Had same exact system in previous house in MA, had a drain around the entire perimeter of the basement. Three pumps, identical to these, not even a drop of water over 10 years until we sold the house. Highly recommended.
I have the same system in my basement. 1950 build house, ranch, NJ. From the evidence present, previous owners had a fairly significant flood in the basement which caused them to install a full French drain and a triple sump setup with battery backup. Been here over 6 years and the basement is as dry as can be.
@@Peter-td3yk There was that 1 spring sudden warm up after a period of freezing weather in the tri-state region, everyone's basement flooded, foundations were the only place snow melt could go.
I work for a pump control manufacturer. With your tiered system make sure you turn on the higher pump at least a couple times a year to prevent the pump from seizing up. Dual pump systems are great for redundancy but if the higher pump isn't "exercised" and seizes you likely wont know there is an issue until the first pump goes out. This is the reason why my company builds alternating control panels to increase the lifespan of the pump while also keeping each of them exercised.
I'm pretty sure those pumps are oil filled. Of course, they can still seize up. I actually just mentioned testing each part of his system myself. Main, battery back up, 2nd 120v pump.
Having an existing sump that failed, for me, the fernco is the best feature of this system. It was installed on the system that failed. This allowed me to size the crock, buy as big a pump as the crock would allow, and a dual backup system for it. Installation took ten minutes. I measured the existing pipe length from the old pump to the fernco and cut my pipe two inches longer than that to allow for error. I glued everything up and saw that I just needed a half an inch less pipe. I cut it. Slipped it into the fernco and tightened everything up. It literally took ten minutes. I highly recommend this system and this type of install.
Zoeller Sump Pumps recommend drilling a 3/8 inch ( maybe 3/16 “, I don’t remember ) vent hole or “weep” hole between the impeller chamber and the check valve to prevent air from becoming trapped inside the impeller chamber. Without this vent hole, the pump can become “air locked” and will not pump any water regardless of the level inside the pump well. Check the Zoeller installation instructions and look for vent hole or weep hole.
I was just on him for that. Did you see a check in his build. He 100% needs to add one with all that crazy head pressure. Priming that thing evetime it runs, destroying those green beauties.
Nice video. One of the best things to improve pump performance that should be done is use larger pipe. The instructions typically don’t tell you but the knowledgeable folks in support will tell you using 2” pipe after the 1-1/4 adapter reduces friction and increases flow significantly.
Thanks for mentioning that. Pipe is 1-1/2" but I'll have to ask them about the 2" pipe and see what they say. I know we wouldn't have been able to fit a 2" pipe behind the heater since that 1-1/2" pipe was barely able to get through. Thanks for watching.
F1 cars use the same principle on the air intake to the engine. I believe the engineers main purpose in that case is to make the air flow into the engine more laminar and more consistent.
1.5" pipe has a surface area of around 1100sqMM. 2" is around 2100sqMM. 3" is around 4400sqMM. Surface area via Pi-R-Sq Re F1, those guys make their living minimising reynolds numbers. The black magic they do on intakes is even more extreme on exhausts.
Those Zoeller sump pumps can handle quite a bit of head pressure. We use them at my work in Waste water pump stations and they have no issue lifting 15+feet. For this application you really don't need to up the pipe id. If you need that much flow, you have bigger problems you need to address first.
I watched plenty of videos on this subject and this one is by far is exactly what I need to do! That Sump pit never came up with my shopping searches! Nice instructional video!
In my setup at the end of the pipe i dug down 3' then dug a pit 3'long x 4 ' wide, i lined the bottom with 3/4 stone about 6" -1' deep then filled the rest of the hole with broken up cinder block, backfilled with more 3/4 stone to fill air pockets , ran my pipe all the way to the bottom of my makeshift leechfield, ,one other thing i did was i cut the bottom off a five gallon bucket with a lid, buried that filled 1/2 way with stone, this served as sort of a inspection port/ vent , that way in heavy rain or after i could always check on drain make sure its doing its job, has worked tremendously, i topped it with loom , now back yard is not flooded when we get rain
I had the same situation as you with a ranch style house built in the 50's here in Illinois. The basement would flood when the ground got saturated with water thus push its way through the hairline cracks in the concrete floor. I became an expert in hydrostatic pressure. Installed a sump pump system and connected directly to the Village of Deerfield's storm sewer system at the street. Also had a French drain system installed to help relieve the saturation. Problem solved.
We are currently replacing water-damaged drywall, framing, and cupboards. Some of these for a third time. We have done almost everything physically possible to stop the water intrusion including, inside and outside drainage and sump pumps, wall linings inside and out, French and surface drains, and gutter and downspout collection. We have installed three 6" PVC drains that lead to a culvert. To prevent water damage on the interior of the basement we are replacing water-damaged drywall, MDF, and wood with composite sheet boards made of polyurethane foam and fiberglass sheet composite. We are using Bluewater20 (1/2") and Bluewater26 (3/4") composite boards from Coosa Composites. Coosa board is used primarily as a substitute for plywood for the manufacture of watercraft. Coosa board is about 30% lighter than plywood. It does not absorb water so it doesn't rot, and it isn't susceptible to mold, algae or fungus. It is dimensionally stable and requires no special tools.
Wow Robert, you did all that and still had problems? Or this is what you're implementing? Is this just water intrusion and not related to cold temps? I'd be tempted to not put up anything on the walls until you get this sorted out.
@Mark-hb5zf This is all water intrusion coming primarily from the street. There is no curb or storm drain. Our house is at the bottom of a bowl. The problem seems to be associated with run-off, soil composition, and an increase in the amount of rain. Winter weather has not been a factor. With 20/20 hindsight had we opted for the most expensive fix in the beginning it would have saved thousands of dollars. Instead, we chose to fix problems as they appeared.
This is a French well. Pumps out ground water for months. Then house will settle just a smidge. You'll have a bunch of space under the house for water to raise and fall. Good system, I built one if these in my last house with half a 35gal plastic drum. I've even used 5 gal buckets for this in small spaces.
Our 1940s (western WA) house had a sump already and an old Lincoln pedestal pump when we purchased it over 8 years ago and though the pump still worked I decided it would be good insurance to replace it with a Zoeller submersible. Meanwhile the discharge pipe ended right outside the foundation and so I dug a trench out about 20 feet and terminated it into a lined and perforated drywell and filled it with river rock where it could filter the water back into the soil right next to the garden instead of next to the house where it could end up underneath the slab. I also tied the downspout in that corner of the house into the outside discharge pipe and installed a check valve onto the inside pipe so water wouldn’t back up into the basement. Fortunately our soil perks very well and I’ve never seen a drop of moisture coming through the the basement walls (knock on wood) which is great because I want to build a game room down there. Eventually I’ll get around to adding a secondary pump with a backup battery and in the distant future wrap the outside of the foundation with a membrane guaranteed to keep water from ever soaking though.
GREAT JOB! Thank you for putting this video together. I often say "You Tube makes me a lot smarter than I really am." You've been a big help and have taken a lot of stress out of this project for me. Best regards from Michigan.
Interesting - thanks for the video ! I rolled my own using pump spy 1500w inverter, walmart deep cycle battery, electronic floats and $60 1/6 hp utility pumps. I get the same rain as you. I have two primary pumps that alternate between active and inactive with electronic timer switches. Each pump will run occasionally to decrease the chance of them seizing. I have a 3rd pump that has the electronic floats set higher then the primary and secondary, if water ever reaches that level it could kick on to help if the flow is too large but mostly so that if the active primary pump has failed then it serves as the backup. The HC6000 has a hi and low which allows fine adjustment of start and stop. I also oversized my catch basin to minimize cycling. The HC6000 also notices if a pump starts drawing more current and alarms to alert that the pump might be on the verge of failure. I keep a couple brand new 1/6 HP pump kicking around for when one does fail - been running for a couple years now.
May I suggest adding a way to recharge your battery or operate the pump from a car alternator? Many outages can exceed the runtime of the battery, especially as it will only provide max availability and runtime for 2 years!
@@robertpeters9438 That's a good thought. I do have a subpanel that has been wired with any loads that I expect might be vital to keep going in a power outage such that I could eventually add a generator to the system. For now I just have a small gas generator but when I get an electric car I've seen harnesses that allow that to work as the "generator". Propane based generator system also seem pretty good. Put in on the 10-20 year plan.
@@walnutcontractors5661 Propane base generator is a great investment to be assured your water management system is fully functional at all times. Battery backup systems are crap and do not last or will fail in extended outages/storms. Took me 10 years to learn the hard way.
Good call on the 3inch buried pipe. We have a high water table and sometimes both our pumps run simultaneously in the spring. I’ve kept the outlet from freezing, but I’ve had at least two cracks in the underground abs. I’ve never seen the ice guards but that seems like a good idea too, although around here it might turn into an extreme water slide for curious chipmunks
haha that would be an extreme water slide for sure LOL! Thanks so much for watching and your input. Very interested to hear what other people have done.
I have the same system for 20 years. I also had an internal french drain that feeds the same sump. I also have the basement defender, which tests the system pumps every day and it connects to my phone app as well.
Subscribed! Excellent video showing the flooding problem and solution. Your new sump setup seems well thought out for redundancy and capacity. Like you, I learned more than I want to know about ground water intrusion and sump pump operation here in RI. Just a couple of things which you may have already addressed, make sure there are air bleed holes drilled in the exit pipe above the pump, but below the check valves (without it, the pumps could get airlocked and can’t pump). Also I would suggest placing the battery on a shelf installed on the foundation wall.
