|
I have a water leak in my new houses basement in my sump pump pit. The water
slowly is rushing in from the side wall of the sump pump pit, and causes my
pump to run a lot. Is there anything or any way I can stop this leak, even
though water is constantly running from it?
As Darren notes in his Comment below, your sump pump appears to be doing
approximately what it is supposed to do. Your main course of action may simply
be to ensure that the pump continues to work reliably by keeping up with
regular maintenance and considering backup power for the pump if power failures
of more than a few minutes duration are at all likely.
In general, I consider sump pumps the last choice solution for keeping a
basement dry. If possible, your house should have good surface grading to drain
surface water away from the house, a good foundation drain, good waterproofing
on the outside of the basement walls, and the roof should drain away from the
foundation (i.e., gutters and downspouts should direct roof water well away
from the house). If, however, it turns out that your basement floor level is
below the local water table during at least some portion of the year (or even
just during occasional periods of heavy rain), then even a well-designed
foundation drain may fail. A sump pump may be your only solution. I%26#39;m not sure
exactly what you mean when you say the %26quot;water SLOWLY is RUSHING in from the
side wall of the sump pump pit,%26quot; [emphasis mine] or how often your sump pump is
running. Perhaps you should have the system checked by a reputable local
plumbing contractor. If the sump is filling so fast that the pump is running
most of the time, then it may be undersized for the load (perhaps you would do
well to install a second sump and pump), or perhaps you need to be considering
additional measures to reduce the source. Without studying the details of your
site, it is difficult to make a specific recommendation.
For general reading about sump pumps, I recommend a Canadian free informational
website called Sump Pump Information:
http://www.sump-pump-info.com/index.html
For general information about keeping water out of basements, I suggest
%26quot;Basement Water Penetration Manual, Causes and Cures,%26quot; by Wayne J. Falcone:
http://www.accurateinspection.com/wet_basements.htm
%26quot;April Showers Bring Wet Basements,%26quot; by Larry Parrish, at the website of
Parrish Construction:
http://www.remodelboulder.com/html/articlewetbasement.htm
Further similar information can be readily found with Google searches:
://www.google.com/search?q=wet+basements
://www.google.com/search?q=sump+pump+OR+pumps
My suggestion is that before you try to fix it, get a lawyer skilled in such
matters and document the extent of the problem using top experts. Then demand
of the seller that it be repaired within a reasonable time period at seller%26#39;s
expense. Then take it from there. Do anything you can to avoid having to fix it
yourself, or at your own expense.
Last page12 Next page |
