I am having problems with my basement and can't seem to find anyone to help me solve the problem instead of bandaiding the situation. I live in central Indiana where the county told me there is a high water table and maybe the basment shouldn't have been built in the first place.

I trusted the builder (of 50 years) that they would know what to do in our counties water issues. All they did was had us pay for a waterproofing membrane on the outside walls and decided to put in 2 sump pits. We flooded 3 times within our first year of living here. It wasn't through the walls or floor but the pipe that feeds into the sump pits.

During heavy rains or prolonged storms the water comes in through that pipe like a bathtub. It ends up filling both pits to the point of overflowing them and then flooding the basement. At one time we had 24". We have taken many approaches that don't appear to help control the water from coming in fast from that pipe. The builder put in a industrial pump and a larger 2nd line out of the house. Graded the 2 lines over 100 feet away into 2 dry wells that aren't so dry now. We just recently put in a 3rd pump. The last heavy rain had all 3 pumps running full time and still the pits filled to the top. This lasted for about 12 hours then went back down to only the one running every 3-5 minutes. During normal non rainy times I would say it runs every so often but the water doesn't come in from the pipe so it must rise from the bottom of the sump pit???

Our downspouts are underground with 2 of them coming to the surface about 12-15 feet away. We are about to make a 3rd one go into a dry well about 15 feet away from the house. Our grade on our house is also really good. They built the house up about 4 feet above grade and brought in dirt. I don't know if we have done something around the house to not help but I do know the problem was there before we did anything...

I just don't know where to turn anymore and I feel my builder has abandoned me a few years ago. (We have lived here for 5 now) Does anyone have any suggestions? Varies "experts" are lost for ideas... we had a generator put in to keep the industrial pumps running... I am exhausted hearing people tell me we were stupid to put in a basement when I think that fault is with the builder who put it in and didn't tell us not to. Please help.

thanks and sorry soo long
christy :-)

Cbrown,
We install lots of sump pits. And we think we have it down but you have a major problem. What I suggest is put to ½ horse power pumps in each pit. One in the bottom of the pit ran to your dry well. The second on a brick just discharging out of the wall on the ground. The reason is the primary pump on the bottom of the pit will be you ever day pump. Your secondary pump the one on the brick will be your back up. If the first one can’t keep up. If the dry well fills up. Or if the primary pump breaks. And even if the discharge line clogs. Discharge the second on the ground, so that you can tell if it kicks on. BecaUse if it kicks on you need to check the primary pump, drywell, and or the discharge line. This set up works well. The industrial pump is not always the way to go. They tend to burn up in this application. Sump pumps are made to be water cooled and the industrial pumps are to big. The tend not to stay under the water. So the get to hot and melts the seals. I’m not a pump guy. But I think the info. On the pumps is right. You can call 419.207.3960 ask for Jeff he know more about pumps than anyone I know.

BasementGuy,

Thanks for your quick responce. :-) I just had a plumber install a Hydramatic system that alternates the 2 sumps so they are not taking the full load. The 2 pumps are 1/2 hp and I think the Zoeler(sp) one is as well... which is in our second pit and has it's own line (larger discharge) out of the house. That is the pump that the plumber called an industrial pump. The last rain which we had a few weeks ago made the first 2 not be able to alternate so I had to unplug the system and make them both run at the same time to kee up with the water. That worked keeping the water only in the first pit with both pumps running and not shutting off. But the rain continued and the 2nd pit filled making the Zoeler pump run full time too. I just hate pulling in all this water into the house when I feel there is something wrong outside. Maybe I am in a high water table but it just doesn't make sense why we don't have these issues all the time if that is the case.

So do you think I still should try to make one of the pumps that was just installed outlet in the yard instead to see? My husband was going to extend the dry wells with "fingers" off the last well taking it out to our pasture area. I told him not to do this yet since it is a lot of trenching and might not help us. Do you think we should go ahead and trench from the wells to get water farther away or is that a waste of time?

Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it.
christy :-)

I think in your situation, you can’t be too safe. I would have 2 pumps in each pit. With on of the pumps discharging on the ground. Dry wells tend to hold water. And then the capacity diminishes. If you have your secondary pump on the ground, you may recycle some of the water. But it’s nice to not put all the water in the dry well. We only use dry well as a last resort.

Has the problem been there since day one?

Do you have any other options other than a dry well?

BasementGuy,

The problem has been there since day one. It was there before we moved in... we commented to the builder why there was water puddles in the basement our outside where it appears that someone dumped water to and they said that the sump pump they had in there was stolen. We just assumed once the one pump was put back in there we would be good.

We can have other options to have the sumps go to I think... what other options are you thinking? We live outside city limits so there isn't a sewer or drains to feed into. That is why we thought the wells would work. After we put them in the water stopped standing at the outlets and creating green goop at the surface. Yum. There is a legal drain but it is 2 fields over from ours. They said we couldn't tap certain things into it anyways. Did I mention that we live in the country on 5 acres of farm land?

We had thought should be make a pond in the back??? I researched that those are expensive and we have 2 small children which scares me having a pond. At this point I am up for any suggestion on how to get the water out of the yard and away from the house... Better yet... out of the basement! :-)

christy

I too, live in centrall IN (Indpls) and live in a subdivision with a very high water table. My neighbor has the same problem you have. He pumps water out of his sump during droughts...and full time when it rains.

The water table here is about 4'. If I was your builder, I would have NEVER built a basement on that lot.

however...you have one. So let's deal with it. This solution may be more expensive but it will work. Since you mentioned that your grade is very good, I'm assuming it slopes sufficently away from the house, and levels out quite a ways away from the house.

Since your husband wanted to dig a trench, have him dig one from the foundation out to a much lower area that slopes away from the house 40-50' out. Then hook up your sump pump incoming pipes (with a "T") to the new drain pipe and let gravity take the water away. Leave the sumps as they are with the pumps, and now the sump pits become the back up for the gravity feed drain. Should lessen your problem considerably.

cb,

let me ask...in your basement, are there any gaps-spaces along the cold-joint...which is where the bottom of bsmt walls and floor meet?

and....are there any cracks in the bsmt floor? any size...

dry well, when well is full is some of the water that is being diverted to it backing up-- not allowed to flow freely out?

if yer not sure about gaps/cracks, please take a close look...and let me know, go from there....ok?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LicensedWaterproofer,

LicensedWaterproofer,

There are no cracks in the floor or walls currently. We also have a lacquer seal on the flooring because the inspector required it due to no evidence there was visqueen put under the basement floor.

There was a small gap near one of the corners where the floor pulled away from the wall. It acutally never leaked there but we had someone come in and put a commercial grade sealant or something to that nature down.

We see where the water comes from. It is from that pipe that leads into our sumps. Our sumps are open so we can see everything and watch the pumps run.

christy :-)

Briteboy,

I have been talking to someone in the county and they had told me that the water table is indeed high where I live. I just wish the builder would have said something instead of just putting in 2 sump pits.

Anyways, I don't quite understand what you are meaning about the trench? What pipe is being tapped and ran through this trench and how deep would I have to go to have gravity work. Maybe I would know that answer if I knew which pipe you were meaning.

The county is suggesting we pull our downspouts over 100' away from the house. I am willing to do anything outside to help. (or should I say I am willing to make my husband do anything outside.) hee hee I just want to lessen the amount of water that comes through the sumps. I know that we have a lot of water but I feel that the right drainage outside can help tremendously. Am I sounding silly for thinking that???

christy :-)

Christy,

What I wanted to know is. how much fall do you have from you house? I would like to see you take you downspouts, and sump discharge line, out of the drywell and farther away from the house. You could have some water backing up on you. In your situation it can’t hurt.

cbrown,
I wish I could draw you a diagram, but I'm not educated on how to do that on this site.

Anyway, I'm assuming that around the perimeter of your house foundation, you have a 4" perferated drain pipe, that collects and then dumps water into your sump pit. you may have one or 2 pipes coming into the sump pit.