The bottoms of those outflow pipes nearest to the sump pumps should have a small angled hole drilled into them to prevent hydrolock. I believe Zoeller even recommends that you do this in the manual. Also, I would personally recommend ziptying off the float switches of the pumps (at least the bottom pump) and installing a solid state switch instead. The contacts on those things are 90% of the reason those pumps fail. They aren't substantial enough and will wear out quickly. Solid state is better anyway since you can adjust the height of pumping unlike the float switches.
@@synapticburn Not really. He doesn't do into what kind of switch it is, definitely not "ultrasonic", and he was talking about the top, battery backup pump. And like I said you want it on the bottom one if you can only have one solid state, because if you think about it, the bottom one is the one that is gonna see 99% of the on and off action. You don't want the contacts on that to wear out so no, he still should do all the stuff I mentioned.
I'm planning to add a sump pump to my West Seattle basement this summer. I'm below street level so I can't pump it out to the gutter, but 25 feet from the obvious exit point is the lowest spot in my yard, so I'm going to dig out and install a drywell and overflow emitter. I know that's just pumping the water table back to the water table, but that's fine as long as it isn't seeping into my basement.
If you live in an area that has municipal (city) water supply, you can use the : "belt and suspenders" approach by using a municipal water sump pump that uses the flow of the city water, no electricity needed, to use as a backup pump for your sump pump if you batteries die. It uses 1 gallon of city water to pump out 2 gallons of sump pump water. Once such pump is Liberty Pumps SJ10. Usually the city water system is backed up by a generator so most of the time residents have running water during a power outage.
I installed one several years ago. Make sure you test it at LEAST 2x a year. It cost me under $200 for parts and my time. Use a 3/4" water line to that Liberty Pump.
Thanks! I told my neighbor about it and he installed the 3/4” Liberty municipal pump and work like a charm since his backup batteries would died during an extended power outage. He has had a dry basement ever since he installed it as it works every time!
Amount of water pumped on water backup depends on water pressure and pipe sizing mostly most can handle alot more than 2 gallons. Manufacturers have charts so you can figure out what's needed for your situation. Pumps also have min and max psi operating ratings.
Until you get the $1200 bill from the plumber for the required backflow preventer. You don't lose water during a power outage because the water is stored in above ground tanks and towers to provide pressure. You'll have water until the tanks empty.
I don’t think it will be that expensive but having this municipal water sump is a lot better than having foot of water in the basement with the good potential of dangerous mold growth.
Amazing! This said, you are going to need a way bigger battery if you run out of power together with some solar panels to recharge them. Each house, electric infrastructure , and geographical location is different so please take that into account. We used to loose power constantly during storms so we had 16 solar panels and three massive Tesla wall batteries (we don't own electric vehicles) in the garage to "guarantee" the system would not fail.
also at the highest point in the line, you can add a vent. make sure the line is large enough. venting i will make it so you do not have as much of a problem with backflow and suction. i have seen systems where the check valve fails, get clogged, or does not seat all the way and resulting in more water getting sucked into the basement. the ice guard installed provides the venting needed.
I had the same pump installed and it lasted 1 year before the switch rusted and stopped working. Replaced the switch and installed a Liberty SJ10 water back up pump. 6 years now with no issues.
Thats too bad. Maybe you just got a lemon. Zoeller pumps have amazing reviews online seemingly. Time will tell so I'll keep people posted if I have any issues.
nope Zoller pumps with the built in level pump features kick on way to soon and they cycle way to often causing the contacts to burn out get one with out the pump switch and go with a tethered float that way it can fill up as high as you want it to and then it will last a lifetime
Great video. There is no worry like sump pump worry. I bought something called Pumpspy, plugs into the receptacle your pump is on and taps into your WiFi so if you go vacation… it’s peace of mind.
Can remember a car mechanic saying to never store a car battery on any concrete floors. Think even though the case is heavy non conductive plastic told me to have a piece of plywood between the lead acid battery and a damp floor. Great best in class job.
That's what I was always taught growing up, too, but recently when I asked my battery guy about this, he said new batteries are designed better and that's no longer a concern. I still store batteries with cardboard or wood between them and the concrete though, because some habits die hard.
My place in central Ontario is very low beside a lake, the original sump pump just put water on the lawn. Not ideal. I dug a secondary pit, with a secondary pump set higher, both pits connected. The two pump exits into a single poly line that runs coaxially in a corrugated 120 feet to the ditch. The corrugated line also carries evestrough water. An air valve on inside ABS pipe lets air follow the water , prevents an air lock in line. The first hundred feet have a heat tracing line that I’ve never needed. Both pumps on separate 15 amp circuits. A back up Generac generator is on standby. Expensive but worth it. It can reach -25f some winters but it’s never frozen in last 15 years. Primary pump runs a lot even in cold winters. Many neighbours have had basement floods and are copying my design as flood damage is expensive.
I've got three sump pits in our house, the previous owners installed: two inside, one outside in the yard near the foundation. The pits inside the house were professionally installed, and share many of the features shown in this video. The single best thing you can do though, is prevent water from intruding your foundation in the first place (if possible). In our case, it was a grade issue; the slope of the yard ever-so-slightly went toward the house in several places, exacerbated by landscaping which retained the water with landscaping fabric. The house may have settled over 40 years or the grade was never correct, but the end result was rains and snowmelt inevitably directed toward the house, and thus inevitably INTO the basement. After we bought the place, we tore down the deck, tore out 400+ feet of landscaping including igneous rock and thick plastic beneath, along with poured concrete edging and sidewalks which sloped toward the house. I hauled in 14 loads of fill dirt and banked it against the house, installing window wells to compensate for the added elevation against the split-level house. I capped it off with erosion control blankets and seeded prairie grass and prairie wildflowers all around. All downspouts now have ten foot extensions too. It was a monumental effort, but the result is that I no longer fear rain or spring thaw like I had! We've not had even a hint of humidity in the basement ever since. Neighbors tell us that the previous owners dealt with basement flooding every single spring over the ~40 years they owned the property. Moral of the story: try to keep water from flowing anywhere near your house in the first place!
Very nice video. My son sent it to me because my basement in Vermont has seen a couple of high waters, mostly ankle deep, but once knee deep and the most intense when six inches of rain landed in thirty minutes, I had unheard of water entry locations and even with two pumps going, the water was 32 inches deep! Now we are figuring out the details to install a sump pump. The water levels rose the first time decades ago with my mom and gramp living at the house after the local hotel tarred over their whole large parking lot, and all the neighbors down the street got flooded. The hotel had to correct their mistake with installing catchment and drainage areas, which helped but not fully. Just before the 32” flood, the local school changed a swampy hillside area into parking lot with water catching areas when a new building was built taking out their previous parking. We cannot undercut the worth of a swamp as a heavy rain sponge, mitigating flooding! And a question… what does one do where the temp goes down way below freezing? I would worry that the outflow pipes, if water is pushed through them from time to time, would freeze and back up or cause the pumps to fail.
Very good video. Did your PVC break yet? I have seen other connections where they have an air gap that allows the PVC connected to the house slide up and down vs the pvc in the ground so that when the ground freezes and heaves, it doesn’t crack the PVC.
I love how you go with three pumps and no drain tile. Then your piping cut the life of these wonderful American made pumps in half. Omg the head pressure. Please add a check valve for the love of your pumps.
@@sewerrat7612…What sump pump do you recommend? I have zoeller from Lowes, electro magnetic switch 1/2 HP pump. I was getting lots of water in basement during heavy rains due to hydraulic pressure. I dug hole and pump has been keeping basement dry. Water table is 8 inches below slab.
All the larger brands are decent in my experience it's more important that pumps set to pump at proper height. If built in switch can raise up on bricks if height difference is larger they make pumps with adjustable floats. You want it to be enough to keep from flooding but not so low that it's pumping ground water all the time unless your structure under the water table. Ideas to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the pumps that will lead to premature failure.
Zoller pumps are the best BUT the float contacts will burn out after the warranty expires in 3 yrs,so on my second Zoller pump due to it crying so much as it kicks on almost right w=away with about 2-3 inches of water, i bought one WITHOUT a pump level feature on it and went with a float system that will allow for a full catch basin of water instead of the 3 inches of water from the other built in float and it works great
Curious to know if your basement block walls are sealed from the outside. I suspect most of that water comes through porous cinder blocks. Path of least resistance would be block walls, not clay.
Richard! Thank you for saying something. In all honesty this just dawned on me once you said it. That's a no brainer but for some reason all of my focus was trying to film as much as possible since I wasn't taking on the majority of the labor on this one. Thanks for watching and keeping me in check haha.
3:04 I am curious if the sock by the holes will eventually get clogged by small particles and have to be removed as it's on the outside of the bin. Rather than a filter/grate on the inside where it could be cleaned or cleared of debris.
it could get clogged, but depends on the filter size, gravel under the slab and silt in the soil, Inside filter is a good alternative easily maintained and montitored. But remember you want water into the basin to then be pumped out and the Zoeller M53 will pump out up to a 1/2 stone, so I think the sock is not good practice.
3:55 cutting out a section around the slab is something we've done in the past. It takes as long as you'd think. Incredibly hard work. Best to have many hands. But it did work, taking a house that was flooding yearly to absolutely perfectly dry. (The sump would fill with water none strop for weeks) PS: I still don't see any check valves installed? are they within?
