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Old 12-20-2021, 06:30 AM
 
Location: Greater Indianapolis
1,727 posts, read 1,969,110 times
Reputation: 1971

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last Second Larry View Post
That is not how it works. Most people have what is called a "battery backup," which buys you a few hours if you lose power. It does nothing for you if the pump quits on you, which is roughly every 3-8 years. Hardly anyone has a functional backup sump pump with a separate pit. Most houses that have two sump pits have a larger drain system that is designed to handle more water, and both of these pumps must remain operational. Usually these two pumps are next to each other and on the same circuit, smh. Many floods occur when one of these quits working, and the other one that has been carrying the weight finally fails during heavy rains. And you do not want to disconnect your sump pump in a situation like that without manually placing another means of removing incoming water in your sump pit, lest your basement begin to flood.

It's nothing against basements. Obviously they are more practical in most ways. I am merely stating the numerous and often neglected downsides of this foundation type in this particular area, particularly the additional costs, such as the battery backup, replacing the pumps, paying for insurance writers, and paying a deductible/possibly losing personal property in a water damage. Carmel is notorious for basement floods.
True, battery backup systems are only usually effective for a few hours. I was just trying to say there are ways to mitigate water coming into your basement though, yes, that can get expensive, and most don't opt for a good long term solution. I've seen people with one sump pit do staggered pumps so that when the normal one fails a second one can pick up the slack. There's also the option of using a backup generator that kicks on when the power goes out. Granted, again, a good backup generator is expensive and most people don't go all out on backup options. However, if we own another house with a basement I'll be looking into one.
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Old 12-20-2021, 08:10 AM
 
Location: SW Indy
24 posts, read 16,215 times
Reputation: 76
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheerbliss View Post
My basement has floor drains, just no pump.

This is most likely a very old-school build, pre 1950s if I had to guess. Most of these houses are built on land that is higher than the road, with a somewhat steep hill as a front yard. I am pretty sure those houses were built on near-level ground, and then dirt was added to the walls to create the basement foundation. Also, the floor drains are usually clay tile, which almost invariably will collapse, and are connected to the sewer, and will ultimately be more likely to be of a source of frustration than relief. If your floor drains still work in this old of a home, that is actually very fortunate!

I do recall working on some houses in the Broad Ripple area that did not have much elevation, had block walls, and floor drains with no pump. I honestly do not know by what act of god this basement stayed dry most of the time, but these basements would still flood if there was very heavy rainfall. They are definitely not building anything like these anymore, and haven't for many decades. All newer basements will have perimeter drains with sump systems.
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Old 12-20-2021, 10:40 PM
 
Location: Indianapolis, East Side
3,003 posts, read 2,319,423 times
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My house was built in 1935, IIRC. There isn't any dirt banked around the house, though, if that's what you mean. I can't think of many houses around here like that.
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Old 12-21-2021, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Englewood, Near Eastside Indy
8,940 posts, read 17,164,742 times
Reputation: 7270
I live in a house built in 1915, we have a slight incline in front of our house but it isn't a "steep hill" at all. Our lawn does sit maybe a foot or two above the sidewalk. We have one working floor drain in our basement, and it has been a life saver on a couple of occasions.
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