Installing sump pump crock

Bob - MI

Well-known Member
I have a walk out basement home here in west Michigan and over the past few years we have started to get water in the basement. It's often coming through the mortar cracks in the block walls but it has also come up through the cracks in the floor slab.

I had figured that installing a sump pump in a pit in the floor would help move the water out when the spring rains come. Bought the crock, researched the process, took the suggestion that the hole should have 4" on each side of the crock. I then drilled about 75 holes through the concrete in a circle, busted the concrete out to expose the earth beneath the slab and got water with the 1st shovel. The water keeps coming from beneath the slab and it pulls sand with it so it is undermining the slab.

I back-filled it to stop the erosion but I am wondering if there are tricks to doing this? I have been thinking about trying to sink a sleeve in that would stop the hole from caving in while I dig down, set the crock and then back fill the 4" gap around it with gravel as suggested. Once the gravel is in place then pull the sleeve out.

Sounds easy but this is a 28" dia hole that has to go down 2 feet. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Well that's a crock of..... LOL ! I've never heard of the term used in regards to a sump pit, learn something everyday though! This must be some kind of perforated, preformed piece to make a basin or sump pit I assume.

Any chance of lowering the water table, run a few hundred feet of well points, big ole 8" pump, LOL!

Seriously, sounds like you almost answered your own question. The sleeve is your cofferdam, you place the piece and I assume you'll be bailing out the water or pumping it if need be, though with perforations, it won't float so you are good there. Placing the stone should go as planned and make sure you have a decent pick point on the sleeve, giving you some leverage when pulling it.

Only thing that comes to mind and I don't know the soil or conditions, but if the stone perimeter was wrapped in filter fabric, is it an equitable solution to stop silt from filling it in and choking the stone, which has a similar purpose in that water will find its way to it, fill in the voids. You will have flow and possibly sediment, fines and or silt at some point. Sounds like a sump pit will work as you don't have a problem all year, spring and heavy rains from say a thunderstorm or similar.

You may be able to repair some of the leaking areas with hydraulic cement, which is a real quick hydrating,(curing) material. I believe in some instances you can install it while the leak is active to plug up the void. Make sure the surrounding area of the repair is cleaned a bit, brush off any surface latence, loose material etc, should be good to go. Been awhile since I've used it. Probably other means and methods to research for these repairs as well.
 

If your home is new enough to have footing tile, inside and out, then I would dig a ditch and tee into the outside footing tile and run a tile away from it.
 
Yes, heavy walled plastic basin.

Most time when I look it up lots of guys refer to it as a crock.
 
My house is 100+ years old and at some point a 18" diameter clay tile was concreted in the basement floor. The bottom of the clay tile has concrete for the sump pump to sit on. So, it forms a sump, 18" in diameter and approximately 18" deep below the basement floor. I drilled holes in the concrete sump floor to allow water to enter from the bottom, originally the basement floor had to get wet and the sump filled from the top. As water fills the sump from the bottom the pump emptys it, in effect draining the soil below the basement floor. No water can enter from the sides of the tile.

Might want to consider just sinking a sleeve, concrete it in at the top and let it fill from the bottom.
 
Sump pumps are a pain in the backside. Just when you need it the most, the electicity goes out. Since you have a walk out, I would investigate all possibilities of "daylighting" your sump so it naturally flows/drains to a low point down grade. My sump has been somewhat trouble free since I added a electronic sensor control and eliminated float activation. But I hold my breath with every thunder and lightning storm with heavy rain. good luck gobble
 
Seal the cracks with DAP 2.0, had basement problems since this house was new when parents built it, I was going to get a handle on it one leak at a time.
Found out about Dap 2.0 greatest stuff for leaking basement floors and cracks
 
It sounds like you have a serious problem! If this has started recently, something may have changed to raise the water table. Is your water well pump cycling all the time? Somebody build a pond nearby?
 
I ran into a similar problem when I put in a sump several years ago in my 1947 build house. As soon as I cracked the concrete and dug out a little the water flowed. I had gravel under the slab so I didn't get the shifting as you are with the sand. I had to stop digging and dry out the slab. I used a small portable sump pump with a garden hose on it and let it pump for several days. The water didn't stop but slowed enough after about 3 days to continue work. I was able to dig it out and sink the plastic sump using the little pump all the time to keep it reasonably dry. Had to put a concrete block in it to keep it from floating. I drilled holes in the "crock" to let water in and wrapped it in landscape fabric to keep the holes from clogging. Once I got it in and back filled with the gravel I took out, I could put the permanent pump in and finally it stopped flowing all the time, took about a week. I was then able to put the concrete in around it. I ran the outlet pipe up the wall and across the basement ceiling and out through the rim joist, and through the brick. I had a plumber come in and ditch a line to the driveway, well away from the basement, when they were doing some other drain work in my barn.

I also ran an 1 1/2 inch pipe from a floor drain around the corner, just under the floor level. I was having problems with the floor drains backing up and flooding, I found out that the drains were connected to the old field drains and wouldn't drain out fast enough. Luckily the drain around the corner was the lowest one so now when it rains and drains back up, it just flows into the pipe to the sump and outside through the pump.

So now no more flooding and any water that does get in has a place to go. A messy job but worth the time. It's been working flawlessly since installation.
 
I had a plumber to install mine about 3 years ago.
They earned their money digging the hole, installing the vinyl/plastic sump and the Zoeller sump pump. The water drains to the street. They
didn't have any problems with water filling in. They used 5 gallon buckets to carry out the concrete pieces and dirt. Hal
 
yup, you're washing the sand away that the slab sits on. Not a good situation. Since you have a walk-out basement, I'd also question why you need a pump. Can't you just run a pipe from under the slab to daylight? I'm assuming that the grade moves away from the house on the walkout side. Since it's coming through cracks in the block, I'd look at how the ground is graded around the house. Is it graded to move water AWAY from the basement walls? This is a typical problem where everything is fine for a few years after a house is built until the ground settles where the earth was disturbed during excavation. I had the same problem and for a number of years added fill to re-slope the ground away from the house.

Other than that, you could get some thin stiff plastic material and wrap it around the "crock". Run some exterior screws from the inside to secure it to the crock. Put the "crock" in the hole and excavate from the inside at the bottom, staying a few inches away from the crock wall. Then, quickly work your way around the perimeter on the inside to let the "crock/plastic" assembly drop into the hole a bit at a time, and repeat. The plastic should allow the assembly to "slide" down, otherwise, without it, the corregated crock wall will hang up in the dirt. I.e. use the crock as a cofferdam. Once you're to depth, remove the screws and pull the plastic up.

sounds easy, right? :wink:
 
Make sure the down spouts on your gutters are running the water away from the foundation. You can install catch basins and 4 inch pvc piping
to drain the water away from the house. I have my down spouts emptying into the piping and the water runs out to the street and down the hill. Hal
 
I have some of these installed to catch the water
and drain it to the street. Two gutters also drain into it. Hal
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After you get your sump pump installed, add enough outlet pipe to move the water 50 to 100 feet down slope away from your house to avoid recirculating the same water over and over. Landscape to guide water away from your foundation.
 

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