed. Small pumps sometimes referred to as "skimmer" pumps are designed to sit on a flat surface and pump when water on the floor is only 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. They can often be used with a common garden hose. A 50-foot garden hose run out through a basement window will usually carry the water far enough away from the house. You can remove more water by taking the cover off the floor drain and placing the pump in the drain bowl -- these pumps are usually small enough to fit in the bowl. In emergencies where electric service is off, these pumps can be powered by a small gasoline generator.

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Help! I just recently bought a house and after Monday's torrential rainstorm my basement and garage were flooded. I was told by my neighbors that I have a "natural spring" under my house. What does that mean? Am I always going to have water in my finished basement? What can I do to fix this problem?


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