Portable sump pump question

[VeeDubb]

So after a hard rain, we got some minor flooding in various parts of our basement. I am about to use a portable sump pump with a hose attached and am wondering if I can direct the water into our permanent sump pump pit. Or should I attach a super long hose and try to direct it out of the house?

Thanks.

FYI: we do have a permanent sump pump but there was still flooding in areas away from that pump which is why I am also using a portable.

 

[doitmyself]

Either way should be okay, with some exceptions:

If your permanent sump empties into your septic tank, you may want to be concerned IF there is a possibility of any chemicals in the water that might affect the septic. Or, if it is a huge amount of water, it won't hurt the septic, but might place a burden on your drain field. Be careful not to pump too much debris with the water to avoid possibly clogging some drain lines.

Pumping outdoors would probably be safer if you have any of the above concerns. Of course, it goes without saying that you should determine why you got water into the basement. Sometimes its as simple as a misdirected gutter downspout.

Good luck!!!

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
So after a hard rain, we got some minor flooding in various parts of our basement. I am about to use a portable sump pump with a hose attached and am wondering if I can direct the water into our permanent sump pump pit. Or should I attach a super long hose and try to direct it out of the house?

Thanks.

FYI: we do have a permanent sump pump but there was still flooding in areas away from that pump which is why I am also using a portable.


Depends how small an amount of water "Minor" is. If it is limited to 1" or less in a small area, I've used a large wet-dry vac to remove it. If you go with a pump, I would direct it to the closest egress.

 

[JLawrence08648]

I don't see a problem other than twice as much wear and tear. Either way water should be drained away from the foundation. I recommend draining into the street curb if you have rain sewers. It is illegal to drain into the sanitary sewers. It overtaxes the system and increases not clean water enough water to be ejected at the sewer plant.

Why don't you put a "T" with a plug and a check valve at your permanent sump pump and run your portable, I assume a submersible, into that new connection.

 

[Al]

Although inefficient its more practical to direct it to the sump....that's what I would do

 

[SatinSilver]

Is it pumped out on the lawn or directly into the sewer?

 

[69GTX]

I'd just send it to the sump. More than likely the water table is up so your little bit of water is not going to affect that until the whole neighborhood subsides. Could take hours or days. Having lived next to a lake for the past 25 years, our sump pumps got plenty of use.

 

[VeeDubb]

Thanks for the great answers everyone. Turns out my portable hardly picked up any water because it was only about maybe 1/4 inch. So I ended up using a shop vac which picked up most of it. But it's good to know for the future that I can send it into the permanent pit (with some cautions).

We rarely get flooding except in cases where there are multiple days of heavy rain or there is a ton of snow melting. Maybe once every 3 years. But when it happens, a lot of houses/buildings in our area also seem to have problems.

 

[larryinnewyork]

If your Basement is getting water; Questions to ask are:

1) Do Outside Downspouts have 'extensions' on them to get water AWAY from foundation ? ? ?
2) Do you suspect the Drain Tile could be clogged ? ? ?
Note: The Drain Tile runs along the Foundation/Footings allowing water from the outside to easily travel to sump pit.

I have 2 extra sumps pumps as back-ups.
Both have Check-Valves and PVC Pipe all set to go / could be changed in 5 minutes.

We don't know the age of your house or exactly how much water you have.

Possible other solutions:
1) Mop and Bucket
2) Squeeze

Growing up, my Father was always worried about water in his basement.
That's why I'm paranoid about it myself.
I've NEVER had water in my basement, some neighbors have.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
Thanks for the great answers everyone. Turns out my portable hardly picked up any water because it was only about maybe 1/4 inch. So I ended up using a shop vac which picked up most of it. But it's good to know for the future that I can send it into the permanent pit (with some cautions).

We rarely get flooding except in cases where there are multiple days of heavy rain or there is a ton of snow melting. Maybe once every 3 years. But when it happens, a lot of houses/buildings in our area also seem to have problems.
Easy way to empty a shop vac is to put the sump pump in it.

 

[VeeDubb]

Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
If your Basement is getting water; Questions to ask are:

1) Do Outside Downspouts have 'extensions' on them to get water AWAY from foundation ? ? ?
2) Do you suspect the Drain Tile could be clogged ? ? ?
Note: The Drain Tile runs along the Foundation/Footings allowing water from the outside to easily travel to sump pit.

I have 2 extra sumps pumps as back-ups.
Both have Check-Valves and PVC Pipe all set to go / could be changed in 5 minutes.

We don't know the age of your house or exactly how much water you have.

Possible other solutions:
1) Mop and Bucket
2) Squeeze

Growing up, my Father was always worried about water in his basement.
That's why I'm paranoid about it myself.
I've NEVER had water in my basement, some neighbors have.


Thanks for the insights. The house was built in the 1950s. As for the amount of water, I filled a six gallon shop vac so it was around six gallons total.

I think you might be on to something about the drain tile. I noticed that our sump pump barely had to operate despite the rain. I would have guessed it would have had to worked hard. I tested it and it is operating. So it may be the water is not reaching the sump pit. Do you have more suggestions on how to deal with this or what type of contractor I should call to fix it?

 

[larryinnewyork]

VeeDubb,

Are your Drain-Tile possible plugged up OR is water coming in thru a crack in the Wall ? ? ?

At my Parents house, their Drain Tile was plugged up.
House was built in 1950's and I believe the Drain Tile consisted of 24" long round 'clay' Tiles pieced together.
Eventually the 'silt' from the ground plugged-up an area resulting in water on the floor (20 ft from sump pump).
Parents hired a firm to dig up floor along the wall and remove a lot of dirt/stone.
That was replaced with new 'plastic' drain-tile and stone.
They poured concrete for new floor and all was well.
Total area of floor dug up was 18 inch x 10 feet.

Now, at my house, I was getting water on the floor during a heavy rain.
Cause: There was a 'crack' in the concrete wall.
I called a Company that specialized in Drain Tiles / Basement water Proofing.
They came in and drilled (about 10) 1/2" dia holes along the crack.
Then they injected some type material into each hole until it came out the next hole.
This completely sealed the back-side of basement wall.
Then, attached a piece of thin/rigid plastic to inside of wall going down to drain-till.

This was done in 1996 and cost me $486 (money well spent).
It came with a Life-Time warranty for life of structure to any owner.

Good luck.
If I can answer any questions, PM me as I do not always read my old posts.