# Basement drain pipe "pit" ground water fix.



## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

Recently bought a house that has a finished basement, unfortunately, a week or so before closing on my house we had record rain fall here in NJ and the basement flooded.

The basement did not flood through the walls or anything, but from a " pit " in the basement floor where the clean outs are for the main drain pipe.

Issue is the " earth " around the pipe, its just dirt. The ground gets so saturated that it'll fill up with water. In the case of the small ' flood ' last month it brought in so much water i had to rip out all the carpet, and i plan on re-doing the walls as well.

I havent seen any water come out of it since, but i HAVE seen it filled with water. almost to the point of over flowing( after about 3 straight days of rain ) 

I want to start the demo and remodel of finishing this basement but i cant seem to wrap my head around on how to solve this issue.

Anybody know of any ' fix' or solutions i can do for ensuring water does not seep out of this?

i HEARD that what i can do is : 
Dig out about 8" of dirt of so, install pvc with p-trap in to earth, then p trap then in to the drain pipe, then back fill the entire hole with concrete , only enough so you can still access clean outs.If ground water wants to come up it will take the path of least resistance, ( pipe ) and go right into the drain pipe
any insight on this? 

I know i COULD put a sump pump in there and pipe it out, but i'd rather not have the water coming in AT ALL. 

Below or some pictures of what i am dealing with, any advice would be greatly appreciated!


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Check Fema's flood plain maps. Was it disclosed that they had a potential of flooding during the pre-close? If you had the rain before closing and still signed, why did not you have the sellers fix the problem before signing the paperwork. I would suggest at this time also talking to a lawyer to see if the sellers can pay for the cost of repairs.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Now that you saw it flood, you now know that sometimes the water table will rise that high.

You will need a sump pump.

Depending on how porous the soil is under the entire area of the basement, you may or may not 
need a perimeter drain system (French drain; weeping tile system) that brings water to 
the sump pump pit before that water can soak up into the basement at the far side.

Meanwhile check outside upstairs to make sure water does not collect against the foundation 
when it rains. Water from gutters and downspouts must be routed away from the house and 
it may be necessary to regrade the land.

Do not run the ground water down any drain or septic tank.


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## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

gregzoll said:


> Check Fema's flood plain maps. Was it disclosed that they had a potential of flooding during the pre-close? If you had the rain before closing and still signed, why did not you have the sellers fix the problem before signing the paperwork. I would suggest at this time also talking to a lawyer to see if the sellers can pay for the cost of repairs.


The sellers and I worked out a deal before closing where they cut me a check for the estimated price of damages to the tune of about 4,000 dollars. IMO thats pretty decent for having to spend a few bucks on a sump pump and 1500 bucks or so on some carpet. ... I will be taking it once step further and installing mold proof dry wall and foam board in the basement and floors before i " re-refinish " the basement. Along with a quality de-humidifier.

I was just wondering if there was maybe a fix OTHER then just popping a sump pump in there, This side of the basement will be finished with a tv and sitting area and i'd hate to hear a sump pump kicking on during my fav. tv show.

But if i will be doing a sump pump, i suppuse i'll dig out about 8-12 inches of dirt and throw in gravel so that the sump is less likely to just suck in dirt and clogg itself.

Can the main drain line out of the sump can run clear across the basement in the ceiling and tap in to my other sump line, or at least next to the existing hole? its probably a good 30 feet away or so.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

If the soil under your basement floor is porous enough (or if you have or install a 
perimeter drain system) then you can dig a pit for the sump pump on the opposite side 
of the basement and not have to do anything with the pit you already have.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

alecmcmahon said:


> Can the main drain line out of the sump can run clear across the basement in the ceiling and tap in to my other sump line, or at least next to the existing hole? its probably a good 30 feet away or so.


 
Do you already have one sump pit and pump? Does it work?


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## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

jogr said:


> Do you already have one sump pit and pump? Does it work?


yes i do, its on the other side of the basement on the " utlility " side.


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## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

Bump!


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

alecmcmahon said:


> i HEARD that what i can do is :
> Dig out about 8" of dirt of so, install pvc with p-trap in to earth, *then p trap then in to the drain pipe*, then back fill the entire hole with concrete , only enough so you can still access clean outs.If ground water wants to come up it will take the path of least resistance, ( pipe ) and go right into the drain pipe


What is this drain pipe you're talking about?


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## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

jomama45 said:


> What is this drain pipe you're talking about?



The drain pictured, which is the main clean out for the main sewage line. 

Again, i have a sump on the oppisite side of the basement.

I think what i might do is dig out 6"-8" or so of dirt around the pipe in the pit, install some drainage gravel and set a sump pump in it and pipe it out. 

Leave a can of damp rid in there for moisture and frame it in with an acess door when the walls get done. 

Unless anybody else has some better recommendations?


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## Know It ALL (Nov 13, 2010)

I'm going to give this thread some thought since I've seen a few water problems. How much lower is your basement floor than the height of your yard? Is you lot level? If not how much grade? Might take me a few days to get back here.


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## alecmcmahon (Apr 30, 2010)

my basement is about 95% under ground level.

I have a sump about 30' away on the other side of the basement that works just fine.

I've only seen this pit fill with water maybe 3-4 times in the last 7 months i've lived here. 

The week before i bought the house here in NJ we had days and days and days of heavy rain and the water table under ground rose so much that the water in the pit got so high it came out and flooded the entire basement. Other then that i've never seen it get high enough to come over the top of the slab.

Again, i assume the best way to takle this to insure my newly renovoted basement doesnt see water out of this is to dig out 6-8" of dirt around the pipe, install some drainage gravel and stick a sump pump in there.

any other ideas?


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## federer (Aug 20, 2010)

not sure but keep us posted. curious to see what solution would work best


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

alecmcmahon said:


> my basement is about 95% under ground level.
> 
> I have a sump about 30' away on the other side of the basement that works just fine.
> 
> ...


You will need to enlarge the hole width or length and dig down at least 24". You will need to provide a basin that will not fill with dirt so a filter cloth and gravel will need to be introduced around this basin.
Ron


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## cactus.savage (8 mo ago)

Thank you all for this thread, and to @alecmcmahon for starting this. I have been searching around the internet for some time to find a similar issue...
Unlike Alec, we had major work / renovations done recently, notably replacing the sewer drain under house, that included digging and building a new, larger and deeper concrete trap around the clean-out for the sewer. The sewer line runs great, no worries about other issues (it was replaced because the iron pipe was 60 years old and rusted through). However, since replacement, the trap regularly fills up with ground water - usually to about 6" before I have to clear it out (the trap is over 2' deep - though it hasn't yet caused any big issues for our newly finished basement. We also have a hole and sump pump about 20 feet away in a furnance / utility room that has never overflowed in the time spent in the house (over 5 years) nor does it regularly run to my knowledge. 
So, I have two issues. First, where is the water coming from? We live in a relatively dry climate (Midwest), but are at the low point of our street, so this could be naturally flowing, clear groundwater. Second, and like Alec, the pit is lower than the existing sump pump hole, so understand the water accumulating, but not why it rises so quickly. Of note, I usually have had to empty it out weekly. I really don't want to put a sump pump in the pit / trap that sits in the middle of our living room and am considering running my sump pump lower to have it remove or reduce water now making its way into the trap. Also, I had thought of sealing the concrete trap, but worry that the water will just find another place and be unchecked until a problem arises. Otherwise, I am out of ideas right now. 
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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