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Old 04-07-2012, 12:55 PM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,702,627 times
Reputation: 1954

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Quote:
Originally Posted by wolden View Post
Where is a sump pump supposed to drain? By "sanitary drains" does that mean it is going into the toilet/sewage system? Or does it mean its going into the outside road drains? What's the reasoning? Thanks!
Sanitary drain refers to the sewage system. It is illegal to pipe a sump dump, outside entrance drain, or any other surface water source into the sanitary sewer. A sump pump can just be exhausted to the exterior of the house where it would join another other surface water in natural runoff or routing to the storm sewer system.
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Old 04-07-2012, 01:37 PM
 
Location: In a happy place
3,968 posts, read 8,463,762 times
Reputation: 7933
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibaschitz View Post
“Up and out” works. There’s no need to drain water into a pipe. The problem is easy and inexpensive to fix, especially if the sump pump is located near an outside wall.
The problem with "up and out" can be that unless you can deposit it far enough away from the house and unless you have some very "correct" slope to the area you are drain to, it will either recycle itself back into the sump in the basement again, or you will create a swamp/marshland in your yard. We had that situation at the property we currently own. We solved it by trenching to the storm sewer at the street and draining into a tile that we placed in the trench. Our sump pump and half the downspouts at our house now drain directly into the storm sewer system.

If you are doing the work anyhow, you might as well do it all at the same time.

If you don't have storm sewers, it should at least be drained into a drainage ditch of some sort.
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Old 04-07-2012, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,702,627 times
Reputation: 1954
The comment concerning downspout drains is very relevant. Many newer subdivisions no longer have downspout drains piped out to the street and a storm sewer connection. I guess it is just another cost savings measure. Most are just a stub downspout section draining onto the lawn. Depending on slope, this can drain right back against the foundation making the sump pump work overtime recycling the same water.

My house originally had all of the downspouts draining to one end. There was a downspout underground drain which ran out to the street. The other end of the house had 4 basement windows with window wells since the foundation was at grade level. Each window well had a drainage grate connected to another underground drain which ran out to the street. The whole thing worked rather well. Then, after several years, the city in their divine wisdom rebuilt the street but cut off all of the original drains. Just cut them off short of the street and left them buried underground.

When I contacted the city manager to inquire when they would be by to perform the curb cuts for the drains, I was informed Oh no we are not going to do that as it reduces the life of the curb. What idiots, what do they think the water draining under the road is going to do to its life, particularly in the freeze/thaw cycle of winter?

Of course I got nowhere. Now I have water cascading over the gutters every time it rains since the drain is cut off. I also have water coming through the basement windows since their drain is cut off and they are backing up. So what did I do? Got out my trusty spade and dug up the original drains near the street. Went to Lowes and bought some of that ugly black plastic flexible drainage pipe, connected it to my original drains, and flopped it up over their nice new curb. Kind of looks like Sh*t, but at least my drains are working. I have since planted a few small shrubs next to them to hide the appearance. Funny thing is the city has never complained. I sort of hoped they would, as I was all set up with my friendly lawyer to sue their ass for altering the value of my property without due notice they were doing so.

Drainage is important, and you need to know what you are dealing with when purchasing any property.
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Old 04-08-2012, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Cincinnati tri-state area
75 posts, read 119,267 times
Reputation: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by rrtechno View Post
The problem with "up and out" can be that unless you can deposit it far enough away from the house and unless you have some very "correct" slope to the area you are drain to, it will either recycle itself back into the sump in the basement again, or you will create a swamp/marshland in your yard. We had that situation at the property we currently own. We solved it by trenching to the storm sewer at the street and draining into a tile that we placed in the trench. Our sump pump and half the downspouts at our house now drain directly into the storm sewer system.

If you are doing the work anyhow, you might as well do it all at the same time.

If you don't have storm sewers, it should at least be drained into a drainage ditch of some sort.
Yes, “up and out” may need to be “up and out some distance from the foundation” to avoid perpetual flow of water leaking back through the foundation and keeping the sump pump running.

One solution is to run the pumped water through a pipe or drainage ditch leading to a French drain located 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation.
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Old 04-09-2012, 12:17 PM
 
7 posts, read 18,732 times
Reputation: 10
have an appointment for wed. A company in Mason is going to check it out for us.

Thanks "rrtechno" appreciate the assistance.

Tom
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Old 04-11-2012, 02:25 PM
 
7 posts, read 18,732 times
Reputation: 10
Default Got Estimates Today

got estimates back.

$225.00 to run a pipe directly outside the foundation then 90 degrees down. Then we will have to direct it away from the foundation with one of those cement of plastice do-hickies or another pipe of some sort

$2800 - $3000.00 to run it outside then 65 to 70 feet to the storm sewer.
They will did the hole, lay the pipe and backfill the dirt.
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Old 04-11-2012, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Mason, OH
9,259 posts, read 16,702,627 times
Reputation: 1954
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplenova View Post
got estimates back.

$225.00 to run a pipe directly outside the foundation then 90 degrees down. Then we will have to direct it away from the foundation with one of those cement of plastice do-hickies or another pipe of some sort

$2800 - $3000.00 to run it outside then 65 to 70 feet to the storm sewer.
They will did the hole, lay the pipe and backfill the dirt.
Go back and request another quote. Just pumping it outside of the foundation and then 90 degrees down is not sufficient. It will just run back down along the foundation. A plastic doohickey is not only inadequate, it looks like Hell.

Look at the downspout drains at that portion of the house. Are they simply running out a short distance and exhausting into the landscape? Do they have plastic doohickeys? Or do you actually have a below grade downspout drain which runs out to the curb/storm sewer, tell them to connect the sump pump into it. Unless you missed a decimal point or two, $225 to run the sump pump to the exterior - OK. $2,800 - $3,000 to dig a small trench and and use cheap plastic piping to run it to the curb/storm sewer - expensive.

You originally posted this as a problem with the potential purchase of a house. It is not exactly clear whether this is still the same circumstance.

Frankly, I am not very impressed with the review the you people called in performed. Some of my questions are:

Are the existing downspout drans from the roof routed to a drainage system which then runs out to the storm drainage system? Or do they just drain into short stubs which empty onto the lawn? This can just cause the water to run down along the foundation and feed the sump pump.

If there are existing drains connecting the downspouts out to the curb/storm sewer, just connect the sump pump exhaust to them. If not, I would want the sump pump to exhaust at a minimum to a french drain. If I was doing to pay the price to have a drain dug out to the curb/storm sewer, I would certainly want the downspout drains to be connected at the same time. If they never mentioned this, find another contractor.

Sometimes I feel very sorry for people who know they are looking at a problem, but don't know quite what. At the current time, with so many constractors starving, you don't have to accept that.
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