Gastronomique
Member
Greetings folks. I moved into an 80-year-old house last fall in MD. Recently with heavy torrential summer rains my basement flooded twice. The signs suggest the water has been entering through a basement window and the basement exterior door. I believe I have remedied these issues temporarily w sandbags and caulk. Since then I haven't had any flooding, but it has only been a couple weeks.
I'm unsure whether the existing sump pump and basement interior drain system are working. Despite the heavy rains, which causes at least an inch of water pooling in my yard near the house, I have never seen the sump pump motor go on. I know the motor works because I tested it and it immediately fires up when I pour water into the sump pump pit. But I wonder if the 4-in perforated corrugated drain pipes that are the water ingress pipes for that pit are clogged. I have examined the pit in the pump during heavy rains, and the water level in the pit never rises and the pump never activates.
Questions:
1) Should the ingress pipes to the sump pump pit be perforated? That seems unusual to me. It's hard to see, but the photo shows the ingress pipes are perforated.
2) Just outside the basement wall near where the sump pump is located, there is a catch basin. I opened it up and cleaned it out and noticed the 4-in corrugated drain pipe feeding out of the catch basin is also perforated, not solid. It is located within 1-2 feet of the house so my guess is it should not be perforated. Is that right? The soil is heavy clay.
3) Can I attempt to snake out the 4" ingress pipes feeding into the sump pump pit in case they are clogged? Or is there a better way to do it? I don't want to damage what seem to be pretty fragile pipes.
I've had some folks tell me that many properly working sump pumps very rarely turn on so it is not a problem that my pump has never turned on by itself to my knowledge. But if there is water pooling in the yard adjacent to the house, shouldn't that water be pulled down through the catch basin into the basement trench and discharged by the sump pump during heavy rain?
I may be misunderstanding how the system works. I'm pretty desperately trying to understand the water issues in my basement and yard so any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. Many thanks in advance.
I'm unsure whether the existing sump pump and basement interior drain system are working. Despite the heavy rains, which causes at least an inch of water pooling in my yard near the house, I have never seen the sump pump motor go on. I know the motor works because I tested it and it immediately fires up when I pour water into the sump pump pit. But I wonder if the 4-in perforated corrugated drain pipes that are the water ingress pipes for that pit are clogged. I have examined the pit in the pump during heavy rains, and the water level in the pit never rises and the pump never activates.
Questions:
1) Should the ingress pipes to the sump pump pit be perforated? That seems unusual to me. It's hard to see, but the photo shows the ingress pipes are perforated.
2) Just outside the basement wall near where the sump pump is located, there is a catch basin. I opened it up and cleaned it out and noticed the 4-in corrugated drain pipe feeding out of the catch basin is also perforated, not solid. It is located within 1-2 feet of the house so my guess is it should not be perforated. Is that right? The soil is heavy clay.
3) Can I attempt to snake out the 4" ingress pipes feeding into the sump pump pit in case they are clogged? Or is there a better way to do it? I don't want to damage what seem to be pretty fragile pipes.
I've had some folks tell me that many properly working sump pumps very rarely turn on so it is not a problem that my pump has never turned on by itself to my knowledge. But if there is water pooling in the yard adjacent to the house, shouldn't that water be pulled down through the catch basin into the basement trench and discharged by the sump pump during heavy rain?
I may be misunderstanding how the system works. I'm pretty desperately trying to understand the water issues in my basement and yard so any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. Many thanks in advance.
