Basements in Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Marshall: how much, houses, crawl space)

[harmonywoman]

Okay, I know this is probably going to sound dumb to those that live in Alaska but....
Do people that live where there is no permafrost have basements? I saw that the water table is very low but also notice a lot of surface water.
I know in MI most people do because it is sandy and easy to put them in. In LA most people don't because of the water table being so high.
So, what about you?

Thanks for the answer to my dumb question.
Harmony

[kittymama]

I live in Fairbanks and most houses inlcuding mine, have a basement. I've noticed that those that don't have basements often have bathrooms where you have to step up into the bathroom or to the toilet and tub. I've been told that the plumbing all needs to be inside not to freeze.

[akck]

Yes, we have a basement. We did flood a couple of times when water just came through the concrete floor because of hydrostatic pressure after a heavy rain. We haven't flooded since I put in a sump pump, but then again, I don't know if the water table has risen that high again.

[warptman]

Originally Posted by akck

Yes, we have a basement. We did flood a couple of times when water just came through the concrete floor because of hydrostatic pressure after a heavy rain. We haven't flooded since I put in a sump pump, but then again, I don't know if the water table has risen that high again.

So, how much sump can a sump pump pump if a sump pump can pump sump?

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by warptman

So, how much sump can a sump pump pump if a sump pump can pump sump?

Quite a bit actually...

[Nephler]

Originally Posted by warptman

So, how much sump can a sump pump pump if a sump pump can pump sump?

You're always good for a laugh warpt

[akck]

Originally Posted by warptman

So, how much sump can a sump pump pump if a sump pump can pump sump?

A sump pump can pump and pump and pump as long as there is enough in the sump to pump by the sump pump.

[stiffnecked]

We rented a house in Anchorage that had a basement we didn't know about at first. My kids spilled a whole bunch of kool-aid in the closet. We pulled an edge of the carpet up to try and dry things out. That's when I noticed the recessed handle in the underflooring. Being a cop curiosity got the better of me.

It was all setup for an indoor grow operation. Very nice and elaborate. My guess is they were growing something illegal. But what else would you expect in a house that had really thick bright green shag carpet???

[Glitch]

I have no basement, just a 5 foot high crawl space under the house where my heating unit and well filtering system reside. Other than storage, there is not much use for the space.

[BudinAk]

We don't have a basement, but the neighbor does, and his floods every spring. Our parents about 1/4 mile away also have a basement, and it has never flooded. No perma-frost in our area. When I put in our well, we hit groundwater at 7'. Guess it all depends on the location...

Marshall