My sump pit is very active in the spring. I was wondering how flooding would occur without a pump.

If the pump failed, would it back up into the drain tile and then leak into the basement around the perimeter as if there was not a sump installed? Or would it simply overflow the sump pit?

In the event of having to change out a pump in a desperate situation.... does the filling of the drain tile buy any time before it dumps onto the basement floor?

This time of year, its been raining too, I have been hearing the pump go off every 10 minutes. In a torrential storm I have heard it go off as quick as 30 second intervals! It subsides over a few days after heavy rain.

I don't have a battery backup. My backup plan is a new pump in a box in case of replacement is needed and a gas generator. Do you feel this is a suitable plan or am I foolish not having a battery option?

It depends completely on what your situation is. If you have an unfinished basement that has floor drains that drain to sanitary sewer, you may be completely fine. If your basement is finished, or the storm sewers in the municipality are attached to the sanitary sewers, or even an unfinished/dirt basement without any floor drains that connect to sanitary sewers, then it could be a disaster.

In your particular situation, it would be prudent to have a second sump pump ready to go, or have a second pump set at a higher level(on a cinderblock or the like) attached in parallel with the first pump, with a water alarm set at the level of the bottom of the second pump so that it triggers when the first pump fails. This way, it will alert you that the first pump has failed, and the second pump can be running. Both pumps need their own check valve.

If you want to just keep the first pump alone and the second one ready, I would remove the first pump on a dry day and set it on the floor and put your backup next to it. Install the male adapter and pipe on the second pump to match the height on the first pump. This will make it easy to remove the old pump at the bottom of the check valve, slide the old one out, and the new one in --all in a matter of about 20 seconds.

I understand its specific to my situation and there is no way you can say for sure. But could you speculate?

In my case the floor drains in my unfinished basement are connected to the sump pit. The main sanitary sewer is above the basement floor.

So removing the pump, the drain tile would either fill or it would just overflow those floor drains? As opposed to leaching back into the drain tile and appearing as seepage at the perimeter.

Then I thought what would happen by capping the inlet to the sump pit?.... thinking it would just seep back around the foundation.... but again, the floor drains would overflow? OK then.. what if you plug the floor drains too in a an emergency?

I just cant wrap my brain around the concept.

Thank you.



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Picture your foundation as a boat that you have made out of… eggshell. If you were able to plug every source of water infiltration, the pressure of the water against your foundation could cause leaking through the wall itself, or potentially cause cracks. If you don't pump the water and plug the drain, the sump pump pit will overflow when the ground gets saturated and the foundation drains fill. At that point, you effectively just filling a tub, and anything in it is going to get wet, perhaps submerged. This includes your furnace, water heater, and anything stored down there. The worst I have seen in person was approximately 4.5 feet of water in a basement, but that was a unique situation.

The 3" inlet pvc into the sump pimp is above the pump. The water level never covers the inlet before being pumped out. IT constantly drips.

Should the water level be above the inlet? Thinking that the drain tile would fill and the pump wouldn't run as much?

Quote: Should the water level be above the inlet? Thinking that the drain tile would fill and the pump wouldn't run as much?

No. If the float switch is set lower than the inlet, it will "Cycle" more often. If the float switch is raised, the pump will run a longer duty cycle, and allow more saturation.

My 2 cents is when a sump pump seems to run more during a rainstorm is to check all the gutters. Make sure they are clean and free-flowing, downspouts are running away from the foundation, and not backing up. The more water you can channel away from the foundation, the less water can seep into the foundation.

As well, make sure that the sump pump discharge is run away from the foundation. If it just goes up and out, it will just drain back down into the ground and back into the sump pit.



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