Enough holes in sump pit liner?
Keeping it simple: I just moved to a house and we're getting water in the basement with these record rainstorms in the Northeast. We can tell the basement has had water in the past. There is not a french drain setup, but to help alleviate the problem...we've put in a sump pump. We watched This Old House online to learn build a sump pit... I figured Norm wouldn't steer me wrong. Like the show, DH cut the entire bottom off the sump liner. The bottom of the pit is lined with gravel, then covered with filter fabric. The entire outside of the crock is packed in the hole with gravel/filter fabric as well. The pit is put in drainable sandy dirt, not clay. I was dubious that a solid sided liner with only the bottom out could possibly be enough to allow quick water movement into the pit, so DH also drilled a single line of holes about half way up (1/2 holes about 3 apart). Well, with this last rain storm, the crock didn't seem to be filling as fast as I would have thought it should. It was only filling about 1 an hour. So of course the water came in elsewhere in the basement, primarily where the walls meet the floor. Even right near the pit. I'm concerned that we got it all wrong in the hole configuration. Anyone have any thoughts on this one? Think flooding would have happened anyways because of the amount of water (6 rain in 2 days) or does the hole fill up time sound slow to you too? Just trying to figure out if it's worth it to redo the liner. We've diverted all gutter water away from the house, and I hope to have french drains (either outside or in) installed sometime when I can afford it. Thanks for any input on this one Kelly Hi Kelly, the part you can't be sure of is how well the water can flow under the slab and more importantly, from outside the foundation to inside where your sump is. Most footings are placed on undisturbed soil, no gravel. So the mason would have had to install drainage holes through the footing or wall above it. If not and the drainage around the outside of the foundation is not working, then water will build up next to the outside of the wall and leak through. Make sure the filter fabric is not restricting the flow. And where is the water leaking in? Bud I would drill a lot more holes in the pit, a single line of holes are no ways near enough, drill some of them near the bottom of the slab, say 6in down from the concrete floor. Of course the only way you have a chance to relieve this is to get a perimeter drain installed. I hear what your saying BUD9051, I know you're right, that the water build up is exactly what is happening. I'll have to get permimeter drains put in, I just can't afford it now. Thanks for answering SHACKO, I guess for now we'll redo the holes...LOL at least I can show DH your post so he won't kill the messenger KELLY Just make sure you tell him shacko said it . Bud A sump pit itself without any drain system leading to the sump pit? I can't see what good that would do, no matter how many or big holes you drilled in the liner. If the slab is not say floating on a deep bed of gravel, let's say, what is going to allow the water at other areas of the basement to get to your sump pit? If say your presumed inadequate holes were absolutely blasting out lots of water through the holes, then yes, drill more. But I bet that is not happening. Drilling more holes, if there is not a lot of pressure from the existing holes (and say that they are just weeping), is not going to do anything. If it was this easy to keep basements dry, then there would be no need for contractors to lay perimeter tile, that leads to the sump pit. do you think you have aperemeter tile around the footing? if so, why not drill with a rock drill horizontally from theh underside of your slab through the footing and see if you can get to the level of your peremeter tile...might help?
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