Seeking advice for sump pump drain pipe

[tom.patros]

Our 1960 split level has a sump pump in the basement that kicks on 5-10 times per day (we live in upstate NY in a region with clay soil and a high water table). When we first moved in, the sump drained directly into the main house drain and out to the sewer (a no-no in most municipalities). We corrected this and the sump now drains out to the back yard (approx 20ft from the house).

I would like to bury the drain pipe and have it run 30+ ft away from the house. However, I'm not sure how deep to bury the pipe.

Our frost line is quite deep here (42", I believe - again, upstate NY). But, since this is a drain pipe (that should be empty unless the pump is actually running), do I need to go that deep? Can I get away with, say, 2 feet?

[jake]

well, if you use a 4'' pipe i don't see the need to go down lower than a foot. give it a good incline (min 1/4'' per foot) and put your digging energy into a big drywell.

[Banty]

I'm in upstate NY with clay soil - two feet is fine if there's a decent pitch downward. When I had that done, I had drainage put in as well (french drain with another pipe, perforated) and had it run all the way back to a drainage ditch behind my property. They put a PVC grate on the end of the sump drainage to prevent critters from making the return trip. Works well.

Banty