Sump Pump Question (houses, home inspection, live in)

[KatSRVA]

Hello,

I live in a 18 month-old Toll Bros. home in South Riding. Since we've moved in we've noticed that our sump pump runs ALL THE TIME. Just watering the lawn for 20 minutes will cause it to evacuate water.

In the last two months we've had plumbers come out and fix the sump pump when it has stopped working during rain storms - most recently today. The plumber's only explanation was the the pump simply can't keep up. It wasn't designed to move the massive amount of water that trickles into the pit constantly.

Any thoughts? I've had Toll fill in sink holes around my house, I've buried my sump line so that it drains into the street... I just don't know what else we can do.

Is there some major defect with my house that the builder won't admit to? My neighbors' sump pumps do not run the way mine does. I know Toll will tell me to bury the rest of my down spouts, but that won't change the fact that my neighbors' downspouts will drain into my yard (our houses are very close together).

I'm so tired of this. It feels like a totally flooded basement waiting to happen. I'm ready to call a lawyer... I'm sure my electric bill is being affected by the constant running of my pump - let alone all the moisture that must be around my house...

Any insight on this issue? Thanks.

[ShannonMilligan]

Did you have a home inspection done? Not the one done by the county, but one done by an inspector you hired? If not, you may want to think about having one done.

[KatSRVA]

No, we didn't have an inspection done (other than by the county). Any ideas where I can find a good home inspector?

[Espressoo]

How is the grading of your house compared to your neighbors? Is your land/house much lower than your neighbors causing any runoffs to go towards rather than away from your home? 20 minutes of watering via sprinkler isn't a lot of water unless you're using a fire hose. That's barely enough to get your lawn damp. It shouldn't be enough to collect water near your foundation.

[coolio69]

Did the home come with some kind of warranty? Maybe you can get the builder to do some regrading to your and your neighbors property.

How many inches of rain did you get over the weekend? In s. arlington we got about 1.25 inches. Our pump did not come on.

Also, the area around here is know for bad clay soils. Basically, the water table will sometimes sit at the level of your basement or lower. When there is a great amount of rainwater (and pressure), it will seek vacuum spots or places where there is no water (ie your sump pit).

[ShannonMilligan]

Keith Reeve has a good reputation. he owns Inspection Professionals. I had a chance to hear him speak this past weekend and I am having him come to my home as well. 703-779-5655