Why is sump pump feeder pipe plugged?

Why is one sump pump feeder pipe out of two plugged?

Is it because of stupidity**, or could there be a good reason?

A friend has lived in her house 2 years. It's about 50 or 60 years old. It has a sump pump in the basement. The basement floor is about

5 or 6 feet below grade. (Did they use sumppumps 50 years ago?, or was it added?)

There is some sort of clear plastic stuffed into one of the 5" feeder pipes, the one that heads towards the side of the house. (The other pipe that heads toward the back is unplugged.)

She's only had the house for 2 years and for some of that time, water has seeped in the basement when it rains. She recently watched close enough to learn that it is from the side of the house which feeds the plugged feeder pipe.

My only reasonable guess is: Is it possible that the plastic pipe collapsed partly and dirt was entering the sump along with the water?

It seems to me the plastic should be removed and she should see how it goes, rather than spend 2000 to 3000 dollars for a French drain, which is the only other plan.

What say you all?

**There is no end to stupidity. My next door neighbor had his sump pump output rerouted to his basement sink, even though he knew the sink backed up and poured onto the floor when the stream reached flood stage, about once every two years. So where would the sump pump water go if the sink was already full of water??!!
Reply to
mm
Loading thread data ...

You have all kinds of possibilities. Someone may have stuffed plastic into the hole thinking they could slow down the water flow when a previous sumppump failed, then forgot to take it out, along with many, many, other unknown reasons.

Remove the plastic and see what happens. Then decided what your options are.

Hank

Reply to
Hustlin' Hank

please clarify..

this is a FEEDER pipe? it feeds water TO the sump pump or it is an outlet pipe?

Mark

Reply to
Mark

Above is the problem I'm asking about, regarding the feeder pipe. I'm wondering if someone saw water coming into the basement, maybe once overflowing the sump, and plugged the feeder pipe because he thought that would solve the problem. Indeed once water was coming into the sump at my house so fast it overflowed the sump, even though the pump was working as fast as it should and water was pouring very fast out of the sump drain outside my house. This has only happened once in 26 years. My solution was to add a second pump (that would work in tandem with the first, and also work by itself during a power failure) but maybe some fool's idea was to just stop up the feeder pipe?

Sorry Mark, what follows here was just a different example of stupidity, and it involved the output pipe:

Reply to
mm

I wrote last night to a second friend, who rents from the first one, and he wrote back: " The plastic is soft, but it is heavier than a grocery bag. Over the years it has become brittle and is torn. What is important is that behind it the opening appears to have been deliberately plugged. I tried poking with a small screw diver and met a lot of resistance. That is the reason that I never attempted to open it originally without [the landlady's] permission."

Would you poke it with something bigger than a small screwdriver? My answer to Mark explains what I think might be a stupid reason it is plugged. I can't really think of a good reason. Even if there is a bigger than intended hole in the feeder pipe and some dirt and stones are getting in, and entering the sump, that could be sucked out with a wed-dry vac, which the woman had 10 feet away. And it might stop and then the sump would be back to normal.

Reply to
mm

No way to tell from here but they existed that long ago.

Does the sump work properly and keep up with the load? WHY is it assumed to be a problem in other words? If everything is working fine, then there's likely no reason to fuss with it much. It could have been for anything from a cistern to someone moved the outlet from the side of the house to the back for whatever positive expectations they had. Sumps seldom have two exits. The plastic: Could be to stop smells, varmints from coming in thru the unused pipe, all kinds of things. But if it's not needed, which sounds likely though of course I can't see it from here, then I'd plug it up with a couple pounds of concrete mortar mix, started thin so it'll go deep into it, then thicker so it'll stay in the open part.

It comes down to this though: How and why is there thought to be a problem? I assume it's considered a problem of some sort because of the reference to $$.

Possible. Or they just wanted to move the sump exit so put in a new one.

Again, I have to ask why? You haven't stated any problem of any kind exists. Or, at one time maybe there were two sumps and the basement has since been sealed so it's no longer needed; though unlikely, I think.

I say don't worry about it unless the existing sump isn't right.

The lack of a stated problem with the existing sump says there's nothing to do but maybe plug it so varmints, water, etc., can't get in. I really don't see an issue.

Regards,

Twayne

Reply to
Twayne

How about: Water, varmint, odors infiltration to mention a few things? Unused pipes should always be sealed. Who knows that might have crawled into it and died for instance?

Even if there is a

True. Plus a normal sump installation should prevent about anything but sand and grit from getting into the pump. Which will also damage it over time.

Twayne

Reply to
Twayne

Okay

Yes, but the load is slight, coming only from the other feeder pipe which proably runs along the back of the house.

Sorry. I see that my only reference to the problem is my mention of a French drain. The basement floor is getting wet, puddles actually in the center, from water that comes in along the wall which the stopped up feeder pipe is likely supposed to protect. That wall is longer than the rear wiell and is bordered by a sidewalk. She's had someone caulk the space between the sidewalk and the wall, i've learned, but I'll bet it still all runs into the dirt somewhere else along the wall.

Sorry. These are entrances. 5 inch pipes the top of which are 3 or

4 inches below the floor, going off in two directions, to the rear wall and the side wall. The sump is in the corner.

That's a good point.

Entrance. If it were working, it would take the water from the earth outside the side wall, route it into the sump, and pump it away from the house.

Thanks for your detailed reply.

Mike

Reply to
mm

You're being sarcastic, right. I deserve it. I did think about that and thought she would have to put some sort of added screeen in front of the pump intake and vaccum out the sand and grit daily for the first 2 weeks or month if necessary.

Reply to
mm

You'll have to investigate. Perhaps someone tied her downspouts into the sump line. Maybe that line is suppose to drain water away from the house to a creek but the creek rises higher than her basement floor and forces water back into the house sump. These are just a couple scenarios. Before you dump money into the pit ( hehe money pit), find out what the problem is first.

Hank

Reply to
Hustlin' Hank

re: "What is important is that behind it the opening appears to have been deliberately plugged. "

Maybe there's a dead animal in there and someone plugged the pipe with plastic to block the odor, which by now is long gone.

You say it's a rental? Dig it out...

If something goes terribly wrong have your friend tell the landlady he was vacuuming the basement and lost control of the hose.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Thanks. I"m sending all these suggestoins to my friend the tenant. He knows more about houses than his landlady.

Reply to
mm

LOL. Well, I'm not the renter, and it's actually in the landlady's part of the house.

ROTFLOL

I talked to my friend, the tenant who talked to my friend the landlady, and he says she had a plumber come out, for 65 dollars, sho said the plastic was orignally the liner of the metal well. Somehow the only part that showed was a small part,(much much smaller than needed to line the whole thing) right around this plugged feeder pipe, which the plumber says was never a feeder pipe. It was always closed. ?? He thinks iiuc there are no plumbing issues to fix.

My own sump has two feeder pipes, one for the front and one for the side and the back, but maybe hers has only one. In that case, not much water comes in through the feeder pipe. Almost as much comes in through the wall, I think.

Reply to
mm

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.