Is burying a 3-inch PVC pipe for sump discharge ice relief under a driveway necessary or should a basin be installed at the end of the pipe?
Hey there! I’m dealing with some basement flooding issues and looking for advice on these sump discharge ice relief PVC things. I recently became a first-time basement owner of a 70s house and have been learning a lot along the way. I’m thinking of installing a bigger pit, pump with a backup pump, and so on. My plan is to bury the line and run it under my driveway to a pop-up drain. The ground does slope away from my house, but not very steeply. Should I bother digging it below the frost line if it’s going to lead to a pop-up drain that might freeze anyway? Do people typically put a basin or something at the end of the pipe, or is it fine to just bury the 3″ pipe 12″-18″ deep and then angle it up to the pop-up drain after passing my driveway?
By the way, if you’re wondering about the capped pipe below this outlet, that was done by someone I trusted to know what they were doing. It runs under all my joists and goes straight out at ground level, which ended up freezing. Now it’s still under the joists and angles up and out of my house higher up so I can incorporate that ice relief
I don’t really follow tips to the letter. No pop-ups here, I have to lift the lid to let the water flow up to 90 degrees. It’s best to avoid freezing by using a short pipe for ejection. Position the pipe 2 to 3 feet away from the house and make sure to let the slope carry the water away, using channels to prevent it from flowing onto the driveway. If there’s a large amount of water, that’s a good start to solving the next issue. Also, consider going further up inside to create a vacuum break when the pump is off, allowing the water to flow back towards the pump and then out.
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This is how it exits my sump room, and honestly, I don’t see any other feasible alternative. I’d rather not drill through the joists near the wall, especially with the driveway and steps surrounding the room. Originally, it went straight out, but it was too close to ground level to allow for proper drainage. Perhaps having the ice relief at ground level and burying the line could solve the issue. The 90-degree angle at the end seemed like the perfect solution.
Thinks the orientation is correct. Personally, I believe that placing it 3 feet away from the house is the best option, allowing the water to flow downhill and saturate a 2 by 5 foot area below the discharge point.
I think the original idea behind the longer pipe was to go under my driveway at some point, since there’s pooling there, but perhaps just some gravel grading would resolve that issue. I just wanted the water to be as far away from the house as possible
Mine is buried about 6 inches deep. I kind of wish it extended further out ..
My sump pit was filling up too often and the pump was constantly running, so I had someone dig down about seven feet to the bottom of the foundation and install a drainage pipe directly into the pit. Luckily, our house is situated on a hillside with a large property, so we were able to extend the pipe forty feet away from the house towards the woods while maintaining a slope. Now, gravity does the work of moving the water, no need for the pump.
That sounds perfect! Mine only runs when there’s a heavy rain or the first big snowfall.
Having the correct tools makes everything so much easier.
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Could be a solid choice. I’m considering adding a pole barn and I wonder if they can include it in the project.
Although it’s not directly related, we have two huge dry sumps on our land – each measuring 8 feet in length, 4 feet in width, and 4 feet in depth. These sumps are filled with large rocks, covered with permeable fabric, and then topped with about 6 inches of soil, sloping towards a drain grate to quickly direct any surface water into the pit. You might consider directing your sump drain into a similar pit (with the line completely buried) as it should function in the same way.
William M. nelly mentioned we used the same thing for our gutters.
Sounds like a cool idea, William! I mean, besides all the digging, I don’t think it could do any harm, haha.
If your water table is high, you might end up with a muddy swimming pool in your basement instead of a sump pit. It’s a good thing O.P.’s house isn’t floating yet!
Oh, that sounds like a blast! I don’t usually have standing water near me, but I do have a corn field nearby that presents its own set of challenges. It’s kind of a long story, but I’m just trying to figure out the most efficient way to get the water out.
We faced a similar problem with our gutters. The pipes would fill up with water, freeze, and then crack due to expansion. I ended up adding some weep holes to the pipe to help with draining and hopefully prevent any future splits.
I’d steer clear of the pop-up drain. I’ve given them a shot and they tend to get clogged and stuck, causing them to stop working. Your best bet is to just let it drain naturally. But seriously, I hope the person who installed that wasn’t a professional. It’s one of the most unattractive drainage systems I’ve ever come across.
It was even worse when I first moved into the house. They had a pit of around 4 gallons, with a 1.5” corrugated line from the sump that went up through a hole and then directly into the driveway. Later on, I had someone install PVC piping from the pump out to the side, but that didn’t work either because the PVC had a dip and froze. Eventually, I used a 90-degree angle to raise it off the ground level, and that’s how it is now. I didn’t really care about how it looked, I just needed the water out. It seems like water evacuation wasn’t even considered when they constructed this place, it’s strange.
Not a pleasant experience…you might want to think about digging a 4-foot wide trench around the entire structure (like a moat) below ground level—set up a drainage system there, remove the unwanted fill, fill the trench with 1.5 inches of drainage rock, cover with fabric, sand, and then fertile soil for grass, or opt for pavers and surface drains instead. This is what I ended up doing in a terrible situation where the back of my house was at the bottom of a hill, causing water to seep under the home. No more issues now. It cost me around $5,000 and a lot of back pain, as I used a small excavator trencher.
Before I retired, I worked on capital development for many years. It seems like you’re on the right track, sometimes the answer depends on the agricultural zone you live in and the freeze/thaw cycle. Definitely make sure to place it deep enough to be below the frost line, and I usually use a 4 to 6″ drain pipe installed in a bed of clean stone. I let the pipe outlet into a larger French drain at the lowest point available. The size of the French drain usually depends on how much water needs to be managed. For the sake of conversation, let’s say you want it to be 5′ x 5′ and 2′ deep below the frost line. Alternatively, you could buy a large 10-20 gallon capacity perforated drain bucket and connect your drain lines to that, buried below the frost line. Make sure to bury it with clean stone all around and wrap it in geotextile. Just my two cents.
Nie Underwood, I appreciate your help! Thank you!