Hi Everybody-

We moved into a house built in the 1980s a few years ago. Since we moved in, the sump has always been dry. When I say dry, I mean completely, totally bone dry. The pump has not run a single time on its own since we've lived here. We have had periods of record rainfall, where there has been standing water towards the rear of our property and the streets of the neighborhood have flooded - yet not a single drop in the sump. We've had two plumbers out, and both essentially said since the basement isn't wet, we should just thank our lucky stars and leave it alone. One also suggested we add water ourselves from time to time to prevent parts from drying out and to test the pump.

We are on a relatively flat lot in a relatively flat neighborhood. We do run a humidifier for general humidity in the summer but have never had a moisture problem or any water in the basement whatsoever. Has anyone ever experienced this? Is there a disaster looming in our future or are we just the luckiest people on the block? Any thoughts, input, or suggestions? I can't help feeling there is a problem somewhere - I was worried maybe the neighbors were being inundated with our drainage, but neither of them have any issues, though they both say their sumps get normal amounts of water when it storms.

I really appreciate this forum and any advice, thanks for your time!

your basement is dry when it pours

your basement is PROPERLY constructed and/or your exterior footing drainage is working well

test the sump by manually filling it with a hose

if the pump works you actually ARE 'the luckiest ...............'

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

We had the same situation when we lived in Louisville. Nobody wants their sump pump to actually have to work during a storm! Our a/c and furnace condensate drained into a floor drain which emptied into the sump pit, so the pump would run once/week to pump out the condensate and that kept the pump parts lubed and ready to go.

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Not a plumber by trade but a fierce DIYer

Just sold our home of 10 years, which also had a perpetually dry sump, built before WW2. Nice one, four feet deep, concrete floor and red brick walls. I did a lot of work in the crawl space this year, and noticed damp soil behind the bricks near the bottom. Best guess, the water table was higher 80 years ago (we're in Northern California).

So yes, count yourself lucky.