I was looking at a house today I might be interested in buying , its at the bottom of a slope the neighbors in the back sits higher, so I was walking around the yard and the sump pump did a discharge of water, I assume it has to be from water spinklers, so my question is would you consider that a potential issue with drainage and how loud are sump pumps generally, I dont want to listen to a sump pump constantly because Im at the bottom of a slope. Im a person that hates noise.
sump pumps
- Thread starter huskerfan1000
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Depends on how close the pit is to your living space. I can only hear ours if I am in the basement bathroom or living room - and it doesn't run very often, so I don't mind it. But if it's an issue for you, locate the pump to see if your family will spend much time near it.
My parents built a house at the bottom of a hill with the rear and side neighbors looming high over them. I can still remember being shaken awake in the middle of the night to bail water in a thunderstorm. Good engineering, drain tile, roof overhangs, gutters, and downspouts can prevent basements from flooding, but I wouldn't risk it. I've now bought three houses, and they're all at the TOP of the hill.
If you do decide to make an offer, I would first insist on having an engineer out to check the foundation and drainage. More than just the standard inspection. It would cost a little more, but it would more than pay for itself if they discover problems.
If you do decide to make an offer, I would first insist on having an engineer out to check the foundation and drainage. More than just the standard inspection. It would cost a little more, but it would more than pay for itself if they discover problems.
Yeah, finding houses that are elevated with water following away from the home is a big deal to me too. Some neighborhoods in Lincoln seem to basement flooding issues every couple years. I'd steer clear of that situation if you ask me.
Not necessarily from sprinklers. As other poster said, if it's from sprinklers then that's a red flag as those would have to have a good leak to force the sump pump on. Our house sits near middle of neighborhood in terms of height and sump pump kicks on due to higher water table. Neighbor across the street has same thing, but one next door to me does not.
I just had our sump pump replaced and new one is much quieter. Barely hear it now.
I just had our sump pump replaced and new one is much quieter. Barely hear it now.
Every friend I have had in this situation would tell you stay away or buy shovels. Now or eventually ..............
Better have dual pumps and an alarm. Also, make sure it is discharging far away from the foundation. Years ago, I ran mine all the way to the sidewalk.
My brothers house is at the bottom of the hill. They put in three sump pumps. One runs pretty much all the time. One side of his yard is constantly wet. He needs to run it out farther or make a dry rock bed there or something because he can hardly mow over there.
I can't imagine what his electric bill is. Running a little pump 24/7 has to cost him. Especially when he has two others.
I would avoid it if I could.
I can't imagine what his electric bill is. Running a little pump 24/7 has to cost him. Especially when he has two others.
I would avoid it if I could.
As others have pointed out, definitely a red flag as it could be a water table issue. I previously owned a house like that and the sump pump ran often. It wasn't a noise issue as much as the unfinished basement walls constantly had moisture on them.
Do you have a link to the listing? Should be easy to spot if they have photos of the outside of the house. Personally, I wouldn't buy a house that didn't have a sump. You're right up my alley, I've been playing this game the last couple summers with managing storm water flow.
My sump runs at least once a minute if it's been rainy. We haven't had rain for close to two weeks and my curb still isn't dry, that's how much it runs. Some places just have a higher water table than others. Ours is very high in my neighborhood. If you have one that runs a lot, you have to discharge it off your property or you'll be the proud owner of a swamp.
But they don't only run when it's raining or the sprinklers are on, especially at the bottom of a hill. As for noise, the check valve is the noisy part. They sell quiet ones, if you have a cheap one you will hear it clunk shut. Some people like a quiet one on their main pump and a loud one on their backup, that way they know if they hear it clunking they need to replace their main pump.
I do hear my pump if I'm listening for it, I can hear it hum. I could soundproof the closet it's in if I wanted, but I'm the only one who notices it and I like knowing when it runs.
The only issues I've had with water in the basement were because of bad slope, a window well drain that was installed too high, and chipmunk damage. Never the pump. And those were trickles of water, not a flood. Once I moved downspouts and fixed that drain and the soil slope, the basement has been dry.
It's easy to see if you know what you're looking for. Walk the perimeter of the house and with the knowledge that water goes downhill, and ask yourself where it's going to flow when you get a heavy rain. Make sure the downspouts extend at least 6 ft away and wherever they let out has a downhill run away from the house. It's cheap to get a load of dirt brought in and build up a little lip around the perimeter of the house. That would be an easy concession to get from the seller to either make them do it or give you money to have it done if the spouts need to be moved.
If it's a finished basement, I doubt they have water problems or you'd smell it. One flood will mold everything. Get into the corners and the closets down there and really sniff around.
As mentioned above, get a two pump system with a watchdog unit that will alarm when the backup is activated. I just replaced my backup battery.
I'm also just about done with the replacement of the discharge line that runs around 90 feet from the back of the house down to the curb. My advice to everyone is to NEVER use the perforated 4" corrugated drain pipe. Those slits let roots in despite what they tell you about using rock and wrapping the pipe. It took about 20 years, but it blocked off totally with roots and had to be replaced.
My other question is what the front yard is like. If you have a good downhill run out front, you shouldn't really have problems if you can divert water around and away from the house. Where you really get basement water issues is when water is flowing up against the house and pooling.
So if it's a downhill run straight into the back of the house, that's a problem because you're pooling water up against the house. But if you have a bit of a gully that takes that water around the side of the house and out to the front yard, you'll be fine as long as there's not a total pump failure or cracks in your foundation.
So if it's a downhill run straight into the back of the house, that's a problem because you're pooling water up against the house. But if you have a bit of a gully that takes that water around the side of the house and out to the front yard, you'll be fine as long as there's not a total pump failure or cracks in your foundation.
Thanks everyone for great input, I had originally had the same thoughts as what you all are expressing but since I liked the place and location was trying to convince myself otherwise. Also yes the neighbors backyard slopes into this yard which is flat which prolly why sump was running just from spinklers. Im very flexible with what Im looking for so writing this place off the list is fine.
My house is at the bottom of a hill. The previous owners put in the money to a add drainage line between ours and the neighbor's house (side yard) that discharges to the street. We don't have a pump (yet), and the pit only gets a little water. Must be doing the trick well.
I think it's something to work around with proper consulting.
I think it's something to work around with proper consulting.
Don't know if that is the case here but FYI you may want to check your building codes. Many cities prohibit the practice of draining the sump pump to the street.
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