# Sump Pit



## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

Failure of the drainage system leading to the sump or just a lack of moisture in the soil.


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## ruffalo60 (Nov 22, 2007)

concretemasonry said:


> Failure of the drainage system leading to the sump or just a lack of moisture in the soil.


I"m sorry I dont know what the drainage system is . Clod or broken pipe???


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## Chris Johnson (Oct 31, 2007)

Around the exterior of house at the footings is a 'tile' drainage system, if it is failing that could be the issue. What type of basement do you have, Full or walkout? What kind of material is the ground outside, clay, rock, sand? is there positive drainage away from the foundation?

If your basement is not leaking and you have good draining materials (sand) then I wouldn't worry about it. Most walkouts that I build have both the sump pump (as per code) but also a daylight drain, meaning the tile is run around the foundation out to a low spot and terminated this keeps the water away from the basement and no leaks. 

Positive drainage also helps considerably, a majority of the water sheds away from the foundation as opposed to running down the foundation.

Doesn't sound like you have a problem, more a curiosity of the sump pump being dry, if there is no problem count it as a blessing as opposed to the ones that run all the time and fail when you finish the basement.


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## ruffalo60 (Nov 22, 2007)

Thank you Chris , very helpful


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## DIY4EVER (Apr 10, 2007)

ruffalo60---

doesn't soound like a problem to me. I think a dry sump pit is a good thing. A damp sump pit, or one that is full of water means to me that there is poor drainage from the foundation. not sure what kind of drainage you have. I have a sump pit in my basement with a pump installed and the pit is bone dry all the time. I have the pump just in case, since I just finished my basement. I have those flexible black pipe extensions on all my downspouts to get the rain water well away from the foundation.

The dryer the basement the better if you ask me and a dry sump pit is a good sign of a dry basement. Just my opinion.


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## diy_dave (Dec 17, 2007)

Sorry to hijack this thread but I also have a question about my sump pit. My house is built on the side of a hill, has good drainage, sandy soil, and I believe the only reason I have a sump pit and drainage system is because of code. My pets are always sniffing around the sump pit so I suspected rodents were using the draintile and pit as a respite from the weather here in Wisconsin. I checked the pit about a year ago (it has a tight-fitting piece of plastic covering it which I pulled out) and saw no evidence of rodents but have now found mouse poop in the basement. So I went to check the pit again this morning and found it was completely full of sand. Any ideas on how that might have happened?


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

DIY Dave. Normally there is a fabric covering the perforated drain pipes (or surrounding a rock backfill around the drain pipes) to prevent silt and sand from entering and filling up the pipes. If the sump was empty last year and now it is filled with sand then i sounds like somewhere the fabric has become compromised and the sandy soil in your area was washed through your drain pipes into your sump. 

I would have guessed that if you had that much sand in the sump in just one year that you would have noticed water in the basement. I take it that there is no pump in your sump pit?


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## diy_dave (Dec 17, 2007)

Right. There is no pump and I have never had a drop of water in the basement. Is it possible some burrowing varmit decided to use this as a place to store it's backfill? The one wall adjacent to the pit is partially exposed so they would not have to burrow too deeply to be at the basment floor level and we have had issues with chipmunks, moles, etc.:furious:


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.......

Anything is Possible Dave,.......

I find that strategically placed D-Con Rat baits will keep the Varmits away,.......
If the bait is Empty,... You know it's Working......
If the bait is still Full,...... You know it already Worked........


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

If you've never had water in the basement I'd lean toward the critter theory.


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## johnny331 (May 29, 2007)

Bondo said:


> If the bait is Empty,... You know it's Working......
> If the bait is still Full,...... You know it already Worked........


and when you smell rotting rodents hidden somewhere in your basement... you know it worked a while ago.

might be time to flood the sump and flush 'em out too!


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## On2wheels (Jan 10, 2008)

Sorry for another thread hijack, but this had alot of good info for me. I'm a new homeowner, and my place is about 55yrs old, full height basement bungalow, no sump pit, but has a floor drain. problem is, the floor is not level and now i'm getting leaks through cracks in the floor after alot of rain and melting snow. The cracks look to have had a sealant applied at one point to stop the leaking, but previous owners didn't put in a sump. the water is puddling in a corner and along a wall mostly. I have no idea what condition the weeping tile is in, nor do I want to spend that much on the house to rebuild the tile. I figured a sump pump would solve alot of the water problem. 

My question is/are: what are my main concerns firstly since I'm new to all this, the basement is not finished and I can vacuum up the water but it was slowly filling up again this morning. 2nd, when can I start to dig a sump pit so that the gravel does not cave in as I dig? I assume I have to wait either until summer or it gets cold enough for the melting to stop?

Any info would be great.


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