OT - Sump Pump Line Backing Up

[TheBeav815]

So here's a fun one. I noticed my yard was looking pretty soggy over by where my sump pump discharges. The line runs all the way to the street, so the soggy yard meant something was leaking. Sure enough I do a little digging (literally) and find this:

Anyone have tips and tricks on how to clear a bunch roots and lime scale out of corrugated plastic pipe? It would be a hell of a project to replace it, it's at least about a 50-60 foot run to the street through probably all kinds of tree roots.

 

[dinglefritz]

So here's a fun one. I noticed my yard was looking pretty soggy over by where my sump pump discharges. The line runs all the way to the street, so the soggy yard meant something was leaking. Sure enough I do a little digging (literally) and find this:

Anyone have tips and tricks on how to clear a bunch roots and lime scale out of corrugated plastic pipe? It would be a hell of a project to replace it, it's at least about a 50-60 foot run to the street through probably all kinds of tree roots.

Go rent a trencher and put in a new line preferably made out of solid plastic sewer line instead of black tile pipe. No easy fixes. The old pipe could be encased and crushed in a root ball or plugged be a varmit.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

Grab a trenching shovel and get to work. Shouldn't even take a full day for one man.

 

[TheBeav815]

Grab a trenching shovel and get to work. Shouldn't even take a full day for one man.

Not sure if you're giving me too much credit or not giving the trees and bushes in my front yard enough credit. I can do it, but it'll take me longer than that to get through all the roots in the front and rock in the back.

My advice for anyone doing a new sump line is DO NOT use that shitty corrugated plastic tubing. They'll tell you that wrapping it in landscaping cloth will keep the roots out. That's a load of extra premium bullshit.

Basically my options seem to be:

1) Have it rodded out every few years

2) Divert it into my sanitary line in the basement (against code, but almost everyone in my area does it anyhow). Not wild about this one if it were to back up, but I could leave the connection to the outside and T it off so it runs inside first and then would go outside if the whole line backed up.

3) Dig it up and replace the line

I dumped a bottle of root killer and a bucketfull of wishful thinking down there yesterday to see if that will let me off the hook cheap and easy for the winter and I can deal with it in the spring. Not optimistic, but for $10 it was worth a try.

 

[TheBeav815]

Go rent a trencher and put in a new line preferably made out of solid plastic sewer line instead of black tile pipe. No easy fixes. The old pipe could be encased and crushed in a root ball or plugged be a varmit.

Thinking this is the way that saves me the most time and headache in the long run.

Anyone have opinions on whether 3" pipe would be overkill? It's 1.5" pvc coming out of the house. I'm a little surprised that it's never frozen. I thought it was buried well into the ground but when I dug into it yesterday there was no actual soil over the connection into the 4" pipe, just landscaping rock.

I would like a larger pipe diameter because if it does start to freeze, at least there's a little bit of space for the water to flow over the top of the ice.

 

[dinglefritz]

Thinking this is the way that saves me the most time and headache in the long run.

Anyone have opinions on whether 3" pipe would be overkill? It's 1.5" pvc coming out of the house. I'm a little surprised that it's never frozen. I thought it was buried well into the ground but when I dug into it yesterday there was no actual soil over the connection into the 4" pipe, just landscaping rock.

I would like a larger pipe diameter because if it does start to freeze, at least there's a little bit of space for the water to flow over the top of the ice.

I think the best advice would be the same advice I gave to the guy with the snake in his house. Sell the house. What a pain in the ass. I can smell your musty basement all the way through my computer screen. Most people in our area that have sump pumps run them out of the house (above ground) to a line (hose) that lays on top of the ground in an area that drains away from the house. As long as there's a vent and the water is flowing downhill it should stay open. I'm not sure how you would protect that thing from freezing if buried(depending on your area) short of putting in a drain field similar to what one might use for a septic system. In our area 4' is considered below frost line but most diggers prefer to bury waterline 6' to be safe. You could maybe just bury a 1" black plastic water line under the turf to a spot in your landscaping making sure that you keep enough slope and that the end stays open. IF it freezes it's not a big deal as you could re-attach a hose on top of the ground til spring.

 

[GretnaShawn]

You just need to siphon it out a little. Just suck on the end until it starts to flow again. NBD.

 

[TheBeav815]

You just need to siphon it out a little. Just suck on the end until it starts to flow again. NBD.

It's a 4" pipe. I keep trying to tell you guys, I'm not THAT liberal...

