Sump installation

[basswipe]

Need to get this done.What trade does this come under,plumbing?I'm a painter...I can make stuff look awesome,but installation is another thing.

I get the basic idea of how this works.I need a 12"-14" diameter hole that is a min. of 25" deep that the pump goes in.After that the instructions ain't so clear.They seem very specific but I don't fully understand some of it.

I want this done right and I'm not confident that I can do this without screwing up the warranty on the pump.

Some feedback from people in the trades would be much appreciated.

[spence]

You may want to describe the problem area and proposed installation.

I'm adding another sump this year. Determined the water table is just a few inches lower than my basement slab in a spot!

-spence

[striperman36]

seems to be an issue all over aquidneck, have many at work in similar situations.

[tattoobob]

You want to make a hole in the floor 24 inches down or the depht of a 5 gallon bucket

then take a 5 gallon bucket drill alot of 1/4 to 1/2 inch holes in it

then line the bottom of the hole in the floor with crushed stone,

set the bucket in the hole you dug and level it

surround the bucket sides with the crushed stone and cement in place level with the floor

[Nebe]

Just my opinion, but blowing a hole in your floor to DRAIN water is asking for water to come into your basement- you hear people say "my pump couldnt keep up with the water" That is because the water table has risen above your floor level and it will just blast up through the hole- If I was going to put a pump in a basement, Id blow a larger hole than needed, slide a sono tube in the hole and pour cement around the outside of the tube up to the floor level. Then remove the tube, and pour a floor for the pump. From there, Id seal ever crack in your basement with what ever the best product for that use is..

[nightfighter]

Sump Pump Basin | Sump Pump Pit | Liners and Basins

I've used a couple of the models shown on installations for clients, but Bob's suggestion works just as well, provided the pump doesn't call for a wider diameter hole.

[basswipe]

One of my major issues is cutting into the slab.I have access to a core-bore drill but that thing is a little intimidating.

The other thing is this mish-mash of PVC piping,the height of the check-valve and adaptors from that to the actual outflow tubing.

I thought it was as simple as a hole in the ground,put pump,attach hose and be done.Apparently this isn't the case.

[striperman36]

Boat fishing is easy. Every thing else you're screwed

[Saltheart]

I have a sump that at one point never ran. I was bone dry. Then new contruction of an industrial park where they routed all its run off towards my neighborhood resulted in the need to pum in the wet seasons. Its bone dry mid summer and while not dry , it doesn't run much when eventhing is frozen.


Key elements are locating the pump itself if its a diaphram submersible or the float ball if its that style , at the correct hight. You want it to run before it gets up to floor level but you don't need to pump forever trying to lower the whole watertable by 5 feet.

The check valve is tough and if possible I would try not to use one. As long as the pump doesn't cycle do to the backflow from the vertical pipe , you don't need or want a check valve IMO. If the check vale is a simple one it could get stuck and then you flood. That means you may need a spring loaded one and when the spring gets old or crappy the valve can again get stuck.


I use a hole just about 18 inchhes deep with wshed stone the size of say big starwberries. I use a little Giant bronxe submersible pump. It has a diaphram switch and so I use the stones to get the right height so that the pump turns on when the water is abot 4 inches below the floor. Lost and lots of days I do not have to pump because the water is just 5 or 6 inches below the floor. The pump is very expensive , like $450 but its a great pump and will last 35 years. Even then its probably the diaphram switch that will go , not the bronze pump elements. The diaphram switch can be rebuilt even after 35 years with a kit. The pump has a lot of capoacity so I never face the situation of "the pump can't keep up". In fact I think it pumps so much water there are times I think its cycling on and off too much because my hole is too small in diameter , not too deep.

Anyway , you may want to talk to some more people because a deep hole and check valves , etc is almost exactly the opposite of what you need in many cases.

I don't understand Ebens post at all. I'm not saying he's wrong , I just don't understand what he means the way he describes cementing in the hole.

[MakoMike]

Installation specifics also depend on whether or not you have perimeter (French) drains around the basement. Most systems do use a check valve installed about 3 feet above the pump. Without the check valve you can run into a situation where the drain from the vertical pipe is enough to turn the pump back on, then the pump will just go on and off ad infinitum.

[bostonharbor]

saltheart is giving good advice.I have put in a lot pumps.You must drain the water before it seeps up through the floor.However,You do not want to pump the Town.Or maybe that would be a good project.
:

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

You want to make a hole in the floor 24 inches down or the depht of a 5 gallon bucket

then take a 5 gallon bucket drill alot of 1/4 to 1/2 inch holes in it

then line the bottom of the hole in the floor with crushed stone,

set the bucket in the hole you dug and level it

surround the bucket sides with the crushed stone and cement in place level with the floor

Slab has been opened and hole dug.

Got a question about the holes to be drilled in the bucket.Should I drill holes throughout the entire depth of the bucket(including bottom)?

The reason I ask is that if water gets into the basement from means other than the ground would not the holes be self-defeating?Its my thought that maybe holes should only be drilled in the upper portion of the bucket to cover the ground water issue?

I'm no expert so that is why I am asking many questions!

Thanks.

[tattoobob]

I drill holes in the bottom and the sides the whole bucket, If you do get water say from a leaking water heater you can sweep or squeegee the water into the the bucket and the water will drain into the ground with out turning your pump on, if the water table is low enough

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

I drill holes in the bottom and the sides the whole bucket, If you do get water say from a leaking water heater you can sweep or squeegee the water into the the bucket and the water will drain into the ground with out turning your pump on, if the water table is low enough

BUT.... if the water table is high, and the water comes in that hole faster than the pump will pump, the pump is completely useless....

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

I drill holes in the bottom and the sides the whole bucket, If you do get water say from a leaking water heater you can sweep or squeegee the water into the the bucket and the water will drain into the ground with out turning your pump on, if the water table is low enough

Thanks Bob.Just needed some clarity on that point.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by Nebe

BUT.... if the water table is high, and the water comes in that hole faster than the pump will pump, the pump is completely useless....

I didn't screw around,I went with a 3/4hp pump.I tested it in a unused 55gal. fish tank.It emptied the tank faster than I could gun down a UFO!