This might seem like a stupid question, but what do you do with all the water that the sump pump discharges in the winter?

For those that pump often to a line above ground in the winter where does your water go? Ground is frozen so it can't soak in the ground....Does snow block anything? Has this cause big problems for anyone?

It can't soak into the ground because it is frozen......

I only ask because where I live in Wisconsin we've had record rain this summer and fall. The water table is high and I'm pumping a lot. Currently my drain hose is buried leading to the back yard to a hole in the garden. If we get snow early enough, that provides enough insulation where I usually don't have to switch to an above ground pipe as it won't freeze. This has been the case the last few years. The water still goes into the hole and soaks into the ground as that ground isn't frozen (guarded my pool of water and snow).

However anytime I've used the above ground pipe I've never pumped a whole lot of water. I'm worried if I have to switch over to that above ground pipe and I continue to pump alot (every 3 mins currently and slowly slowing down) that the water won't have anywhere to go. I mean, am I going to have to form a pool (lake/ocean) using snow as the sides and have the fire department come and pump it away????

I've never been in this situation before......and I'm worried.

 

You are correct. Getting rid of the water in winter can be a real problem. You are on the right track with your hole but you probably need to deeper to protect the line during a cold winter. A cold winter with little snow and you could have a frozen line. Find out the frost depth for your area so you can get an idea of how much digging will be required. Since you are going to be digging I would create a proper dry well at the discharge end to receive the water.

 

Unfortunately creating a proper dry well is something I don't know how to do. Plus it is too late in the year for something like that. The nights already get at or below freezing currently. Days stay above freezing which keeps the ground from freezing. I was going to dig the hole a little deeper anyways. I won't be deep enough to get below the freeze line (3-4 feet). But that hasn't been a problem in the past.

I guess I'll just do a lot of praying. Man I hate high water. I would love to just fill my basement with dirt and not have one. The stress this creates is not fun.

Anyone else have experiences with where to put water in the winter?

 

As you've pointed out. If you are not prepared, where to put the water becomes a real problem once winter sets in. It's one thing if you are around to make sure a pipe on the surface does not freeze and clog but if you are relying on your sump pump to work while your away then I would worry a little.

Do you have much slope to your property? How far away do you have to get the water? One option is to run the discharge of your sump pump high inside your house where it will not freeze. Then have a bend in the pipe going downhill and then out your house. Once the pipe is outside switch to a much larger diameter pipe or a section of gutter. The idea is to get the water high inside where it will to freeze. Then let it flow by gravity outside in something that is large enough to accommodate some freezing. When your pump turns off the downhill sloping section of pipe, inside your house, will drain by gravity and not freeze. The outside pipe/gutter will have to be checked occasionally and cleared of ice. It's not pretty and it is not to code but it can get you by in an emergency.

 

Thank you for the feedback. My concern isn't really the above ground pipe freezing if I switch to that one. That pipe exits the house at a high point and leads far enough away from the house. The pipe is sections of PVC put together and I have it propped up on stands to keep it off the ground until the end which hovers just above the ground. When I put up the pipe I do it so the pipe slopes down allowing it to drain (hence the end is hovering above the ground).

The slope on my property isn't too much. From the house it slopes a little away then there is a slight dip about 15 feet from the house. This dip is maybe 4 inches maybe??? (guessing). After that there really isn't any slope that I can tell.

My concern is where the water goes after it leaves the pipe. It can't soak into the ground....it's frozen.

Which means a huge lake would form with snow as the banks. This lake I would assume would then freeze little by little. Over 4 months (dec-mar) there is only so much I could pump out there.