I apologize if this has been asked numerous times, ballpark, how much does something like this cost? I understand there are different scenarios and situations but what is a round about cost?
Really nice job. Years ago we made a horrible mistake when having an in ground pool installed. Through a combination of “not knowing” and landscape design we managed to have rain water flowing towards the house. Since our yard is heavy with clay it never drains well anyway. I’ve had to install a drainage system that moves the water away from the house into a 30 gallon tub with a sump pump. Since it’s outside away from the house there’s no battery backup. I’m at the mercy of the power company. And still during heavy sustained periods of rain sometimes water manages to get into the basement. Very frustrating.
The house I'm building in NH is on a fairly flat lot and has a very high water table. At first we figured we would have to put in a heavy duty sump to keep the basement dry, but my sitework guy was able to put in a daylight drain for the perimeter drain so now, even with very heavy rain, it stays 12" below the top of the sump basket. I will still have a duo sump system with battery backup like you, but it hasn't been necessary (yet).
7:27 Folks, I am a very competent Plumber here in the northeast part of the country (CT) and we have gotten rain this year… An understatement / lots and lots of rain! Well so far I’ve changed out three of those stupid systems that this guy was demonstrating around the seven minute and 27 second mark; they are junk! Those Zoeller pumps are not that great. Those switches on them fail often and that back up pump is pretty much good for an aquarium, that’s it! A lot of these guys put pipes on them that are 7 to 10 feet in height, and those pumps will not pump adequately with that kind of head pressure. I do not get any endorsement from Liberty pumps but that’s all I use because they are so much better than those Zoeller brand pumps. If the customer wants a battery back up then I use a 1200 W inverter with automatic transfer switch coupled with an Interstate or Deka brand deep cycle battery and then marry that to a Liberty half or three-quarter horsepower sump pump. So much more reliable than the junk that these guys are selling. Edward H. - “Integrity, Plumbing, Septic and Drain“ out of the Clinton, CT USA area.
Greetings my fellow CT family 😊. You just who I need to speak to I bought a mess of a house I knew the house was a slope on back home inspection gave it great reviews never trust a woman again lol and I'm a female. Anyway I live behind Mountains wasn't aware of and the previous owners knew they had water issues never said they did they just laughed to the bank. Anyway I was thinking of adding a sump pump just don't know what best to choose for my situation. Yes I had 500 dollars worth of rocks added for ground water to flow away from home. I'm too old for this can u please help a old lady out. 😢 I want to try to resolve this and sell it I believe in doing right by other and trying to be responsible person I put so much money into this and I really have no more money left. Thanks
Ding ding ding. Winner here. Well said. He is using the Basement Systems line of pumps/crocks. Zoeller pumps are, in my opinion, garbage and I've probably swapped out 3-400 of them. The primary cause of failure is their crappy float switch. It either sticks in the off position or, worse, the on position and with no thermal overload protection it simply burns itself out. Plus, they are grossly inefficient pumps. I primarily use Champion, Pro Series (awesome continuous duty pumps) and other commercial grade pumps if I know I'll need to pump solids like leaves, etc... Liberty's are also excellent pumps too. I'm also a big fan of inverters and batteries but that depends on the volume of water we expect to see. I can always daisy chain additional batteries and get additional capacity or go to a 12V backup if the volume is lower, depends on the issues.
Ed, fellow Clinton resident (Grove St)! All my neighbors have sumps running all the time from the high water table right now. My house is older and built a little higher than theirs, still dry (for now), and no sump. I've been here for decades and only once about 12 years ago had an issue. I had two pumps running around the clock for days on end on my basement floor that time, a 1/3 hp skimmer pump going into a 5 gal bucket with a 3/4 mag float pump inside it. Just enough to keep the water at
I have a side question... it looks like wrap on the ceiling in your garage is Tyvek with a foil or radiant side. Im looking fro that product and wonder what it is. Any help would be much appreciated!
A friend who is a contractor mentioned to me that the sump hole should be a bit away from the foundation wall. Would love some additional info from anyone withe experience. Obviously these guys new what they were doing and it didn't seem to be an issue.
It’s the basement, yard debris isn’t inside. Sump pumps are common in most basements including mine. If you had dirt and debris in your basement you’re got bigger issues
@@saulgoodman2018 Have you even watched the video? The part where they installed the ice guard? After the ice guard there will be no more pressure from the pump in the pipe underground...
Just out of curiosity, I noticed they did not install a perimeter French drain leading to the sump pit? I always thought this was a necessary measure for a new installation. It seems with that set up you're only really going to get water maybe three or four square feet from the pit?
I imagine if you locate it near an identified entry point in your foundation/floor slab you can divert a decent amount of water without tearing up a lot of concrete, which is probably the most effective approach.
@@skeptick6513 Most cases of basement water seepage occur due to the rising water table, where water generally permeates through the house footer rather than from a single entry point. My basement currently lacks a sump pump, which I recognize as a necessity. While there aren't visible signs of water entering, there are moisture problems that mandate the use of a dehumidifier during the summer months. After conducting research, I've learned that the most reliable solution involves excavating an interior perimeter trench that houses a perforated pipe directing water to a sump pit.
@@shazaidi Wasn't necessary in my basement. I self-installed my sump pump very much like in the video. Only difference was I used a 35 gallon or so trash can drilled with many holes. goes down about 32" if I recall correctly. Totally solved my seepage along the footer problem, even when water table is very high. One time to check, I unplugged the sump pump and watched the water come up to almost the top of the pit before plugging it back in. Think about it. If it takes water out only to be replenished, it's coming from a larger area. In my case of 1,000 sq. foot basement, it solved the problem with no other drains, and my land is flat at the base of a slope. Not saying that would work for everyone. Depends on soils, and if there is crushed stone under slab. For further check, my well is about 15 feet from the house. One spring after snow melt and rains with sump pump running every few minutes, I took the well cap off dropped a weighted string down till I hit water at seven feet. That made it just about the level of the footer joint, plus or minus a few inches. That sump pit was the solution for me.
Is your garage ceiling the floor of a living space of the house.? If yes look into a better way of sealing out potential fumes from car exhaust, fire proof layer of drywall....
It looks like that channel drain at the entryway door collects a lot more than water.. is it non- functioning or in need of better regular maintenance? Cleaning or a good jetting to loosen or remove accumulated debris will help tremendously.
Very informative, thanks. Could you please point me in the right direction in search of a DUAL PUMP BASIN shown in your video? I followed the link in description, but this is for single pump setup, and I need dual pump basin. Thanks, Yuri.
Codes vary, but it is not permitted here to have a storm water drain system inlet set at floor level in the building. Floor drains must be routed to sanitary systems. Ground water is then kept separate from potential floor drain sewage or gray water. Also, the basin size appears undersized, given the power of the pumps. They will cycle too often, especially when combined with the low head height.
Hmmm. I see your point on the concern on mixing floor drain sewage/gray water with ground water. I hadn't considered that. In our town, the codes as you note are different. In the past the treatment plants were unable to keep up with excess inflow from basement sumps etc and then would release untreated waste into the nearby waters (long island sound) even after they redesigned and built new treatment plants. I guess one way or another, there's going to be potential for that sewage to end up in places where we don't want it...
I depend on a generator and spare pump I keep on hand in the event the main one fails. Simple swap out. We've had power out for over a week from hurricanes and I doubt a backup battery is going to last that long.
Totally agree. Keeping the system operating in extreme/all conditions is essential, otherwise it will fail. Recommend an automatic failover as failures usually occur when not there or far away to monitor and correct. Ounce of prevention pound of cure is THE RIGHT WAY!
Typically only one of the two pumps is going to be active, the other can serve to vent, and even if both are active you have soil gases under your slab, the basin is open to the sub slab.
@@walnutcontractors5661 interesting concept - I think the vent from second pump is not a substantial source of air because there is a check valve. Soil gases are something I have not considered. Thanks for the reply
you could grind a slot one inch away from your basement walls., then silicone seal in vinyl j channel back to the sump. It's called a beaver system. That sump system would not be allowed in WI as it is now technically a floor drain. and floor drains are part of the sanitary sewer not part of what we call storm water.
Have a double back up system if the power cuts out its also powered by water pressure line in case. Also a back flow prevention from the outside sewer drain
Guys did an excellent job BUT from experience I would steer completely clear of those (junk) water guard channel systems because there is no way of creating a proper grade when these are placed within the top 3" of the floor and they will continue to always hold water that struggles to drain to the sump & will build up hidden mold in the system. If you plan to install that type of system in the future & since the floor will already be jackhammered & removed around the foundation,..just Do It Right and install the normal drain tile system that will drop up to 16" below the bottom of the slab & feed back into the sump.
Very informative video, I really liked the plastic sump and filter sock material around it. Can you tell me where you purchased and or what the brand is?
Great Question! After seeing how this is done by the pros I'd be 100% confident in doing it myself. HOWEVER, these guys worked extremely hard all day long and now knowing how much work it is I'd most likely have to plan for this type of project to be completed in a week if it was just myself. Which does include all the time it takes to round up materials and equipment. Thanks for watching.
