Sump Pump Problem 2

[bigmig]

I have a residential grade sump pump in my crawl space that has recently begun to run almost continuously due to the spring thaw. The house backs up against a hill that has expansive clay shale. We believe that the native water was traveling down the hill in the shale planes, and that the house excavation essentially severed the water path, so now the water ends up in our crawl space instead of traveling to regions unknown.

I pulled the sump pit cover and investigated the water source. It appears that all the water is coming through the bottom of the pit (i.e. high water table). Not a drip from the foundation drain pipes.

I am trying to head off a problem before it starts (i.e pump failure). So far I have looked at installing a larger pump and pit, but I feel like my pump is basically in a lake and all a big pump will do is pump more water. I will be investigating just turning the darn thing off and seeing if the hydrostatic head will balance, but then I get into another dilema with a moat sitting around my house after my house drain backs up.

The house is constructed on a grade beam/helical pier foundation system. I have been monitoring it via water level and the foundation is dead stable, but based on experience, having a lake around your house isn't exactly good.

Does anyone have suggestions about how I can solve the water problem? Has anyone seen this problem before? What solutions did you use? Or do I just live with a pump that runs every 6 minutes from February till June?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bigmig]

There are many inexpensive alarms, much like a battery powered smoke alarm. If I was leaving on vacation for extended periods when the pump was running alot, I would have somone check on it daily. The alarm would alert them to a problem.

If I was very concerned about flooding, I would have a remote alert alarm installed, or an alarm that has the ability to dial your cell phone when an emergency occurs. Option 1 costs about $8. Option 2 about $250, I'm guessing. I know they have inline water alarms with this feature, so I'm assuming they make high water alarms that call your cell phone too.

 

[imrcp]

A battery back-up sump pump would be good insurance against power outages as well as primary pump failure. A car battery could be swapped during an extended outage. Cost of system < $400.

 

[brandoncdg]

As it is almost a year since posting. Did you ever figure out a solution or what the problem was?

I worked on a celebrities house that was going to need the constant pumping as they were the first and last house with a basement on a certain expensive beach. The only concern on that job was how environmentally unfriendly running a pump forever was. I figure the cost must not be so great as well.

CDG, Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading in the Los Angeles area

http://www.CivilDevelopmentGroup.com

 

[bigmig]

The final solution was to invest in a backup sump system that could be installed when the current one failed. The alternatives were far more intrusive, expensive and could not guarantee a fix.

I have installed a water alarm as well that ideally would alert me as to when the pump needs changing. I know they sell more complex alarms that have the ability to call your cell phone.

In addition, after going through the cycle for a year, the pump only runs during high water, which occurs from March to May. During this time the pump runs about every 6 minutes 24 hours a day. We just keep an extra sharp eye on it during these periods.

If I was building again, I would consider a basement instead of a crawl space, and I would treat the design like a water tank, with the exception that it would work in reverse (keeping water out). There are all sorts of products for stopping substantial leaks through concrete (Webac 157, Xypex are 2 we have succesfully used). The idea would be that the basement would just be surrounded by water, fitting into its environment instead of trying to alter it.

 

[brandoncdg]

Did you buy a second complete sump? Or addon to the existing? What does the alarm do, just make a noise to alert someone inside the house?? What brand did you end up using and are you happy so far? Nice to hear opinions from someone who actually understands what's going on.

CDG, Los Angeles Civil Engineering specializing in Hillside Grading

http://www.CivilDevelopmentGroup.com