In a rainy city where drain tile is needed around the perimeter of a house, if I installed a dry well sump in the yard, & graded the drain tile to it, would this eliminate the need for a sump in the basement?. Or will the water from the soil manage to make its way into the basement regardless of having drain tile around the perimeter, & the basement sump/pump is required?. Probably a dumb question, just thought ide ask my Reddit fam for clarification, as I’m trying to become more knowledgeable. Ty
Comments
Shambs18 OP t1_ixxuum0 wrote
I was under the impression the external sump had holes on it, so that when the water level reaches a certain level, it’ll just naturally disperse into the soil fairly far away from the house. You do make a good point regarding the volume of water the external sump could handle. I’m not sure what you mean by your last sentence. Are you referring to if I had a basement sump, & it was pumping to the outdoors?. I would likely dig a trench, & install an external sump if water was just pissing onto my lawn. I just wanted to know if my external sump would suffice instead of a basement sump/pump. Kind of a unique situation
poopgrouper t1_ixxws44 wrote
Ah, I was thinking you'd have a pump in the external sump.
But yeah, ultimately I think the answer to your question is going to be pretty specific to your situation. It's going to come down to how much water there is and how permeable the surrounding soil is. Probably no real way to know that other than either hiring an engineer or just building it and seeing if it works.
Shambs18 OP t1_ixxxmtd wrote
Fair answer, thanks man
eshemuta t1_ixywn6n wrote
Around here they put the sumps inside so they don’t freeze.
ccarr313 t1_ixzfes3 wrote
I've got drain tiles outside and an indoor sump. Ohio here.
1164wanderluster t1_iy19iqe wrote
It will really depend on your individual situation. Your plan will certainly help, but no way of knowing your exact situation. Are you getting water in the basement now? One common overlooked solution is making sure your downspouts are long enough to carry water away from your foundation and are flowing downhill away, not allowing water to flow back to your foundation.
Shambs18 OP t1_iy19wd5 wrote
Do you have any suggestions in how to ensure the downspouts drain far from foundation?
1164wanderluster t1_iy1eyff wrote
I normally use an additional piece of downspout and connect it to the elbow at the bottom of the downspout. They come in 10' lengths and in several colors. I just cut them to the length that seems like it is long enough to do the job. Use sheet metal screws to hold it together. Make sure that you have it extended beyond any landscape edging that may trap water in a planting bed next to the foundation.
Shambs18 OP t1_iy1fo5q wrote
Thank you for the detailed response, much appreciated!
Merney t1_ixygafe wrote
I just bought a house 3 weeks ago that has both sumps in the basement and an external sump that pumps into a nearby creek. I was told by the previous owners that ever since they installed the external sump the yard and basement have stayed dry.
poopgrouper t1_ixxu4dd wrote
Kinda depends on the specifics of the situation. If your external sump was below the elevation of the bottom of your basement, and water could flow relatively easily to the sump, then it ought to be able to keep your basement dry (assuming the sump could keep up with the volume to keep the water table suppressed in that area). There's also the question of where the stump is pumping to...