I've seen pictures of the Ice Guard freezing over in cold climates. I'm thinking with an active pump in cold temps, the mist is enough to eventually cause ice to form over the narrow openings. Reason I mentioned that is because I considered getting one myself, but changed my mind. Great concept, but maybe not the best implementation. Also, I wouldn't have plumbed both pipes into a single 3" pipe, I would have kept two separate pipes (i.e. completely redundant systems) in case one gets clogged or froze up. I almost think I'd just leave the 2nd pipe just to shoot out into the yard, despite water maybe some migrating back into the basement. Perhaps do a little yard work to help it run away. Just having a stubby pipe discharge wouldn't be any different than water coming out of the Ice Guard. I'd consider the 2nd pump running as an exception rather than the norm and the goal would be to get rid of water in an emergency. Sorry - don't mean to sound like I'm criticizing, I'm not, the install was great! :) I have two sump pumps and even went as far as running them off of separate breakers just in case if one pump failed and tripped the breaker, it would have shut off the 2nd pump too (if on a single breaker).
My by design I believe here smaller pump is lower so it gives a chance for the larger pump to sometimes cycle on (most companies just install 2 of the same pumps and second one never gets activated until first pump fails then they find out the second pump has failed as well)
@@leexgx Thinking about your comment, perhaps using a smaller primary pump to pump out the typical water might lessen the chance for water splatter to freeze up the Ice Guard. i.e. slower but longer = less splatter. I do think running the 2nd pump straight out is a better option or at least don't combine into a single tile. You don't want a 'single point failure' i.e. one thing can render both pumps useless. I know you have the Ice Guards installed, so you technically don't have a single point failure. But if one Ice Guard did freeze up, then the chances are, the other one will also freeze up. I admit I'm a bit OCD about this stuff. :) The last 2 nights it's been ~-4 to -7F here. Tonight will be another one, but then the weather turns to a toasty 9F. LOL More than once I've went out and checked that the pump pump drain is still ice free! I'd rather be proactive than reactive.
@@sewerrat7612 I agree, but some of the ice guards - I've seen complaints that the openings have frozen shut, probably just do to water splatter. I still may get one this summer and install and see how it performs in the summer (i.e. splatter or not), then decide if I want it to remain installed for winter. Or are you referring to ONLY an air gap (i.e. no ice guard)? I have considered just a straight air gap.
@@Mark-hb5zfonly air gap works if there is a larger drain below such as a square grated drain basin leading to piping. Problem ends up being how much it splashes before going out. Could always go directly into larger piping system without sealing the two just dropping piping in that way if end fails at least it pumping outside. Could also pipe in sewer relief poppers would do a few in different sections of line if one areas blocked will just end up pumping to next clear one away from house parts cost a bit though.
I really hope this works for you but as someone that has major water issues in my house I think you might be looking at that interior tiled a bout 30 yrs ago we tiled around around the exterior of the house and landscaped to run the water away from the house about yrs ago we had a really cold spell when it warmed up we had a leak in our back wall got the company Basement Boss come said we had a couple of cracks in the wall and with the amount of water there was should tile around the inside of the house when he busted up the floor he could not believe the amount of water under the slab. They did a great job and knock on wood no water so to you good luck.
Its not necessary to install more then one pump. It is a great Idea to have a back up pump being either a battery back up or a water back up system. Also, I know that it is more of an expense to add a french drain around the parameter, but it insures that your basement will not flood again. We don't use the drain on the footing, concrete should be at least 4 inches to prevent cracking. When we install french drain around the basement we stick to the 4 inch perforated corrugated drain tile and pea stones. Remember, cinder blocks have a hollow cavity which holds water. The cinder block is on the footing and therefore it is not right next to the soil. Usually there is 3-4 inches of footing before the soil. I is a little more work but, digging the trench and using a level you can direct the flow better to the pump. Plus, drilling 1/2 inch holes in the cavities of the bottom of the block and running clear tubing into the trench will purge any water from the walls right into the french drain. Also, I know its more efficient to just jack hammer a concrete floor but, the reality is that the impact of the jack hammer will cause hair line cracks in your concrete. Its better to use an electric wet saw to precut the concrete to lessen the risk of cracking the concrete, plus its a cleaner look. Fun fact. the zollar pump is an alright pump and most plumbers like it, we tend to move away from the float switch. These pumps activate every 4-5 inches of water. If there is a high water table these switches are in constant activation which causes the failure of the switch itself. I tend to favor the pressure sensor switch. These pumps kick on after 9 inches of water and there is no way for the switch to hang up or something to get caught in it.
My house is on a hillside like yours seems to be, and I have a sump on the deep side of the basement. The other side of my house has a walk out basement door so I don't really think the sump pump scheme makes sense.
There it going to be a part 2 with this project just FYI. This fixes the water table issue. Next will be fixing the drainage from the front driveway. Stay tuned :)
Need a Metropolitan Pump Alternater(Genesis system) Exercises both pumps and has a high water alarm If pump 1 fails it automatically kicks over to pump 2 and gives audible alarm to let you know that one of your pumps has gained l failed.
Basements are swimming pools. acknowledge that.. Power outages for a few days and battery backup is useless. Yea its nice to have if its on a hill with 3/4 above ground. But to do forever it needs gravity drainage.. 30 year storms do happen, or more or less.. Its like Sisyphus keeping a basement dry. Id raise my washer dryer and heater to a higher level. after 12 homes one gets more rational..
Great video! However two 1.5" pipes together do not add up to 3". They actually add up to 2". First on a simple "area of a circle" basis, and second is that pipe wall flow restriction goes up by the power of 5!! So a slightly larger pipe is significantly faster flow. The 3" pipe you put in is actually enough for 8 1.5" pipes!
Its nice when people do move their cars out the driveway when we work but i work a lot in the city and there is no driveways. So im stuck carrying tools and material like half city block in some instances
It depends on the location and when the area was built. From what I’ve seen, 1920’s houses (specifically Terre Haute, Indiana, and Rochester, NY; probably common in many places) put all their water into the sanitary sewer system, which might be unable to keep up with the volume of water during heavy storms, releasing the excess water untreated. The 1940’s house I grew up in sends its rainwater to a drainage ditch and buried pipe that serves several nearby houses. More recently constructed areas do have separate storm water systems.
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Had same exact system in previous house in MA, had a drain around the entire perimeter of the basement. Three pumps, identical to these, not even a drop of water over 10 years until we sold the house. Highly recommended.
That's amazing to hear! Costly but I bet it felt good to never have to worry about flooding. thanks for sharing and watching.
" until we sold the house." so it failed after you sold the house?
or do you mean "even after we sold the house"
10 years aint much 30 year storms are the real culprit.. Jersey had those and basements flooded no matter. power out pumps burned up.
I have the same system in my basement. 1950 build house, ranch, NJ. From the evidence present, previous owners had a fairly significant flood in the basement which caused them to install a full French drain and a triple sump setup with battery backup. Been here over 6 years and the basement is as dry as can be.
@@Peter-td3yk There was that 1 spring sudden warm up after a period of freezing weather in the tri-state region, everyone's basement flooded, foundations were the only place snow melt could go.
I work for a pump control manufacturer. With your tiered system make sure you turn on the higher pump at least a couple times a year to prevent the pump from seizing up. Dual pump systems are great for redundancy but if the higher pump isn't "exercised" and seizes you likely wont know there is an issue until the first pump goes out. This is the reason why my company builds alternating control panels to increase the lifespan of the pump while also keeping each of them exercised.
What's the name of that company? Looking for an alternating control panel.
The proper way to do this is a true dual pump controller with alternating relay and lead/ lag floats.
I'm pretty sure those pumps are oil filled. Of course, they can still seize up. I actually just mentioned testing each part of his system myself. Main, battery back up, 2nd 120v pump.
@@SmoothIsFast791 SJE Rhombus
Having an existing sump that failed, for me, the fernco is the best feature of this system.
It was installed on the system that failed. This allowed me to size the crock, buy as big a pump as the crock would allow, and a dual backup system for it.
Installation took ten minutes. I measured the existing pipe length from the old pump to the fernco and cut my pipe two inches longer than that to allow for error.
I glued everything up and saw that I just needed a half an inch less pipe. I cut it. Slipped it into the fernco and tightened everything up.
It literally took ten minutes.
I highly recommend this system and this type of install.
Zoeller Sump Pumps recommend drilling a 3/8 inch ( maybe 3/16 “, I don’t remember ) vent hole or “weep” hole between the impeller chamber and the check valve to prevent air from becoming trapped inside the impeller chamber. Without this vent hole, the pump can become “air locked” and will not pump any water regardless of the level inside the pump well. Check the Zoeller installation instructions and look for vent hole or weep hole.
I was just on him for that. Did you see a check in his build. He 100% needs to add one with all that crazy head pressure. Priming that thing evetime it runs, destroying those green beauties.
Built into the male by fernco check that's threaded into the pump comes with zoeller battery backup pump systems.
Nice video. One of the best things to improve pump performance that should be done is use larger pipe. The instructions typically don’t tell you but the knowledgeable folks in support will tell you using 2” pipe after the 1-1/4 adapter reduces friction and increases flow significantly.
Thanks for mentioning that. Pipe is 1-1/2" but I'll have to ask them about the 2" pipe and see what they say. I know we wouldn't have been able to fit a 2" pipe behind the heater since that 1-1/2" pipe was barely able to get through. Thanks for watching.
F1 cars use the same principle on the air intake to the engine. I believe the engineers main purpose in that case is to make the air flow into the engine more laminar and more consistent.
1.5" pipe has a surface area of around 1100sqMM. 2" is around 2100sqMM. 3" is around 4400sqMM. Surface area via Pi-R-Sq
Re F1, those guys make their living minimising reynolds numbers. The black magic they do on intakes is even more extreme on exhausts.
