Well that was weird, I did not think I hit the send button. Please continue
reading at the bottom.
Marty
From: trmarty@hotmail.com
To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Was water alarm, now sump pump.
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 18:03:50 -0500
I posted something last week asking about water alarms now let me pester the
group with a sump pump question. History.. The house is 11 years old with a
sump pump in the basement. The pump discharges up and through the basement
wall at a height of about 6 or 7 feet from the bottom of the pump crock. Then
goes out to a ditch at the road. Pipe is 1-1/2 inch PVC. Total run of pipe is
around 240 foot. The drop from where it leaves the house to where it
discharges into the ditch is about 2 foot. The original pump took a dump about
3 years after we moved in naturally when we weren't home. The first pump was
all hard plumbed in. When I replace the pump I used some rubber couplings,
the kind with a couple of hose clamps on the ends to tie things together. Had
an issue a while ago where one of the couplings separated from the pipe and
the gusher flooded part of the basement. I figured I had not tightened the
clamps sufficiently. Tightened everything up and checked them every couple of
months to make sure they were tight. All was well until last week when one
blew apart again. Water in the basement AGAIN. So OK I'm figuring I should
not have used the rubber couplings. After putting the carpet back down today I
move over the pump to take those rubber couplings out and hard plumb things
back together.
As I took apart the discharge pipe the water gushed back into the crock with a
lot of force. So much came out I measured it as I scooped it out in order to
empty the crock so I could work on the pipe. 24 gallons of water came out.
According to my calculations (might be wrong) 240 foot of 1-1/2 inch pipe
would hold about 24 gallons of water. This is puzzling to me. Observations.
When the pump turns on the water flows freely out the end at the ditch. The
pipe where it goes into the ditch is well above the water level in the ditch.
The water that flowed back through the pipe back into the crock when I
separated the pipe was clear. I could understand there being water in the
vertical line where it goes up and out the wall. I would think all the rest of
the water would drain out due to the slope to the ditch. If there was a hole
in the line some place I would think some muddy water would be flowing back
into the crock. What could cause this or is it normal and I am worrying over
nothing.
Thanks,
Marty
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