Multiple section crawl space flooded

[Robert Dickens]

Hello all, I am buying a house with 3 inches of water in the crawl space. No foundation issues but need a permanant fix. I am looking to install a sump because groundwater is the source of my mess. My question is, being that I have stem walls in several places in the crawl space, I have 4 sections that hold water. Is it ok to drill holes in the interior stem walls to allow water to move to 1 central sump, or do i need 4 pumps? 1 for each section? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Robert

[trader_4]

Aren't there homes for sale that don't have 4" of water? Or are you getting a huge discount? The solution would be to install tile drains around the perimeter of the crawl space that lead to one (usually) sump pump. This is normally done during new construction when they do the foundation, so somebody screwed up big time. And if they screwed that up, God knows what all else they screwed up too.

[makolber]

consider that the grid power WILL go out at some point when you need the pumps. If its just a crawl space, maybe not a big issue.

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[Wade Garrett]

Do yourself a favor and don't buy the house, no matter how cheap it is- you'll be kicking yourself for as long as you own it.

Go find another one that doesn't have a fatal flaw....

[Tekkie®]

Wade Garrett posted for all of us...

Robert, I would opine that this is the best post. You will have nothing but heartache. Do you want a list of "have to do" when you get home?

[Roche]

A sump pump is a bandaid. You need a long term fix.

Is the ground sloped away from the house?  Do the downspouts drain water at least 10' away from the foundation?

[trader_4]

ater at least 10' away from the foundation?

That's simply not true. If the ground water is relatively high a house may need a sump pump, particularly at certain times of the year. You can't fix groundwater with grading. Millions of homes rely on sump pum ps. But why a house was built without one and has 4" of water in the basement, that's a good question. Grading certainly can contribute to the problem. And if a sump pump is needed, the only other option would be a gravity drain and most places that can't be done.

[Jack Legg Construction]

I'd never buy a house that needed a sump pump to keep the crawl space dry.  What kind of moron creates a mess like that?  Smart builders know it's much better to build the house 2-3 feet higher if necessary.  And where the hell was the building inspector when this mess was created?