Four-year old custom built house on a steeper than average slope with good runoff. Walkout concrete foundation has 12 ft ceiling in basement due to grade. Large sump pit in front corner. During a year of construction with no sump pump, I never saw any water in there. Builder put pump in as a precaution. French drain parallel to footers exiting far behind house and downhill.
Out of curiosity about pump operation, after a year in the house I bought a PumpSpy. PumpSpy provides pump usage data via a phone app. The data is held on PumpSpy servers and not on the phone. Unfortunately, I can only access a few months worth of data, so I’m going somewhat by memory.
For the first two years with PumpSpy, things seemed OK. Pump would only come on after long, heavy rains and then only sparingly. Pump might activate once every 20-60 minutes during strong storms. It runs for about four seconds. For ordinary rainfall, say one-inch on dry ground, pump wouldn’t activate. Sometimes went a few months without activation. BTW, native landscape with no irrigation.
Last year, noticed a change. Even in a drought, no rain for weeks or months, PumpSpy indicates frequent activation. Sometimes every week, sometimes every day. On activation days, usually only once or twice.
Inspection of the pit/pump is difficult due to RadonDome sealing. Yesterday, I finally cracked it open and tested pump. It works OK when float lifted and PumpSpy app accurately documented the test activations. There was an inch or two of water in there even though it’s been somewhat drought-like. Eleven days ago there was a 1/2 in and fourteen days ago there was a 1/2 in. Normally not enough to activate pump. App shows one activation on each of those days, no different than many dry days.
I’m wondering why I have water in the pit now that wasn’t there a few years ago. Can the water table rise? Seems unlikely this is water table because of steep grade unless it’s a small pocket. Could the pump be activating unnecessarily? Short circuit? Thanks.
Replies
It is possible (and not entirely uncommon) that the footer drainage to grade has partly become blocked due to sediment, resulting in some higher water table.
not the end of the world.
You could elevate the sump pump and see what happens. You can place it on a couple bricks and see how you like it.
Has there been any other construction activities within a 1/2 mile radius of the home?
If the home is fitted with eavestroughs, do they drain into the same footing drain piping?
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Water tables rise & fall over time. Could be just that. Nearby construction work of any kind can sometimes affect the water table.
Roof storm water dumped into the same underground piping as the footing drains can carry debris into the minimally pitched drains resulting in clogs.
Do you have uphill neighbors? If so do they irrigate their landscaping? Has your water usage increased lately? Could there be a septic tank or sewer failure above your property?
My downspouts have their own french drain system that dumps roof water far behind house and then into lake. Doesn't mix with footer drains, which also go far behind house.
I live in a golf course community and there is a lake behind my house. All the storm sewers near me drain directly into lake. That lake water is then used for golf course irrigation.
No neighborhood irrigation in winter. No septic tanks. No known sewer failures. A few scattered houses under construction, but probably a half-mile away. My basement slab probably sits 15 ft higher than lake. I also have a 10 ft retaining wall back there.
Likely culprit seems to be water table changing. Thanks.