Water or moisture in basements originates from two key sources. First from an indoor condensation of moisture on cold floor surfaces; secondly, from leakages as a result of plumbing fault, rainwater, melting snow, or groundwater that seeps through foundation cracks. If you are dealing with water problems in your basement, it’s necessary to get rid of it as soon as possible before causing any further damage to the house.
Whatever the source of water, addressing the underlying problems in your basement should help fix it. For many homeowners, one of the simplest and a solution that has proved effective is to install a sump pump. While sump pump installation may not address the problem, it’s so significant in treating the symptoms before they manifest into something huge. A sump pump is a relatively cheap method of removing water in basements at a fair price most people would afford. It’s also good radon mitigation and abatement solution for basement water.
Here are two key steps that ensure a successful sump pump installation process.
Diagnosing the problem
Ideally, basement problems are exterior drainage problems and not problems from within. And so it would be important if you can assess how your drainage functions while it rains and spot water-logged areas around your home. Also, check the gutters, remove debris and dirt that has accumulated, if any. Adjust the downspouts extension to be at least 4 feet away from the foundation slopes.
These conditions may not sufficiently prevent water from accumulating in your basement. You could be dealing with a utility trench that instead of getting water outside, runoff occurs and water gets back to the house. And this is where you need to consider sump pump installation a solution to basement water problems.
Today’s house designs come with a sump pit connected to a drainage system beneath the basement floor that helps to channel water to the pit. However, homes that lack this feature can take advantage of a retrofit system sump pump.
The sump pump installation process is quite a huge task and while it’s a possible DIY job, the amount of work is backbreaking. Perhaps you can save yourself the stress and hire a professional to fix it for you. A simple approach under the right conditions is to install a separate sump pit with layers of gravel around it at a cost of between $300 and $500. But if you are a handy person then a few weekends should be enough to install it yourself.
This simple system is suitable for a gravel bed basement where waterlogged is only one area of the basement. Such basements also experience a lot of moisture that comes from beneath the gravel layer which later floods the floor. It’s hard to tell the type of basement floor your house sits on especially if it’s an old house you bought decades back. The builder can tell but in most cases it’s difficult to know until you get a shoveling down there.
Preparing the surface for sump pump installation
The next step after diagnosing the problem is to assess your sewer line, waterline and make sure there are no service lines beneath the section of the concrete floor where work is to be done. Sewer lines are more apparent and easily accessible while waterlines are less noticeable. If it passes through a wall that’s better but through the floor can interfere with the pit location.
Checking with your local building code office can help you locate your water service line using the data collected during installation. When it comes to bypassing a concrete basement, you need heavy-duty equipment like a hammer drill and a sledgehammer. Consider a rotary hammer that is easy to handle and performs much better. Also, a demolition saw can help cut specific area on the concrete floor and then break out the inscribed part. Other electric versions of sledgehammer can help get through the hardest part fairly quickly and with less energy.
If you are not sure about how to go about the installation process, hire a sump pump installation contractor to help you get the work done.
