Chipped foundation footing while installing Sump Pump-- Problem?

[JeffSTL71]

We had a sump pump system installed yesterday. I overheard the workers discussing that they had chipped the foundation footing by mistake wile installing the sump. The head installer said that the hole they dug for the sump pump came too close to the footing so the other installer chipped out a 7 inch notch into the footing to allow the sump barrel to be installed. Basically it seems he would not have done it that way, but he wasn't on the site the first day of the job when one of the other workers did it.

Does this sound like something that might cause problems later on? Can this sort of thing be repaired?

Jeff

[DanG]

IMHO, you will not suffer any harm to the load bearing capacity of the footing.

I'm sure the supervisor's comment was more along the lines of:

I know footings can come out about this far. I wouldn't have tried installing here because I wouldn't want to have to dig down through a concrete footing for this install because it will take longer and is harder on the equipment.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]

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[ameijers]

The water the sump pump will get rid of is more of a danger to the foundation than that little 7-inch half-moon would ever be. As long as they mudded around the top of the barrel correctly so water doesn't run under and wash out the footer, you have nothing to worry about. Unless sump barrel is right up against the wall, you have real wide footers anyway. More common is

3-4 inches showing under the block or poured wall.

aem sends....

[TJConst]

You wont notice anything for a few years. Eventually the wall next to the sump will begin cracking as it creeps into the soil under the cracked foundation, and the wall will begin to tip inward. Eventually the wall will need replacement along with the footing. They probably also crushed the drain tiles along the footings, so be prepared for water seeping in the walls all around the basement. All of this will lead to very costly repairs, probably in the $25,000 to $40,000 range, depending on the size of the house. I suggest you sell the house immediately.

T.J.Construction Co.

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