1.5 is fine for a sump many companies switch to 2 inch due to plumbing code not allowing 1.5 to be buried in many area's.
Those Zoeller sump pumps can handle quite a bit of head pressure. We use them at my work in Waste water pump stations and they have no issue lifting 15+feet. For this application you really don't need to up the pipe id. If you need that much flow, you have bigger problems you need to address first.
I watched plenty of videos on this subject and this one is by far is exactly what I need to do! That Sump pit never came up with my shopping searches! Nice instructional video!
In my setup at the end of the pipe i dug down 3' then dug a pit 3'long x 4 ' wide, i lined the bottom with 3/4 stone about 6" -1' deep then filled the rest of the hole with broken up cinder block, backfilled with more 3/4 stone to fill air pockets , ran my pipe all the way to the bottom of my makeshift leechfield, ,one other thing i did was i cut the bottom off a five gallon bucket with a lid, buried that filled 1/2 way with stone, this served as sort of a inspection port/ vent , that way in heavy rain or after i could always check on drain make sure its doing its job, has worked tremendously, i topped it with loom , now back yard is not flooded when we get rain
I had the same situation as you with a ranch style house built in the 50's here in Illinois. The basement would flood when the ground got saturated with water thus push its way through the hairline cracks in the concrete floor. I became an expert in hydrostatic pressure. Installed a sump pump system and connected directly to the Village of Deerfield's storm sewer system at the street. Also had a French drain system installed to help relieve the saturation. Problem solved.
We are currently replacing water-damaged drywall, framing, and cupboards. Some of these for a third time.
We have done almost everything physically possible to stop the water intrusion including, inside and outside drainage and sump pumps, wall linings inside and out, French and surface drains, and gutter and downspout collection. We have installed three 6" PVC drains that lead to a culvert.
To prevent water damage on the interior of the basement we are replacing water-damaged drywall, MDF, and wood with composite sheet boards made of polyurethane foam and fiberglass sheet composite. We are using Bluewater20 (1/2") and Bluewater26 (3/4") composite boards from Coosa Composites.
Coosa board is used primarily as a substitute for plywood for the manufacture of watercraft. Coosa board is about 30% lighter than plywood. It does not absorb water so it doesn't rot, and it isn't susceptible to mold, algae or fungus. It is dimensionally stable and requires no special tools.
Wow Robert, you did all that and still had problems? Or this is what you're implementing? Is this just water intrusion and not related to cold temps? I'd be tempted to not put up anything on the walls until you get this sorted out.
@Mark-hb5zf This is all water intrusion coming primarily from the street. There is no curb or storm drain. Our house is at the bottom of a bowl.
The problem seems to be associated with run-off, soil composition, and an increase in the amount of rain. Winter weather has not been a factor.
With 20/20 hindsight had we opted for the most expensive fix in the beginning it would have saved thousands of dollars. Instead, we chose to fix problems as they appeared.
This is a French well. Pumps out ground water for months. Then house will settle just a smidge. You'll have a bunch of space under the house for water to raise and fall. Good system, I built one if these in my last house with half a 35gal plastic drum. I've even used 5 gal buckets for this in small spaces.
I have been battling this for years as well. I finally put a battery backup pump in and it solved my issues. Good luck in the future man.
Our 1940s (western WA) house had a sump already and an old Lincoln pedestal pump when we purchased it over 8 years ago and though the pump still worked I decided it would be good insurance to replace it with a Zoeller submersible. Meanwhile the discharge pipe ended right outside the foundation and so I dug a trench out about 20 feet and terminated it into a lined and perforated drywell and filled it with river rock where it could filter the water back into the soil right next to the garden instead of next to the house where it could end up underneath the slab. I also tied the downspout in that corner of the house into the outside discharge pipe and installed a check valve onto the inside pipe so water wouldn’t back up into the basement. Fortunately our soil perks very well and I’ve never seen a drop of moisture coming through the the basement walls (knock on wood) which is great because I want to build a game room down there. Eventually I’ll get around to adding a secondary pump with a backup battery and in the distant future wrap the outside of the foundation with a membrane guaranteed to keep water from ever soaking though.
GREAT JOB! Thank you for putting this video together. I often say "You Tube makes me a lot smarter than I really am." You've been a big help and have taken a lot of stress out of this project for me. Best regards from Michigan.
Interesting - thanks for the video ! I rolled my own using pump spy 1500w inverter, walmart deep cycle battery, electronic floats and $60 1/6 hp utility pumps. I get the same rain as you. I have two primary pumps that alternate between active and inactive with electronic timer switches. Each pump will run occasionally to decrease the chance of them seizing. I have a 3rd pump that has the electronic floats set higher then the primary and secondary, if water ever reaches that level it could kick on to help if the flow is too large but mostly so that if the active primary pump has failed then it serves as the backup. The HC6000 has a hi and low which allows fine adjustment of start and stop. I also oversized my catch basin to minimize cycling. The HC6000 also notices if a pump starts drawing more current and alarms to alert that the pump might be on the verge of failure. I keep a couple brand new 1/6 HP pump kicking around for when one does fail - been running for a couple years now.
May I suggest adding a way to recharge your battery or operate the pump from a car alternator? Many outages can exceed the runtime of the battery, especially as it will only provide max availability and runtime for 2 years!
@@robertpeters9438 That's a good thought. I do have a subpanel that has been wired with any loads that I expect might be vital to keep going in a power outage such that I could eventually add a generator to the system. For now I just have a small gas generator but when I get an electric car I've seen harnesses that allow that to work as the "generator". Propane based generator system also seem pretty good. Put in on the 10-20 year plan.
@@walnutcontractors5661 Propane base generator is a great investment to be assured your water management system is fully functional at all times. Battery backup systems are crap and do not last or will fail in extended outages/storms. Took me 10 years to learn the hard way.
Good call on the 3inch buried pipe. We have a high water table and sometimes both our pumps run simultaneously in the spring. I’ve kept the outlet from freezing, but I’ve had at least two cracks in the underground abs.
I’ve never seen the ice guards but that seems like a good idea too, although around here it might turn into an extreme water slide for curious chipmunks
haha that would be an extreme water slide for sure LOL! Thanks so much for watching and your input. Very interested to hear what other people have done.
I have the same system for 20 years. I also had an internal french drain that feeds the same sump. I also have the basement defender, which tests the system pumps every day and it connects to my phone app as well.
Subscribed! Excellent video showing the flooding problem and solution. Your new sump setup seems well thought out for redundancy and capacity. Like you, I learned more than I want to know about ground water intrusion and sump pump operation here in RI. Just a couple of things which you may have already addressed, make sure there are air bleed holes drilled in the exit pipe above the pump, but below the check valves (without it, the pumps could get airlocked and can’t pump). Also I would suggest placing the battery on a shelf installed on the foundation wall.
You mean bandage.. a hope and a wish. Id recommend swim trunks.. and a rubber ducky
@@Peter-td3ykWhat part is the bandage and what do you propose for the solution?
The bottoms of those outflow pipes nearest to the sump pumps should have a small angled hole drilled into them to prevent hydrolock. I believe Zoeller even recommends that you do this in the manual. Also, I would personally recommend ziptying off the float switches of the pumps (at least the bottom pump) and installing a solid state switch instead. The contacts on those things are 90% of the reason those pumps fail. They aren't substantial enough and will wear out quickly. Solid state is better anyway since you can adjust the height of pumping unlike the float switches.
he mentions that at least one of pumps has an ultrasonic water sensor
@@synapticburn Not really. He doesn't do into what kind of switch it is, definitely not "ultrasonic", and he was talking about the top, battery backup pump. And like I said you want it on the bottom one if you can only have one solid state, because if you think about it, the bottom one is the one that is gonna see 99% of the on and off action. You don't want the contacts on that to wear out so no, he still should do all the stuff I mentioned.
I'm planning to add a sump pump to my West Seattle basement this summer. I'm below street level so I can't pump it out to the gutter, but 25 feet from the obvious exit point is the lowest spot in my yard, so I'm going to dig out and install a drywell and overflow emitter. I know that's just pumping the water table back to the water table, but that's fine as long as it isn't seeping into my basement.
Yep I'm going to be installing that type of system for the driveway drain I have. Stay tuned :)
If you live in an area that has municipal (city) water supply, you can use the : "belt and suspenders" approach by using a municipal water sump pump that uses the flow of the city water, no electricity needed, to use as a backup pump for your sump pump if you batteries die. It uses 1 gallon of city water to pump out 2 gallons of sump pump water. Once such pump is Liberty Pumps SJ10. Usually the city water system is backed up by a generator so most of the time residents have running water during a power outage.
I installed one several years ago. Make sure you test it at LEAST 2x a year. It cost me under $200 for parts and my time. Use a 3/4" water line to that Liberty Pump.
Thanks! I told my neighbor about it and he installed the 3/4” Liberty municipal pump and work like a charm since his backup batteries would died during an extended power outage. He has had a dry basement ever since he installed it as it works every time!
Amount of water pumped on water backup depends on water pressure and pipe sizing mostly most can handle alot more than 2 gallons. Manufacturers have charts so you can figure out what's needed for your situation. Pumps also have min and max psi operating ratings.
Until you get the $1200 bill from the plumber for the required backflow preventer. You don't lose water during a power outage because the water is stored in above ground tanks and towers to provide pressure. You'll have water until the tanks empty.
