Details of install of new sump pit and pump

[Puddin' Man]

Re: Details of install of new sump pit and pump

Greetings,

This is an ongoing saga ... I'm getting closer and closer ... :-)

I inhabit a small brick bungalow, built in 1954, poured-concrete foundation, about 800 square feet. Perhaps twice a year we get hard/fast rains (i.e. 3" in 12 hours) which cause a hydrostatic water problem in the basement. The water "pushes up" from underneath the basement floor.

I need to specify/install both a sump pit and a sump pump. I am modestly competent (not expert) at such DIY projects.

The sump pit will be about 24" in diameter and about

26" deep. I will place the edge of the pit about 15" from a wall. I've drilled 2 holes thru the basement floor: it appears to be (surprisingly) only about 2" thick. I currently *hope* to be able to cut the hole with a 'diamond' blade on a standard-duty circular saw.

I'd love to be able to bevel-cut a square hole so the bevels would support the pad (with the sump basin in the middle) I'm going to pour. Not practical?

What kind/grade of concrete should I use? I *hope* to be able to walk on the .5+ " (thick) lid that I will cut. Strength and adherence are the highest priorities.

What should I backfill with and where can I commonly get it? "Crushed stone"? Gravel? From Home Depot or ?

The basin tapers from 22" diameter at the top to about

16" at the bottom, and is 23" hi. I'm thinking of drilling 3 rows of .5" holes starting about 1" above the top of the pump. I have some waterproof wood glue that _might_ be suitable for gluing fine nylon mesh outside the holes (to keep larger particles out). Other suggestions are welcome.

I'm looking at a 1/3 hp Flotec submersible pump with a vertical-float switch (instead of "the ball"), and an in-line Flotec hose-type check valve. I've heard the hose-type connection reduces vibrations.

Right next to what will be the sump pit is a washing machine, discharge from which is routed to a floor drain with 1.5 " PVC. I hope to integrate the discharge from the pump (this conforms to local code). Any reason not to do this?

I am still uncomfortable re mounting of the pump. Folks say put 3" of gravel or a couple bricks in the bottom of the sump basin and rest the pump on top of that. I need to be able to remove the pump easily for maintenance /repair. Should I just cut the PVC coming out of the basin and use a small hose section and clamps to make it removable? Are there issues with stability, vibration, etc??

Any/all info/suggestions are welcome.

Muchas Gracias, Puddin'

[pm]

I too had the same problem you describe. My basement floor was poured in two sections with a cold joint running the length of the basement, about

24'. I live in a river bottom at the edge of a slough that fills with water when we have high river stages. Occasionally the water gets so high as to put pressure on the basement floor and leaks in through the cold joint. I put a 16"diameter X 24" deep sump at one end of the cold joint in my utility room. I actually cut about a 30"+ hole and probably that deep so I could put some concrete in the bottom to hold the sump level and to get the correct height for a sloped edge from the floor level to the opening of the sump. The sump has 4 2" close pipe nipples welded evenly spaced around the top of the sump with 90 deg. elbows and short nipples pointing straight down on the outside. I poured and packed the area around the sump with washed pea gravel then concreted the top in a slope as mentioned above. On the inside of the sump I used 2" union halves and used stainless steel mesh cut to fit inside the union nut with a home made rubber washer on each side of the mesh to hold it in nicely. The mesh is to keep debris out of the sump if any ever gets through the pea gravel. The water has only been up high enough to put water in the sump twice since I installed it. Water runs into the sump via the four penetrations and relieves the pressure on the floor. Both times, the floor remained dry. I just use a run of the mill submersible sump pump and discharge it to the floor drain. Hope this helps.

[Rob S]

HD does sell a poly sump well for just this purpose. You would cut (or sledgehammer) a hole in the concrete, dig the sump hole and set the poly sump in. It looks like a big black bucket with holes in it for the water to seep in.

I'm a little cheap so I just use a 5 gal white poly bucket and drill my own holes in it, usually about 50 - 1/4" holes.

Once the sump is in the hole, fill around with pea or washed crushed gravel and patch the floor with cement up to the rim of the sump. The ready made ones come with a lid too.

I hope that was what you were talking about :-)

Rob S.

Pudd> Re: Details of install of new sump pit and pump

[Puddin' Man]

I got a HD no-name for $20, maybe 22 gal. It is a little flimsy. After I dug the pit, they got some Flotec basins in. A bit smaller but more substantial, same price. I had to use the no-name because of differing size. The top is not quite level because of the flimsiness.

The lid I saw was -extremely- flimsy. I need to walk on the thing, so I cut a lid from particle board which will get several coats of floor paint. Had trouble finding the right thickness.

Everything is in but a little PVC. The conny-crete is curing as I type. The pump bench-tests. Etc.

Much thanks to everyone for your help.

Cheers, Puddin'

[m Ransley]

20$ pump !!! 1 - 10 yr failure Get what you pay for dude . I have a 90 yr old Monster its FINE