foundation drain tile

[varkpilot]

house built in '77.  Neighborhood has a very high water table!

EXTERIOR drain tile goes to curbside storm drain.  [I guess back in '77, our municipality didn't care!!]   I "assume" the two vertical stacks [opposite corners of foundation] are in place for examination/cleaning.

INTERIOR drain tile empties into sump via two PVC.  Years ago, I broke concrete and dug a bigger hole.  I replaced sump pump with effluent pump because the sump pump couldn't keep up with the water filling the sump during the occasional "mother-of-all" storms.  I suspect that no water enters sump from ONE of the two PVC.

I've never had the ext/inter drains examined and feel that's it's about time.  The weekend of the 19th, New England really got heavy rain.  First time my effluent pump couldn't keep up and water overflowed the sump!  I'm wondering if the interior drain is getting overloaded because the exterior drain isn't clear??

Advice on getting these two drains examined?????

[FS7]

house built in '77.  Neighborhood has a very high water table!

EXTERIOR drain tile goes to curbside storm drain.  [I guess back in '77, our municipality didn't care!!]   I "assume" the two vertical stacks [opposite corners of foundation] are in place for examination/cleaning.

INTERIOR drain tile empties into sump via two PVC.  Years ago, I broke concrete and dug a bigger hole.  I replaced sump pump with effluent pump because the sump pump couldn't keep up with the water filling the sump during the occasional "mother-of-all" storms.  I suspect that no water enters sump from ONE of the two PVC.

I've never had the ext/inter drains examined and feel that's it's about time.  The weekend of the 19th, New England really got heavy rain.  First time my effluent pump couldn't keep up and water overflowed the sump!  I'm wondering if the interior drain is getting overloaded because the exterior drain isn't clear??

Advice on getting these two drains examined?????

Definitely get them examined, but it's possible that depending on your rate of flow it just can't keep up occasionally.

When I was building my deck, the day that I dug the last two of the twelve footers a freak summer storm (it was June or July) popped up. I had two holes in the ground two feet deep, no tubes and no cover. One of them was more or less directly under a downspout. The amount of rain that came off my roof during that storm created a wall of water more or less the exact size of the downspout. The size of that hole was about 48 gallons and it filled up in seconds. It would take a large pump to clear that out.

You shouldn't be getting that amount of water into your sump pit, but I do think the volume of water can be a lot more than you'd originally expect.

[Phil Thien]

Don't they just run a sewer camera back through the PVC?  I'd absolutely have that done, if possible, to make sure there are no obstructions (tree roots, for example).

[JosephP]

Couple of thoughts (from a NON-expert!)
1)  You can buy a camera on Amazon for less than a service call...  Then you know.  If it is clear you won't need to spend the money.  If there are obstructions, you know you need help.

2)  Is it not OK to hook downspouts or sumps into storm sewer?  Periodically, the city will check for and force people to correct these tied into SANITARY sewer...but isn't this what the storm sewer is for?

3)  I'd consider placing a second sump pump higher up in the sump to help play catch-up on those heavy downpours.  Maybe even have that one plumbed into the yard where the water won't cause problems (if possible) - just in case the storm sewer is full.  The challenge there is if there is ice in the line you are hosed.

4)  Can you watch and see if both lines drain into the sump?

[Roly]

Could the storm sewer be backing up in your drain line ?    is there a check valve on the sump pump ?  Could your drain lines be frozen ?   Hard to believe a pump would not be able to keep up unless it was restricted in some way or water flowing back.   Roly

[MstrCarpenter]

1) Restricted inlet? I don't think there's a screen on yours.
2) Restricted outlet? Sand, roots, or partially crushed pipe might be just enough that your pump can usually overcome the restriction.
3) Impeller worn from pumping sand?
4) Check valve not fully operational? if the water level in the storm drain is higher that your pump, you'll be fighting that back pressure. I think the pressure is only the additional head, but maybe someone here can explain it.

Wet basements just demand too much non-productive work. I'd cut the pipe above the check valve and use flex to get it outside, away from the basement as fast as possible. That could help determine if it's the pump or piping that needs help. My guess is #2 then #4. You could also raise the discharge end to verify the "head". Check the ratings on your model.

[Phil Thien]

I'd cut the pipe above the check valve and use flex to get it outside, away from the basement as fast as possible. That could help determine if it's the pump or piping that needs help. My guess is #2 then #4. You could also raise the discharge end to verify the "head". Check the ratings on your model.

I thought the problem was with drain tiles and not the outlet pipe of the pump?

[MstrCarpenter]

I thought the problem was with drain tiles and not the outlet pipe of the pump?

The original post said; "First time my effluent pump couldn't keep up and water overflowed the sump!"
When I think of an effluent pump, I think bigger, more powerful than a sump pump. I know this is not necessarily true, but in my experience,when economics are factored in, it's usually the case.

Two years ago I working at a Church in Peterborough NH. One morning the basement was flooded with about 6" A.F.F.. There were 3 rather large sump pumps in a pit running full tilt. It had obviously flooded before. It took several hours of searching but we finally found out that the manhole where the sumps were pushing the water was filled with sand well above the drain and it was almost full of water. The water only had to go about 10' before it was back in the pit vs. 200' in a 6" drain to another manhole (parking lot drain), filled with sand, then 150' to a third that had enough sand to partially cover it's 12" drain. Turned out that 400' away, the other end of that 12" drain was covered with enough rocks and branches that the sand eventually blocked the whole system and made the water table completely around the building about 4' higher than the basement floor.

So on my first reply I might have to add number 5) The water table around the house is too high and you're not moving the water far enough away for any pump to make a significant difference.