Came to visit to attend a wedding over the weekend
Staying at Mom’s house which is an L shaped ranch
Monday & Tuesday we got 8 inches of rain and there was 4-5 inches of water standing in the back of the house at the inside corner of the L shape
There is a brick patio
I pumped out the water and then went to HD and bought a sump pump and their plastic 18 X 22″ sump and buried it beside the house in the low area.
Put on the lid and ran some water to test it and the water ran down BESIDE the sump and did not enter into the sump pit
Instead it went underneath and just raised it up out of the ground
Said some profanity and took it all apart and started over.
Took the plastic sump pit out and drilled holes in the bottom.
Put some rock in the bottom of the hole and wrapped the sump pit in cloth weed guard and put it back in the hole
reinstalled the sump pump and 1 1/2 abs black plastic pipe and tested it again
It seems to work okay
One last thing
I placed the pump on the bottom of the pit
I want the pump to turn on and empty it out as soon as possible
My question is are you supposed to drill holes in the bottom of the plastic sump?
Replies
If the point of the sump is to be a low point into which surface water is collected, then no holes in the sump pit. However, there does need to be a way for the water to get into the pit (e.g. a grate on top, or as you have done, via holes in the bottom of the pit). If the sump is designed to catch rising ground water, then yes to the holes.
Edited 9/10/2009 10:07 pm ET by RedfordHenry
thanks for your infowe're doing this just to collect surface water But even though the pit was below ground the surfae water did not run into itInstead it just ran down BESIDE it Oh well, it's working now.
All is good!
LoLGot another question to throw outIs it okay to put an "indoor" sump pump outdoors?Thanks again
You already did, didn't ya?
yeahbought the cheapest one they had saved a few bucks that way
i won't ask your location! it's wet out there.
i think the problem your having is the dirt has just been dug,so as the water runs over the ground the first place it can go is down the side,then it rasies up the empty,light container.
i'm not crazy about the holes in the bucket,just gets more water closer to the footings/basement.so what i would try is, get another container,set it in the hole,then a bag of cement and pour a ring about 3 inches thick around the bucket.
whats really common around here is to dig a trench clear out to the street,knock a hole in the curb,and run a 4" drain line from the low spot.
as far as the pump outside,when it freezes there can be water in the pump and line,it could freeze,but what the heck replace it next spring.might help if it had a cover with holes in it?the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
Larry, monday nite I woke up in the middle of the night hearing the thunderI listened to the radio and they said "30 percent chance of rain tonite"It continued to rain all night and all day the next day and mom emptied her rain gauge which holds 6 inches of waterWe kept getting more rain and we got another inch or twoThe radio said wichita got 5" of rain and I was scratching my head saying "what are they talking about"Anyway, sounds like a good idea with the concrete.Yesterday I drilled holes in the bottom of the plastic sump and said to myself "how will this every fill up with water"I assumed the surface water would run in and then "out the bottom"BUT THAT REALLY DIDN'T HAPPENI sat the hose on the brick patio and watched the water run into the sump It filled up and the pump turned on and wala it is working.Mom lives near 13th and Woodlawn
Is it okay to put an "indoor" sump pump outdoors?
Yes, but you must consider how to power it, especially if it will be a distance from the house. Extension cords are specifically not permitted. We have an outside sump and ordered the pump from Zoeller with an extra long factory cord/plug - you have to do this unless you'll have a permanent GFI outlet for the pump, which has it's own inherent problems (like tripping on pump lock rotor amperage). Zoeller will 'size up' the cord AWG to compensate for the length.
Jeff
Right now we've got an extension cord running to an outdoor electical outletWe'll probably put an outlet somewhere close But I hadn't thought about the long cordThanks, appreciate the info !
>> Is it okay to put an "indoor" sump pump outdoors?<<
Freezing issues aside, assuming this is a submersible pump what could hurt it outdoors?
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
I initially wanted to put the pump on some bricks (to get it up off the dirt) but then realized that allows too much water to stand It will definitely freeze this winter
Yes, that's another good point - our outside sump pit invert is around 48" below grade. We pull the actual plug/cord through a 2" dia. conduit set above the possible 'fill' level of the sump.
Jeff
Project has been completedTotal cost (materials) $196Installation time: 8 hours Total number of trips to Home Depot: 6