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sump pump basement or outside the house?

9 years ago

We are building a house in the northeast. The builder is proposing an outside sump pump, but I have never heard of anyone in our area doing that, most people have it in the basement. Please help!!! I want to avoid a flooded basement at all cost. We have a small river nearby, but we are not in a flood zone. Thanks.

Featured Answer

indiana_th

9 years ago

We live in area with a high water table and we are in the process of building a new house. Our foundation contractor installed an exterior sump pump 2-3' feet below slab elevation, connected to an exterior foundation drain (exterior form-a-drain). It pumps the water before it gets into/under the basement and dewaters the area outside of the foundation. We also have an interior sump pump installed in the basement that is connected to the interior form-a-drain. The interior pump drains water under the slab.

Both have been operation since the basement was installed 3 months ago. We live directly in front of our build and I keep a watchful eye on the pumps. The interior pump runs more often but for shorter periods and the exterior pumps runs less often but for longer periods. (same pump and same diameter pit).

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Comments (9)

User
9 years ago
I don't know why or how a sump pump would be put outside of a foundation. How would the line be protected from freezing?

A sump pump should remove water that might collect under the basement slab. Exterior water should go into a foundation drain and travel by gravity to a dry well or daylight.

I would guess that an exterior pump would run quite often and have to be in the bottom of a structure that might cost as much as a dry well and need an unattractive access cover.

You should choose gravity over a pump whenever possible.
abekker
Original Author
9 years ago
So it seems that the two serve quite different purposes. The outside pump is more for rain water whereas the basement pump is more for the rising water table. Am I correct?
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You should seriously consider a backup sump pump system too. If you lose power your main sump pump won't work. If you have good municipal water - look at water powered pumps. They're powered by water pressure. This video talks about how they work. But if you have well water or city water that's unreliable, then a battery backup is the way to go. Here is a link that might be useful: How Water Powered Sump Pumps Work
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Irishbrewer is 100% correct. There are many things that could affect your basement situation. Changing weather conditions throught the year can change underground water levels. And if your gutter is not overflowing, and your down spout is extended away from your foundation, as mentioned above, I agree this makes a HUGE difference. I know from personal experience, because a clogged gutter overflowing with torrential rain for an extended period of time on melting snow-soaked ground caused BIG problems in my basement in the past. And not just once. We found out by trial and error, some subtle changes we made here had a big impact on water seepage in our basement. If your weather conditions change, and the water level raises, your sump pump will work when it's supposed to. If subtle changes helped to correct your problem, perhaps you will not see the pump operating that often. What's the old saying?....Don't trouble trouble if trouble is not troubling you. Again, I agree with irishbrewer...DON'T flood your foundation with a hose.
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The builder asked the hvac people...they are the ones who supposedly didn't give a clear answer on raising it up. I am in disbelief that they just ignored my request. The sump pump in the pit is for construction phase only. A new unit with battery backup is to be installed later. I spoke with my insurance company....sump pump failure is not covered...but I can add it for 80 bucks. They also said that battery backup is required for the coverage to be valid. I have also read that with these policies...do not expect coverage if you pump is in poor condition or is clogged due to your own negligence. It's my opinion at least if I find the pump is not working and I alert the builder...they now have responsibility. If the pump isn't working before a large rain...you surely can't expect insurance to pay for damage to equipment in the basement. My contract says that the builder is to be in control of the home while it is built...but I am to maintain builders risk insurance. They believe that this policy would pay for stuff like this...but it seems to me that there is a duty of care they must have first. If they are.negligent while in control of my house....I do not see why my insurance should pay,. This is different than a tornado...or storm..etc.. Does this line of thinking sound reasonable?
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User
9 years ago
Yes but you should not need both pumps.
Oaktown
9 years ago
Abbeker, that is my rudimentary understanding. We do not have a basement, but we have a bubble boxes, detention trenches and an exterior sump pump required by our local planning office and civil engineer for storm water management (runoff). Our contractor thought this was just over engineered and wants someone to take his bet that the pump never will switch on.
abekker
Original Author
9 years ago
Hmmm...it's quite confusing. If the exterior pump is supposed to keep water away from the house why would you still need the interior pump? My builder is proposing one or the other not both. He is pushing the exterior one, but I can't find too much info on that.
indiana_th
9 years ago
The interior pump drains water directly under the slab, which is from the water table rising from below. In our area I have seen too many basements with water issues and we decided to go with 2 as a precaution, one would have been fine.

The thinking on the exterior sump by contractors is to not let water into the basement. If an interior sump pump quits and water starts rising, the sump pit gives a direct flow path into the basement.
maire_cate
9 years ago
What happens during a power failure? Do you have whole house generators installed to insure that the pumps always run? I know they can also be connected to the municipal water supply and if the power goes out the pump will run off your water main, without electricity. But then you're paying for all that metered water.
abekker
Original Author
9 years ago
we will have a whole house generator

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