Gravity Drain Sump Pump Flooded
#1
04-21-13, 09:59 AM
Join Date: Apr 2013
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Gravity Drain Sump Pump Flooded
On Thursday afternoon, I found my basement flooded with 6-8" of water.
My basement has been waterproofed. I've lived in the house for approximately a year and have not had any water in the basement until Thursday.
The tile drains in to a sump pit located on the south side of the basement. The sump pit has a 4" PVC pipe that gravity drains approximately 150' into a creek at the back of my property.
The rains on Thursday caused the creek to flood high enough that it was higher than my gravity drained pipe from the sump pit and caused the creek water to fill my basement.
I am looking for a solution to keep the basement from becoming flooded again when the creek floods.
One person told me I should put a 90 degree elbow facing downward where it flows into the creek and this would keep water from backing up into the basement.
Another suggestion was to put a check valve in line. If I do that, the basement will still flood from the ground water that is draining into the tile that runs to the pit.
Does anyone have any suggestions or easy solutions?
I know I could tear out the pipe, put in a new pit with a sump pump, but that would require digging down about 10 feet outside to remove the pipe.
My basement has been waterproofed. I've lived in the house for approximately a year and have not had any water in the basement until Thursday.
The tile drains in to a sump pit located on the south side of the basement. The sump pit has a 4" PVC pipe that gravity drains approximately 150' into a creek at the back of my property.
The rains on Thursday caused the creek to flood high enough that it was higher than my gravity drained pipe from the sump pit and caused the creek water to fill my basement.
I am looking for a solution to keep the basement from becoming flooded again when the creek floods.
One person told me I should put a 90 degree elbow facing downward where it flows into the creek and this would keep water from backing up into the basement.
Another suggestion was to put a check valve in line. If I do that, the basement will still flood from the ground water that is draining into the tile that runs to the pit.
Does anyone have any suggestions or easy solutions?
I know I could tear out the pipe, put in a new pit with a sump pump, but that would require digging down about 10 feet outside to remove the pipe.
#2
04-21-13, 04:44 PM
Group Moderator
A simple 90 degree will not stop water from flowing into your basement. Water is not confused by turns and will flow just as easily flow in either direction through a 90 degree elbow.
A check valve will prevent water from back flowing into your basement but could allow your basement to flood if it too is also getting a lot of water. When the water inside the basement rose higher than the creek it could leave the house but if the creek's high it could be bad news for your basement.
The only real solution I know is a sump pump. If you think about it when the creek water is higher than your basement drain what's going to happen? You're going to need a pump to get the water up and out. You don't need to remove the old drain pipe. You can install a check valve so the system works by gravity most of the time but when the creek is high the water rises in your sump and the pump turns on to remove the water via a separate pipe. If you don't want to use a check valve (they can fail and occasionally need maintenance & cleaning) you can plug the gravity pipe.
A check valve will prevent water from back flowing into your basement but could allow your basement to flood if it too is also getting a lot of water. When the water inside the basement rose higher than the creek it could leave the house but if the creek's high it could be bad news for your basement.
The only real solution I know is a sump pump. If you think about it when the creek water is higher than your basement drain what's going to happen? You're going to need a pump to get the water up and out. You don't need to remove the old drain pipe. You can install a check valve so the system works by gravity most of the time but when the creek is high the water rises in your sump and the pump turns on to remove the water via a separate pipe. If you don't want to use a check valve (they can fail and occasionally need maintenance & cleaning) you can plug the gravity pipe.
