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Standing Water Despite Sump Pump

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Standing Water Despite Sump Pump DaveR 04-18-2007
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Posted by DaveR on April 18, 2007, 6:17 pm


What would cause certain parts of the basement floor to get puddles of
water, even though a sump pump is installed and working?

I have a sump pump in my crawlspace. It runs during heavy rains (and
for several days thereafter). Most of the time I have no problems with
water in my basement.

When it rains a lot in a short period of time I will get some puddles,
apparently ground water coming up through the floor. One such puddle
is in the crawlspace about 10 feet away from the pump. Another is in
the laundry room, about 20 feet away in the opposite direction. Most
of the time these puddles drain quickly after the storm.

However, during the recent event (which granted is a ridiculous amount
of rain in a short time) I got puddles in many areas of the basement.
In some areas the puddles are still there, even though the sump pump
has been running constantly.

I assume the purpose of the sump pump is to prevent this situation, so
what more do I need? I realize this past storm was a freak of nature
and almost everyone had water problems. Still, it is my understanding
the sump pump should pump out the water before it reaches the floor.

Is it simply a matter of making sure to address the drainage outside?
I have the ground sloping away from the house in all directions and
the leaders extend 6 feet or more.

Posted by EXT on April 18, 2007, 6:51 pm


Well, yes, a sump pump is supposed to drain the water before it rises high
enough to create puddles, however, it cannot remove water that is blocked
from getting to it. To do that you need either a good thickness of washed
gravel (the type without filler between the stones) or a system of drain
pipes to pick up and channel the water to the pump.

How is the water getting on top of the floor and where does it "drain" to,
as you say.
This water could be leaking in from the walls, or the seam between the walls
and the floor. Or it could be soaking through the concrete floor or through
cracks. You need to be observant of what and how it is happening rather than
verbally throwing your hands up and saying "it doesn't work, why?". If you
cannot bother to observe what is happening we cannot see anything from here!


> What would cause certain parts of the basement floor to get puddles of
> water, even though a sump pump is installed and working?
>
> I have a sump pump in my crawlspace. It runs during heavy rains (and
> for several days thereafter). Most of the time I have no problems with
> water in my basement.
>
> When it rains a lot in a short period of time I will get some puddles,
> apparently ground water coming up through the floor. One such puddle
> is in the crawlspace about 10 feet away from the pump. Another is in
> the laundry room, about 20 feet away in the opposite direction. Most
> of the time these puddles drain quickly after the storm.
>
> However, during the recent event (which granted is a ridiculous amount
> of rain in a short time) I got puddles in many areas of the basement.
> In some areas the puddles are still there, even though the sump pump
> has been running constantly.
>
> I assume the purpose of the sump pump is to prevent this situation, so
> what more do I need? I realize this past storm was a freak of nature
> and almost everyone had water problems. Still, it is my understanding
> the sump pump should pump out the water before it reaches the floor.
>
> Is it simply a matter of making sure to address the drainage outside?
> I have the ground sloping away from the house in all directions and
> the leaders extend 6 feet or more.



Posted by Big Al on April 19, 2007, 2:14 am



> Well, yes, a sump pump is supposed to drain the water before it rises high
> enough to create puddles, however, it cannot remove water that is blocked
> from getting to it. To do that you need either a good thickness of washed
> gravel (the type without filler between the stones) or a system of drain
> pipes to pick up and channel the water to the pump.
>
> How is the water getting on top of the floor and where does it "drain" to,
> as you say.
> This water could be leaking in from the walls, or the seam between the
walls
> and the floor. Or it could be soaking through the concrete floor or
through
> cracks. You need to be observant of what and how it is happening rather
than
> verbally throwing your hands up and saying "it doesn't work, why?". If you
> cannot bother to observe what is happening we cannot see anything from
here!
>
>

He said the sump pump was running continually. So it's not able to keep up
with the water. In sandy soil water can come up for a long time after the
rain stops. Even if the pump could empty the sump, water can still come up
away from the sump.

Al



Posted by EXT on April 19, 2007, 11:44 am


He didn't say the sump was overflowing, just commented that water was
appearing on the floor some distance away from the sump which he said was
running constantly -- does this mean continuously without a break or just
running most of the time but not all. This water means either it overflowed
without him noticing, or it is leaking in from somewhere at or by the wall
or up through the floor. Good drainage piping or under floor gravel would
allow the water to find the pump without appearing elsewhere. The lack of
observation and a poor description of what is installed makes it impossible
to diagnose over the internet.

>
>> Well, yes, a sump pump is supposed to drain the water before it rises
>> high
>> enough to create puddles, however, it cannot remove water that is blocked
>> from getting to it. To do that you need either a good thickness of washed
>> gravel (the type without filler between the stones) or a system of drain
>> pipes to pick up and channel the water to the pump.
>>
>> How is the water getting on top of the floor and where does it "drain"
>> to,
>> as you say.
>> This water could be leaking in from the walls, or the seam between the
> walls
>> and the floor. Or it could be soaking through the concrete floor or
> through
>> cracks. You need to be observant of what and how it is happening rather
> than
>> verbally throwing your hands up and saying "it doesn't work, why?". If
>> you
>> cannot bother to observe what is happening we cannot see anything from
> here!
>>
>>
>
> He said the sump pump was running continually. So it's not able to keep up
> with the water. In sandy soil water can come up for a long time after the
> rain stops. Even if the pump could empty the sump, water can still come up
> away from the sump.
>
> Al
>
>



Posted by mm on April 19, 2007, 3:01 pm


On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:44:00 -0400, "EXT"

>He didn't say the sump was overflowing, just commented that water was
>appearing on the floor some distance away from the sump which he said was
>running constantly -- does this mean continuously without a break or just
>running most of the time but not all.

I don't know if he knows this, but the word for the second meaning is
continual. Easy to remember if you can recall the word interval which
also ends in -al. Continuous means without a break.

> This water means either it overflowed
>without him noticing, or it is leaking in from somewhere at or by the wall
>or up through the floor. Good drainage piping or under floor gravel would
>allow the water to find the pump without appearing elsewhere. The lack of
>observation and a poor description of what is installed makes it impossible
>to diagnose over the internet.


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