sump pits and septic sump pits

[hubops]

I am attempting to replace the lid of my basement septic-sump - the old lid was apparently a home-made job - made of metal - and after 25 years or so - a failing rusty rotten mess. The sump pit is the usual "plastic" 18 inch diam. ~ 2 ft deep in good shape. We don't have a basement bathroom, so this sump handles 1. laundry water 2. water softener flush water 3. furnace condensate, in winter The foundation drainage sump pit is about 10 feet away. The $ 75. gas-tight lids look OK - but would involve some plumbing changes to get the holes to line-up. The modern thinking is to seal these to prevent radon gas infiltration - but I don't see how the radon gets into the plastic sump pit ? I could imagine radon leaking around the pit .. between the pit and the concrete floor - the lid doesn't seal this ... .. just thinking about making my own home-made lid - plastic barrel bottom or something ? Any thoughts or advice ? John T.

[hrhofmann]

The foundation drain sump pit is where you can expect to find radon, if any where. The sealed unit you are talking about shouldn't have any place for radon to infiltrate. I used a duct fan booster and 4 inch dryer exhaust ho se connected to the cover of my foundation drain sump, vented outdoors, to get my radon readings down to levels so small they can't be detected by tho se DIY radon detectors you can buy at hardware stores. The new levels are down from levels that were quite a bit above the government maximum suggest ed levels.

[trader_4]

nywhere. The sealed unit you are talking about shouldn't have any place fo r radon to infiltrate. I used a duct fan booster and 4 inch dryer exhaust hose connected to the cover of my foundation drain sump, vented outdoors, t o get my radon readings down to levels so small they can't be detected by t hose DIY radon detectors you can buy at hardware stores. The new levels ar e down from levels that were quite a bit above the government maximum sugge sted levels.

+1

And he can get one of those radon test kits to find out if radon is even a problem. What kind of cover to use, can't say, because we can't see what's involved. They do have covers for the regular sump pump pits, one of those might fit. But I'd think you'd want it sealed so no gases can escape. Even with just laundry waste water, that can smell after sitting there.

[makolber]

Aren't the foundation sump pits perforated to allow water to enter?

If water can get in, so can radon.

I think a small air pump pulling air from the pit to the outside is good for getting rid of odor as well.

[bob haller]

anywhere. The sealed unit you are talking about shouldn't have any place for radon to infiltrate.

for getting rid of odor as well.

often homes well above street level have sump pumps......... kinda dumb. fa r better to drain interior french drain water to daylight. no pump needed. and since radon is heavier than air it can ventilate the radon gas to dayl ight too, far away from the home.

gravity is highly reliable, and free, and isnt effeced by power outages

[Stormin Mormon]

Sadly, in liberal dominated parts of the country, gravity is taxed. It is also subject to rolling cuts, as the demand for gravity exceeds the supply. Of course, liberals all protest building of new gravity plants, preferring to import it from out of state. Power cuts go hand in hand with gravity failures, now days. Backup gravity generators are prohibited, due to mass emissions.

[hubops]

In my case < and the common standard here-abouts afaik > the outer edge of the foundation footing - through perforated plastic tile - sometimes wrapped - drains into the basement sump ( plastic "pit" ) ; then is pumped out overground via tthe sump pump - in my case a submersible model. I suspect that any radon gas in the soil could easily find its way into this sump ... maybe I'll get it tested sometime. John T.

[clare]

Around here sump pumps are only used where the foundation is below storm-drain level so the drain cannot exit to "daylight" All 3 homes I have owned have not needed sump pumps. I almost bought one last year that had one - but it needed to run almost 24/7/365 to keep the basement from becoming an indoor pool and the sump/drainage system was so poorly designed I figured it would take $10,000 to $15,000 to make it right.

Other than the drainage problem it was EXACTLY what I was looking for

- bungalow with double car garage, with basement shop under the garage

- and a pit. - and the price, had it not been for the drainage problem, was right.