What I'm proposing is that you bust up part of the floor on either side of the sump pit, and then splice in a "T" fitting into each of the inbound 4" drain pipes, with the leg of the "T" facing slightly downward and toward the outside of the house.

Then you have your hubby dig his trench from the foundation (next to where the "T"s are) out to about 40-50'+ away from the house,with a slope of not less than 2%. You then install a NON-perferated 4" drain pipe in that trench, and then under the footing of the house, and hook up to the "T"s that you installed earlier.

By installing the "T"s with a downward angle, most of the water will go down the "T" and into the newly installed drain pipe that you installed and gravity will take the majority of the water away. The sump pits now become a backup system, rather than a primary system.

I agree with the other post that suggested taking your downspouts from your gutters and diverting them away as well. (perhaps some more trench digging by your hubby).

My landscaper perfromed these tasks for me, for very little money. He had all of the right equipment, and got it done in a day. You could also check with a local escavator who would also do this. With new home construction slow right now in central IN, you could probably get a decent price from these guys.

Good luck.

Basementguy,

Ahh... sorry about that. We live on a relatively flat piece of land. However when they poured our basement they didn't go very far down so in made it have a good slope away from the house. I wouldn't say a huge hill or anything to sled from but a slope that would drain water away for a little. But then it goes back to flat. That is where we pool water in the yard when it rains really bad. The water goes away really quick which makes me think that we have good drainage.

So, how do you think I should end the sump pump lines? We had them exposed to the surface and the water was so bad they just started to erode the ground away and created a crater with constant water in it. Any suggestions on how to end the line or where to? We don't have anything to "tap" into out here.

And another question for you... Could we keep the lines going into the 2 dry wells but open up the one hole (the hole is the size of a corrugated pipe) in the farthest well and take more corrugated pipe another 100 feet or so away from the wells? I hate to take out those wells... would that reduce the likelyhood of it backing up? The wells are about 200 feet away from the house.

thanks!
christy :-)

Briteboy,

Wow... have you seen this done or did you do this to your house? I understand ya know. :-) The reason I ask if anyone has done this because it sounds like a brillant idea... get the freakin water out of the perimeter drain and dump it outside instead of putting into my sump pits where I rely on mechanical items which scare me constantly from failing.

I just have TONS of ideas and when I tell someone about them they look at me like I am nuts because it sounds like a "Jerry-rigged" solution. I just think in situations like mine where things don't seem normal the wacky ideas work best. Am I wrong for thinking that???

Let me know some of those answers because I am really curious... I just don't know who to call or have come out and tell me some ideas and how much it will cost. I think my husband will kill me for suggesting digging that deep of a trench. hee hee hee

christy :-)

cbrown: basementguy steered you in the right direction with the 2 pump system.If you have power outages often, I would also recommend A dc powered pump by Stevens, the dc1010.Also if You surface discharge with your 2nd pump,you can try a product from nds called a pop up emitter. This comes in 3 and 4 inch versions. It's asthetically more pleasing to look at, and is sometimes referred to as a bubbler.Respectfully Frank O'Pinion

Frankopinion,

Thanks for your advice... I already have 3 sumps running currently. I do not want to purchase a 4th pump at this moment... I really want to see what I can do outside to help the water from even coming in or lessen the amount coming in so I don't need the pumps I have now.

And luckily one of the last floods happened after our power went out so we had to kill ourselves to buy a whole house generator to keep the pumps running. Our pumps are too powerful to be ran on a battery.

With the pop up emitter do you have any suggestions on how to not erode away the earth where it is located? We used to have all our pumps discharge to the surface and it eroded the ground and created a crater with constant water in it. I don't know what to do about this???

thanks again for your response. Any help I can get is better than no help at all.
christy :-)

CBROWN:I USUALLY DIG OUT A SMALL EXCAVATION BY HAND UNDERNEATH AND AROUND WHERE THE EMITTER IS TO BE PLACED. I FILL THIS WITH WASHED GRAVEL [#57 OR MEDIUM ROUND RIVER ROCK] THIS WILL HELP WIH ANY EROSION ISSUES.RESPECTFULLY, FRANK O'PINION