 

[TheBeav815]

I think the best advice would be the same advice I gave to the guy with the snake in his house. Sell the house. What a pain in the ass. I can smell your musty basement all the way through my computer screen. Most people in our area that have sump pumps run them out of the house (above ground) to a line (hose) that lays on top of the ground in an area that drains away from the house. As long as there's a vent and the water is flowing downhill it should stay open. I'm not sure how you would protect that thing from freezing if buried(depending on your area) short of putting in a drain field similar to what one might use for a septic system. In our area 4' is considered below frost line but most diggers prefer to bury waterline 6' to be safe. You could maybe just bury a 1" black plastic water line under the turf to a spot in your landscaping making sure that you keep enough slope and that the end stays open. IF it freezes it's not a big deal as you could re-attach a hose on top of the ground til spring.

That's basically what they did. It's that corrugated plastic pipe with the slits cut in it so it can leech out of the pipe along the way. I don't have a ton of vertical drop between the house and the curb to bury it deep. That's why I was thinking maybe 3" PVC would give me space enough to allow for some icing without total blockage.

 

[Stepchild]

Ask this guy for help

 

[schuele]

Beav,
Does the water really need to get to the street? If you can get it to a spot in your yard that drains away from the house, that might suffice - at least temporarily. Obviously you want to get the water far enough away so that the pump serves its purpose, but that might be an option to consider.

 

[TheBeav815]

Beav,
Does the water really need to get to the street? If you can get it to a spot in your yard that drains away from the house, that might suffice - at least temporarily. Obviously you want to get the water far enough away so that the pump serves its purpose, but that might be an option to consider.

I have it diverted over-ground for the moment so that it's at least carrying further away than it was and not dropping all the water right back on top of the pit.

It's either to the street or to the sewer in the long term.

 

[jlb321]

Is this for real or an elaborate metaphor for the shit show we have at the QB position going into the Iowa game?

 

[TheBeav815]

Is this for real or an elaborate metaphor for the shit show we have at the QB position going into the Iowa game?

It's a metaphor for something, but I really will be out there really digging in the cold in a couple weeks.

 

[jlb321]

It's a metaphor for something, but I really will be out there really digging in the cold in a couple weeks.

ouch .. sorry

from the sound of things perhaps the Friday after Thanksgiving at about 230 CST would be a good time for some yard work to serve as a distraction

 

[TheBeav815]

ouch .. sorry

from the sound of things perhaps the Friday after Thanksgiving at about 230 CST would be a good time for some yard work to serve as a distraction

In an ironic twist, I won't be able to do it then because I'll be in Omaha!

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

Not sure if you're giving me too much credit or not giving the trees and bushes in my front yard enough credit. I can do it, but it'll take me longer than that to get through all the roots in the front and rock in the back.

My advice for anyone doing a new sump line is DO NOT use that shitty corrugated plastic tubing. They'll tell you that wrapping it in landscaping cloth will keep the roots out. That's a load of extra premium bullshit.

Basically my options seem to be:

1) Have it rodded out every few years

2) Divert it into my sanitary line in the basement (against code, but almost everyone in my area does it anyhow). Not wild about this one if it were to back up, but I could leave the connection to the outside and T it off so it runs inside first and then would go outside if the whole line backed up.

3) Dig it up and replace the line

I dumped a bottle of root killer and a bucketfull of wishful thinking down there yesterday to see if that will let me off the hook cheap and easy for the winter and I can deal with it in the spring. Not optimistic, but for $10 it was worth a try.

Shovel and sawzall for roots. Bingo bango. Get er done

 

[jhegge78]

So here's a fun one. I noticed my yard was looking pretty soggy over by where my sump pump discharges. The line runs all the way to the street, so the soggy yard meant something was leaking. Sure enough I do a little digging (literally) and find this:

Anyone have tips and tricks on how to clear a bunch roots and lime scale out of corrugated plastic pipe? It would be a hell of a project to replace it, it's at least about a 50-60 foot run to the street through probably all kinds of tree roots.

I would put in a valve and divert it inside during the cold months, and go outside the other months. Then fix it next spring outside in the yard.

 

[TheBeav815]

I would put in a valve and divert it inside during the cold months, and go outside the other months. Then fix it next spring outside in the yard.

Considered that. High water table in my area means the pump runs a lot, so any re-piping of that line would mean I'd need to work real fast before I had a basement full of water.

 

[jhegge78]

Yes, if that's the case you would have to get you poop in a group and be prepared. I've done it once when I was in North Dakota, but since moving back to Nebraska, mine rarely goes off. I have to go down and check to make sure mine even works.

 

[Johnsoda123]

I thought the post was going to be about the O Line leaking.