Sump pumps in Northern VA are they the norm? (Leesburg: new home, buyer)

[mpower22]

Are sump pumps required in new construction in most counties? Are they there for piece of mind or would they turn off a buyer? Need some insight not too familiar with houses that have basements with them inside....

[saganista]

I don't think they are required anywhere. Basically, they are a sign that a builder is doing his job properly. A good deal of NoVa -- and moreso as you get within several miles of the Potomac -- has substantial deposits of marine clays in the subsoil. These have been there for millions of years, and they expand and contract like a sponge when moisture is present and isn't. When it rains, they swell up and put pressure on the foundation walls. As they dry out, they shrink, which allows particulate from the strata above to fall into the newly created gaps. That stuff just acts like a wedge the next time it rains and the clays swell again, and then the whole process is simply repeated over and over and over again. Over the years, the most carefully constructed foundation walls that sit in any decent percentage of marine clays are going to develop patterns of tiny cracks through which our good friend water is eventually going to seep. Builders who put in a sump pump up front (and a great many do) are simply recognizing the effect and saving you the cost and hassle of having to do a retrofit some years down the road. They should be taken as a plus, not a minus...

[onevthoki]

I would also recommend that you get a battery back-up for your sump pump, especially if the basement is finished.

[vanyali]

I agree that you should have a sump pump in your basement, and it's very normal.

It's true that there's a lot of clay in the soil in Virginia, but I would think that a good builder shouldn't be using it as backfill around the foundation of the house. But maybe that's just me.

[saganista]

Even if you truck it in, you can't really control the content of backfill, and most builders will just use what they've already dug up. If there were marine clays in that, right back in they go. It really isn't so much of a problem as it is a condition...something that a quality builder will have taken into account. Even in areas where you're not in a marine clay situation, the presence of hardpan can produce underground creeks and rivulets that can cause erosion of and place fairly significant levels of hydrostatic pressure on foundation walls. Again, a sump pump will eventually save the day. NoVa also has bazillions of termites. Many, but not all, builders will go ahead and lay termite guards into the last course of the foundation walls on this account. Again these are a plus, not a minus. With or without guards, btw, an annual termite inspection is always a good idea in these parts. Skip a year here and there maybe, but don't let it go too long...

[tamitrail]

Sump pumps are normal every place. I have had them in PA, NJ as well as VA.

[scimitar12]

I agree sump pumps are becoming more accepted as a part of a house. In the Kansas City area they are very common, and in fact, are required for any new home built in Overland Park, Kansas. Like in the areas listed in earlier posts, the K.C. area has lots of hard clay soil that expands and contracts, especially during periods of extreme drought, which is very common in that area during July and August. To help during these periods, people there will water their foundations about five feet away from their homes to help keep the fill around the foundations moist to minimize this expansion and contraction. And, when it does rain there it comes down in buckets; not unusual for the area to get 3 or 4 inches of rain in a 12 to 24 hour period. Basements that constantly flood are very common there.

[5stones]

Most homes built after 1995 will have them. And yes, they will run esp during strong thumderstorms. Some neighobrhoods more than others. Our's in Leesburg ran whenever we had real heavy rains...and I was glad we had a finished basement. Our neighobrs ran more frequently than ours...lot was lower.

Also test it before you buy...esp if the basement is "newly" refinished....new carpet etc...(If it's not raining it might not work properly etc...)
Run a hose by the foundation for awhile...and the pump will start pumping out the excess water. (I left a sprikler on one day,totally forgot it...sunny day and heard my sump pump going!! I know my neighbors thought I was nuts!!)

also the passive radon mitigation system is now in place by builders. It's ALOT easier to just add the fan to pipes in the attic than to bust up the foundation to put them in etc... It cost virtually nothing to the bulider during the building process to add the PVC pipes.