I don’t think it will be that expensive but having this municipal water sump is a lot better than having foot of water in the basement with the good potential of dangerous mold growth.
Great job, Brent! Nice having someone do (most) of the work, so you could focus on filming. Can't wait for part 2!
Amazing! This said, you are going to need a way bigger battery if you run out of power together with some solar panels to recharge them. Each house, electric infrastructure , and geographical location is different so please take that into account. We used to loose power constantly during storms so we had 16 solar panels and three massive Tesla wall batteries (we don't own electric vehicles) in the garage to "guarantee" the system would not fail.
also at the highest point in the line, you can add a vent. make sure the line is large enough. venting i will make it so you do not have as much of a problem with backflow and suction. i have seen systems where the check valve fails, get clogged, or does not seat all the way and resulting in more water getting sucked into the basement. the ice guard installed provides the venting needed.
I had the same pump installed and it lasted 1 year before the switch rusted and stopped working. Replaced the switch and installed a Liberty SJ10 water back up pump. 6 years now with no issues.
Thats too bad. Maybe you just got a lemon. Zoeller pumps have amazing reviews online seemingly. Time will tell so I'll keep people posted if I have any issues.
nope Zoller pumps with the built in level pump features kick on way to soon and they cycle way to often causing the contacts to burn out get one with out the pump switch and go with a tethered float that way it can fill up as high as you want it to and then it will last a lifetime
@@davidstreling3690depends on depth of pit.
@@davidstreling3690…I have the electro magnetic switch in mine. Should I be concerned about longevity?
Great video. There is no worry like sump pump worry. I bought something called Pumpspy, plugs into the receptacle your pump is on and taps into your WiFi so if you go vacation… it’s peace of mind.
oh geeze, I needed this decades ago.
Can remember a car mechanic saying to never store a car battery on any concrete floors. Think even though the case is heavy non conductive plastic told me to have a piece of plywood between the lead acid battery and a damp floor. Great best in class job.
That's what I was always taught growing up, too, but recently when I asked my battery guy about this, he said new batteries are designed better and that's no longer a concern.
I still store batteries with cardboard or wood between them and the concrete though, because some habits die hard.
Very old battery's that could happen to but not today's batterys
That was true when the old batteries had rubber cases that were porous. Modern batteries are hard plastic and non-porous.
This was true when the battery cas was made of wood early in the 20th century.
My place in central Ontario is very low beside a lake, the original sump pump just put water on the lawn. Not ideal.
I dug a secondary pit, with a secondary pump set higher, both pits connected. The two pump exits into a single poly line that runs coaxially in a corrugated 120 feet to the ditch. The corrugated line also carries evestrough water.
An air valve on inside ABS pipe lets air follow the water , prevents an air lock in line.
The first hundred feet have a heat tracing line that I’ve never needed.
Both pumps on separate 15 amp circuits.
A back up Generac generator is on standby. Expensive but worth it.
It can reach -25f some winters but it’s never frozen in last 15 years.
Primary pump runs a lot even in cold winters.
Many neighbours have had basement floods and are copying my design as flood damage is expensive.
I've got three sump pits in our house, the previous owners installed: two inside, one outside in the yard near the foundation.
The pits inside the house were professionally installed, and share many of the features shown in this video.
The single best thing you can do though, is prevent water from intruding your foundation in the first place (if possible). In our case, it was a grade issue; the slope of the yard ever-so-slightly went toward the house in several places, exacerbated by landscaping which retained the water with landscaping fabric. The house may have settled over 40 years or the grade was never correct, but the end result was rains and snowmelt inevitably directed toward the house, and thus inevitably INTO the basement.
After we bought the place, we tore down the deck, tore out 400+ feet of landscaping including igneous rock and thick plastic beneath, along with poured concrete edging and sidewalks which sloped toward the house. I hauled in 14 loads of fill dirt and banked it against the house, installing window wells to compensate for the added elevation against the split-level house. I capped it off with erosion control blankets and seeded prairie grass and prairie wildflowers all around. All downspouts now have ten foot extensions too.
It was a monumental effort, but the result is that I no longer fear rain or spring thaw like I had! We've not had even a hint of humidity in the basement ever since. Neighbors tell us that the previous owners dealt with basement flooding every single spring over the ~40 years they owned the property.
Moral of the story: try to keep water from flowing anywhere near your house in the first place!
Very nice video. My son sent it to me because my basement in Vermont has seen a couple of high waters, mostly ankle deep, but once knee deep and the most intense when six inches of rain landed in thirty minutes, I had unheard of water entry locations and even with two pumps going, the water was 32 inches deep!
Now we are figuring out the details to install a sump pump. The water levels rose the first time decades ago with my mom and gramp living at the house after the local hotel tarred over their whole large parking lot, and all the neighbors down the street got flooded. The hotel had to correct their mistake with installing catchment and drainage areas, which helped but not fully.
Just before the 32” flood, the local school changed a swampy hillside area into parking lot with water catching areas when a new building was built taking out their previous parking.
We cannot undercut the worth of a swamp as a heavy rain sponge, mitigating flooding!
And a question… what does one do where the temp goes down way below freezing? I would worry that the outflow pipes, if water is pushed through them from time to time, would freeze and back up or cause the pumps to fail.
Have a secondary discharge higher above snow line discharging outside. Make a "" T" riser inside the house exit the structure above the max snowline!
Very good video. Did your PVC break yet? I have seen other connections where they have an air gap that allows the PVC connected to the house slide up and down vs the pvc in the ground so that when the ground freezes and heaves, it doesn’t crack the PVC.
Great Zoeller pumps made in Louisville, KY. Air gaps are nice.
L1C4 !
I love how you go with three pumps and no drain tile. Then your piping cut the life of these wonderful American made pumps in half. Omg the head pressure. Please add a check valve for the love of your pumps.
Male by fernco at base of pump is a check valve manufactured by zoeller
@@sewerrat7612…What sump pump do you recommend? I have zoeller from Lowes, electro magnetic switch 1/2 HP pump. I was getting lots of water in basement during heavy rains due to hydraulic pressure. I dug hole and pump has been keeping basement dry. Water table is 8 inches below slab.
All the larger brands are decent in my experience it's more important that pumps set to pump at proper height. If built in switch can raise up on bricks if height difference is larger they make pumps with adjustable floats. You want it to be enough to keep from flooding but not so low that it's pumping ground water all the time unless your structure under the water table. Ideas to avoid unnecessary wear and tear on the pumps that will lead to premature failure.
Those installers look very competent 👍
Zoller pumps are the best BUT the float contacts will burn out after the warranty expires in 3 yrs,so on my second Zoller pump due to it crying so much as it kicks on almost right w=away with about 2-3 inches of water, i bought one WITHOUT a pump level feature on it and went with a float system that will allow for a full catch basin of water instead of the 3 inches of water from the other built in float and it works great
Curious to know if your basement block walls are sealed from the outside. I suspect most of that water comes through porous cinder blocks. Path of least resistance would be block walls, not clay.
Basement walls back in the day were typically sealed with tar. It’s not great, degrades and the bottom tends to not get sealed. Yay old houses
I wish I had a basement, but here in Florida that pump would be on 100% of the time!
To everyone: Please move your cars off the driveway when you have work done.
I was thinking the same. 😂
Richard! Thank you for saying something. In all honesty this just dawned on me once you said it. That's a no brainer but for some reason all of my focus was trying to film as much as possible since I wasn't taking on the majority of the labor on this one. Thanks for watching and keeping me in check haha.
How is this better than digging in a proper drain at the footing outside the house?
Some Contractor require full access to driveway, in their contracts.
@@jeffclark5268Price out what that costs and come back with the estimate. You also can’t install drainage when there is nowhere to drain it to.
3:04 I am curious if the sock by the holes will eventually get clogged by small particles and have to be removed as it's on the outside of the bin. Rather than a filter/grate on the inside where it could be cleaned or cleared of debris.
it could get clogged, but depends on the filter size, gravel under the slab and silt in the soil, Inside filter is a good alternative easily maintained and montitored. But remember you want water into the basin to then be pumped out and the Zoeller M53 will pump out up to a 1/2 stone, so I think the sock is not good practice.
@@homerenovationandrepairthe7954 You don't want your pump to pump all the sand under your foundation though.. Maybe that's why they use that sock.
Have a sump pump in my basement, looks like it hasn’t been used for years but I fired it up one day and it sure did kick the water out
Haha that is exactly what I hope for with my system :) thanks for watching.
3:55 cutting out a section around the slab is something we've done in the past. It takes as long as you'd think. Incredibly hard work. Best to have many hands. But it did work, taking a house that was flooding yearly to absolutely perfectly dry. (The sump would fill with water none strop for weeks)
PS: I still don't see any check valves installed? are they within?
Double your time estimate and maybe you will not be behind schedule/stressedc
I apologize if this has been asked numerous times, ballpark, how much does something like this cost? I understand there are different scenarios and situations but what is a round about cost?
Really nice job. Years ago we made a horrible mistake when having an in ground pool installed. Through a combination of “not knowing” and landscape design we managed to have rain water flowing towards the house. Since our yard is heavy with clay it never drains well anyway. I’ve had to install a drainage system that moves the water away from the house into a 30 gallon tub with a sump pump. Since it’s outside away from the house there’s no battery backup. I’m at the mercy of the power company. And still during heavy sustained periods of rain sometimes water manages to get into the basement. Very frustrating.
The house I'm building in NH is on a fairly flat lot and has a very high water table. At first we figured we would have to put in a heavy duty sump to keep the basement dry, but my sitework guy was able to put in a daylight drain for the perimeter drain so now, even with very heavy rain, it stays 12" below the top of the sump basket. I will still have a duo sump system with battery backup like you, but it hasn't been necessary (yet).
7:27 Folks, I am a very competent Plumber here in the northeast part of the country (CT) and we have gotten rain this year… An understatement / lots and lots of rain! Well so far I’ve changed out three of those stupid systems that this guy was demonstrating around the seven minute and 27 second mark; they are junk! Those Zoeller pumps are not that great. Those switches on them fail often and that back up pump is pretty much good for an aquarium, that’s it! A lot of these guys put pipes on them that are 7 to 10 feet in height, and those pumps will not pump adequately with that kind of head pressure. I do not get any endorsement from Liberty pumps but that’s all I use because they are so much better than those Zoeller brand pumps. If the customer wants a battery back up then I use a 1200 W inverter with automatic transfer switch coupled with an Interstate or Deka brand deep cycle battery and then marry that to a Liberty half or three-quarter horsepower sump pump. So much more reliable than the junk that these guys are selling.
Edward H. - “Integrity, Plumbing, Septic and Drain“ out of the Clinton, CT USA area.
Greetings my fellow CT family 😊. You just who I need to speak to I bought a mess of a house I knew the house was a slope on back home inspection gave it great reviews never trust a woman again lol and I'm a female. Anyway I live behind Mountains wasn't aware of and the previous owners knew they had water issues never said they did they just laughed to the bank. Anyway I was thinking of adding a sump pump just don't know what best to choose for my situation. Yes I had 500 dollars worth of rocks added for ground water to flow away from home. I'm too old for this can u please help a old lady out. 😢 I want to try to resolve this and sell it I believe in doing right by other and trying to be responsible person I put so much money into this and I really have no more money left. Thanks
Ding ding ding. Winner here. Well said.
He is using the Basement Systems line of pumps/crocks.
Zoeller pumps are, in my opinion, garbage and I've probably swapped out 3-400 of them. The primary cause of failure is their crappy float switch. It either sticks in the off position or, worse, the on position and with no thermal overload protection it simply burns itself out. Plus, they are grossly inefficient pumps. I primarily use Champion, Pro Series (awesome continuous duty pumps) and other commercial grade pumps if I know I'll need to pump solids like leaves, etc... Liberty's are also excellent pumps too.
I'm also a big fan of inverters and batteries but that depends on the volume of water we expect to see. I can always daisy chain additional batteries and get additional capacity or go to a 12V backup if the volume is lower, depends on the issues.
Ed, fellow Clinton resident (Grove St)! All my neighbors have sumps running all the time from the high water table right now. My house is older and built a little higher than theirs, still dry (for now), and no sump. I've been here for decades and only once about 12 years ago had an issue. I had two pumps running around the clock for days on end on my basement floor that time, a 1/3 hp skimmer pump going into a 5 gal bucket with a 3/4 mag float pump inside it. Just enough to keep the water at
I've read enough complaints about zoeller pumps that I would be afraid to buy one. Shame, since they once had such a great reputation.
Do you have any preference as far as switch types. Float vs diaphragm?.
I have a side question... it looks like wrap on the ceiling in your garage is Tyvek with a foil or radiant side. Im looking fro that product and wonder what it is. Any help would be much appreciated!
A friend who is a contractor mentioned to me that the sump hole should be a bit away from the foundation wall. Would love some additional info from anyone withe experience. Obviously these guys new what they were doing and it didn't seem to be an issue.
What is the brand and model of that yellow cord organizer he installed on the pipe , the terminal green grate on your lawn ?
What a nice system it’s well designed
What stops sediment and debris from just piling up and clogging up that drain in the yard?
It’s the basement, yard debris isn’t inside. Sump pumps are common in most basements including mine. If you had dirt and debris in your basement you’re got bigger issues
Once water get pump. What ever little bit of debris at the end, will just get flushed out.
Ok, but there is no pump pressure at the end of that drain. Only the slight pressure from the drop in the pipe outside... @@saulgoodman2018
@@Snaffer01 The pump inside will push out the water through the pipe. Which will clear whatever little bit of dirt that collects in it.
@@saulgoodman2018 Have you even watched the video? The part where they installed the ice guard? After the ice guard there will be no more pressure from the pump in the pipe underground...
That’s awesome id definitely keep your battery off the floor tho on like a 2x6 grandpa always told me keeps it from grounding out
Great install! Your material list has the wrong basin listed. I don;t think the one you listed will fit 2 sump pumps.
The Twin Liner Basket will accommodate the M53, M98 and the Ultra Sump at the same time.
From what I see that grid at the end of pipe in yard will freeze up or be covered in snow.
Just out of curiosity, I noticed they did not install a perimeter French drain leading to the sump pit? I always thought this was a necessary measure for a new installation. It seems with that set up you're only really going to get water maybe three or four square feet from the pit?
I imagine if you locate it near an identified entry point in your foundation/floor slab you can divert a decent amount of water without tearing up a lot of concrete, which is probably the most effective approach.
@@skeptick6513 Most cases of basement water seepage occur due to the rising water table, where water generally permeates through the house footer rather than from a single entry point. My basement currently lacks a sump pump, which I recognize as a necessity. While there aren't visible signs of water entering, there are moisture problems that mandate the use of a dehumidifier during the summer months. After conducting research, I've learned that the most reliable solution involves excavating an interior perimeter trench that houses a perforated pipe directing water to a sump pit.
@@shazaidi Wasn't necessary in my basement. I self-installed my sump pump very much like in the video. Only difference was I used a 35 gallon or so trash can drilled with many holes. goes down about 32" if I recall correctly. Totally solved my seepage along the footer problem, even when water table is very high. One time to check, I unplugged the sump pump and watched the water come up to almost the top of the pit before plugging it back in. Think about it. If it takes water out only to be replenished, it's coming from a larger area. In my case of 1,000 sq. foot basement, it solved the problem with no other drains, and my land is flat at the base of a slope. Not saying that would work for everyone. Depends on soils, and if there is crushed stone under slab. For further check, my well is about 15 feet from the house. One spring after snow melt and rains with sump pump running every few minutes, I took the well cap off dropped a weighted string down till I hit water at seven feet. That made it just about the level of the footer joint, plus or minus a few inches. That sump pit was the solution for me.
Is your garage ceiling the floor of a living space of the house.?
If yes look into a better way of sealing out potential fumes from car exhaust, fire proof layer of drywall....
yes, install 5/8" firerock on the ceiling and 1/2" on the walls, fully finished. or keep vehicles and any combustibles or chemicals out of the garage
It looks like that channel drain at the entryway door collects a lot more than water.. is it non- functioning or in need of better regular maintenance? Cleaning or a good jetting to loosen or remove accumulated debris will help tremendously.
What is the yellow extension cord organizer that clamps to the pipe he installs around 9:30. That is a clean way to do it!
where to buy that filter sock? 3:01
This was enjoyable to watch a job well done. I do wonder how cold and how much ice this could stand up to.
I appreciate all the comments but the pipe upsize suggestion came to me directly from Zoeller support engineer. But yall do what you feel best.
You did try to improve your grading and gutters first right?
Very informative, thanks. Could you please point me in the right direction in search of a DUAL PUMP BASIN shown in your video? I followed the link in description, but this is for single pump setup, and I need dual pump basin. Thanks, Yuri.
Yeah this is really annoying. Rather than linking the basin, he links a completely different one just to make a few bucks off of you. Shameless
Did this system hold up with only the pit and no drain around the wall?
What brand is the sump basket and lid used in this video?
Codes vary, but it is not permitted here to have a storm water drain system inlet set at floor level in the building. Floor drains must be routed to sanitary systems. Ground water is then kept separate from potential floor drain sewage or gray water. Also, the basin size appears undersized, given the power of the pumps. They will cycle too often, especially when combined with the low head height.
Hmmm. I see your point on the concern on mixing floor drain sewage/gray water with ground water. I hadn't considered that. In our town, the codes as you note are different. In the past the treatment plants were unable to keep up with excess inflow from basement sumps etc and then would release untreated waste into the nearby waters (long island sound) even after they redesigned and built new treatment plants. I guess one way or another, there's going to be potential for that sewage to end up in places where we don't want it...
I depend on a generator and spare pump I keep on hand in the event the main one fails. Simple swap out. We've had power out for over a week from hurricanes and I doubt a backup battery is going to last that long.
Totally agree. Keeping the system operating in extreme/all conditions is essential, otherwise it will fail. Recommend an automatic failover as failures usually occur when not there or far away to monitor and correct. Ounce of prevention pound of cure is THE RIGHT WAY!
Thank you for the video. I did not see the plastic channel listed on the Material List to go along the wall. Thanks
5:48 If the basin is airtight, what replaces the fluid that is pumped out?
Typically only one of the two pumps is going to be active, the other can serve to vent, and even if both are active you have soil gases under your slab, the basin is open to the sub slab.
@@walnutcontractors5661 interesting concept - I think the vent from second pump is not a substantial source of air because there is a check valve. Soil gases are something I have not considered. Thanks for the reply
you could grind a slot one inch away from your basement walls., then silicone seal in vinyl j channel back to the sump. It's called a beaver system. That sump system would not be allowed in WI as it is now technically a floor drain. and floor drains are part of the sanitary sewer not part of what we call storm water.
Do you have a link to the gasket around the pvc penetration? Can't find them anywhere
Have a double back up system if the power cuts out its also powered by water pressure line in case. Also a back flow prevention from the outside sewer drain
Guys did an excellent job BUT from experience I would steer completely clear of those (junk) water guard channel systems because there is no way of creating a proper grade when these are placed within the top 3" of the floor and they will continue to always hold water that struggles to drain to the sump & will build up hidden mold in the system.
If you plan to install that type of system in the future & since the floor will already be jackhammered & removed around the foundation,..just Do It Right and install the normal drain tile system that will drop up to 16" below the bottom of the slab & feed back into the sump.
Could you do a follow up video in the future?🙏
Definitely! Or at the very least a short showing how it has performed over a year or so.
Very informative video, I really liked the plastic sump and filter sock material around it. Can you tell me where you purchased and or what the brand is?
Now that you've seen the work done, would you attempt to DIY in the future if needed?
Great Question! After seeing how this is done by the pros I'd be 100% confident in doing it myself. HOWEVER, these guys worked extremely hard all day long and now knowing how much work it is I'd most likely have to plan for this type of project to be completed in a week if it was just myself. Which does include all the time it takes to round up materials and equipment. Thanks for watching.
But The thing is these products are not for sale maybe the pumps but nothing else
@@itsabe90 What crack are you smoking? A quick online search and I found EVERYTHING used in this project.
I've seen pictures of the Ice Guard freezing over in cold climates. I'm thinking with an active pump in cold temps, the mist is enough to eventually cause ice to form over the narrow openings. Reason I mentioned that is because I considered getting one myself, but changed my mind. Great concept, but maybe not the best implementation.
Also, I wouldn't have plumbed both pipes into a single 3" pipe, I would have kept two separate pipes (i.e. completely redundant systems) in case one gets clogged or froze up. I almost think I'd just leave the 2nd pipe just to shoot out into the yard, despite water maybe some migrating back into the basement. Perhaps do a little yard work to help it run away. Just having a stubby pipe discharge wouldn't be any different than water coming out of the Ice Guard. I'd consider the 2nd pump running as an exception rather than the norm and the goal would be to get rid of water in an emergency.
Sorry - don't mean to sound like I'm criticizing, I'm not, the install was great! :) I have two sump pumps and even went as far as running them off of separate breakers just in case if one pump failed and tripped the breaker, it would have shut off the 2nd pump too (if on a single breaker).
My by design I believe here smaller pump is lower so it gives a chance for the larger pump to sometimes cycle on (most companies just install 2 of the same pumps and second one never gets activated until first pump fails then they find out the second pump has failed as well)
@@leexgx Thinking about your comment, perhaps using a smaller primary pump to pump out the typical water might lessen the chance for water splatter to freeze up the Ice Guard. i.e. slower but longer = less splatter. I do think running the 2nd pump straight out is a better option or at least don't combine into a single tile. You don't want a 'single point failure' i.e. one thing can render both pumps useless. I know you have the Ice Guards installed, so you technically don't have a single point failure. But if one Ice Guard did freeze up, then the chances are, the other one will also freeze up.
I admit I'm a bit OCD about this stuff. :) The last 2 nights it's been ~-4 to -7F here. Tonight will be another one, but then the weather turns to a toasty 9F. LOL More than once I've went out and checked that the pump pump drain is still ice free! I'd rather be proactive than reactive.
Air gap would still allow water to pump out if piping failed.
@@sewerrat7612 I agree, but some of the ice guards - I've seen complaints that the openings have frozen shut, probably just do to water splatter. I still may get one this summer and install and see how it performs in the summer (i.e. splatter or not), then decide if I want it to remain installed for winter.
Or are you referring to ONLY an air gap (i.e. no ice guard)? I have considered just a straight air gap.
@@Mark-hb5zfonly air gap works if there is a larger drain below such as a square grated drain basin leading to piping. Problem ends up being how much it splashes before going out. Could always go directly into larger piping system without sealing the two just dropping piping in that way if end fails at least it pumping outside. Could also pipe in sewer relief poppers would do a few in different sections of line if one areas blocked will just end up pumping to next clear one away from house parts cost a bit though.
I really hope this works for you but as someone that has major water issues in my house I think you might be looking at that interior tiled a bout 30 yrs ago we tiled around around the exterior of the house and landscaped to run the water away from the house about yrs ago we had a really cold spell when it warmed up we had a leak in our back wall got the company Basement Boss come said we had a couple of cracks in the wall and with the amount of water there was should tile around the inside of the house when he busted up the floor he could not believe the amount of water under the slab. They did a great job and knock on wood no water so to you good luck.
I'm curious, what did you use for the basement ceiling?
Need check valves on the piping, as well as drilled holes close to the pump to prevent air locking.
Very good, great commentary
Never discussed or showed slope of pipe across the yard. Is the yard pipe self draining? Does the yard puddle drain somewhere?
He did mention that the buried pipe should slope downward, or at least be level.
That looks like a lot of great work! I'm in PNW. How much did you end up spending for all the work done?
Its not necessary to install more then one pump. It is a great Idea to have a back up pump being either a battery back up or a water back up system. Also, I know that it is more of an expense to add a french drain around the parameter, but it insures that your basement will not flood again.
We don't use the drain on the footing, concrete should be at least 4 inches to prevent cracking. When we install french drain around the basement we stick to the 4 inch perforated corrugated drain tile and pea stones. Remember, cinder blocks have a hollow cavity which holds water. The cinder block is on the footing and therefore it is not right next to the soil. Usually there is 3-4 inches of footing before the soil.
I is a little more work but, digging the trench and using a level you can direct the flow better to the pump. Plus, drilling 1/2 inch holes in the cavities of the bottom of the block and running clear tubing into the trench will purge any water from the walls right into the french drain.
Also, I know its more efficient to just jack hammer a concrete floor but, the reality is that the impact of the jack hammer will cause hair line cracks in your concrete. Its better to use an electric wet saw to precut the concrete to lessen the risk of cracking the concrete, plus its a cleaner look.
Fun fact. the zollar pump is an alright pump and most plumbers like it, we tend to move away from the float switch. These pumps activate every 4-5 inches of water. If there is a high water table these switches are in constant activation which causes the failure of the switch itself. I tend to favor the pressure sensor switch. These pumps kick on after 9 inches of water and there is no way for the switch to hang up or something to get caught in it.
I like Liberty pumps over Zoller because of the magnetic switches and how well they are made.
My house is on a hillside like yours seems to be, and I have a sump on the deep side of the basement. The other side of my house has a walk out basement door so I don't really think the sump pump scheme makes sense.
There it going to be a part 2 with this project just FYI. This fixes the water table issue. Next will be fixing the drainage from the front driveway. Stay tuned :)
Need a Metropolitan Pump Alternater(Genesis system)
Exercises both pumps and has a high water alarm
If pump 1 fails it automatically kicks over to pump 2 and gives audible alarm to let you know that one of your pumps has gained l failed.
Excellent video. Very informative, mush appreciated 👏
What was the approximate cost for the project?
Over $6k for labor and material.
@@BYOToolsThank you both for the question and answer… helps me with figuring out my basement.
I have similar setup in the house I just bought. Now I know how it works.
What gets me is they allowed water from outside and the foundation to the inside and pumping outside would it make sense to put the sump pump outside
Until the sump and pump turn into a solid block of ice in the winter...or get clogged up from yard debris.
Basements are swimming pools. acknowledge that.. Power outages for a few days and battery backup is useless. Yea its nice to have if its on a hill with 3/4 above ground. But to do forever it needs gravity drainage.. 30 year storms do happen, or more or less.. Its like Sisyphus keeping a basement dry. Id raise my washer dryer and heater to a higher level. after 12 homes one gets more rational..
If you do the premiter hire a concrete cutter with a flatsaw for clean installation
Nicely done
Did you check for radon?
If the discharge is yellow, what can I put in the sump area to clear the bacteria maybe? Bleach or isopropyl alcohol?
Great video! However two 1.5" pipes together do not add up to 3". They actually add up to 2". First on a simple "area of a circle" basis, and second is that pipe wall flow restriction goes up by the power of 5!! So a slightly larger pipe is significantly faster flow. The 3" pipe you put in is actually enough for 8 1.5" pipes!
Those pumps are shallow well ,they will be cycling on and off every second.They are good for 7” of water,
Its nice when people do move their cars out the driveway when we work but i work a lot in the city and there is no driveways. So im stuck carrying tools and material like half city block in some instances
Battery backup information, brand & model?
I'm having a difficult time trying to find them but I'll keep looking. Here's one on amazon though that has great reviews: amzn.to/3TvoUKc
13:40 yeah… super smart to place the battery on the floor 🙄
It's fine , that was a no no in the 50s but today's battery's are fine on the floor
In America is there not a city storm water system to connect to?
It depends on the location and when the area was built. From what I’ve seen, 1920’s houses (specifically Terre Haute, Indiana, and Rochester, NY; probably common in many places) put all their water into the sanitary sewer system, which might be unable to keep up with the volume of water during heavy storms, releasing the excess water untreated. The 1940’s house I grew up in sends its rainwater to a drainage ditch and buried pipe that serves several nearby houses. More recently constructed areas do have separate storm water systems.