Is there a way to find out if a tile line underneath my house is blocked or crushed? My sump pump works but the lines going into it are dry. I have water coming into my basement along one wall.

If I read you correctly, you have water in the basement, but not in the sump hole. If this is the case, your water level is not be high and your water is coming from run-off or from rain water.

Does that side of the house have gutters?

Is that side of the house a lower elevation than the other sides?

The sump pump hole has water in the bottom of it, but the two tile lines that go to the pump are always dry. The tile lines sit up higher than the water level in the hole. I filled the hole up with more water than what is usually in it, to see if the pump was working, and it does come on when it is suppose to. However, I don't think water is currently getting to the pump. We just had a thaw and some rain. My basement is very wet along the wall, but the two tile lines going into the hole are dry.
I do have gutters on my house, but the yard is at a lower elevation where most of the water problem is occuring.
I'm not sure where to start to solve the problem. Do I start with changing the landscaping or find out if water is getting to the sump pump? I have also had 3 water proofing companies look at the problem. Two companies recommended digging a trench along the inside of the wall that is leaking and putting in another sump pump and drainage system. The third company does an injection system on the outside of the house (Volclay System). Our estamates ranged from $3,000 to $5,500 dollars. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Without seeing the problem, it is hard to tell. Unless something happened to block the water from getting to the pump, I honestly don't think the water level is high enough to activate the pump.

I would assume the water coming in from the side is not from a high water table so a pump on that side may not help, meaning if the water table is not high enough in one location, and water seeks it's own level...why would it be higher against the wall?

Keeping water away from the foundation is key. How you can best do this is unknown without knowing the cause. Injection will help, but if you have water sitting against your foundation, it will just be a matter of time before more leaks start. Digging along the foundation would allow for an inspection, which would help with plotting action.

I would suggest that if you go with the injection, a membrane should be applied to the entire foundation to fight sitting water...if that is your problem.

If you are in the Boston area, I would be happy to come look at it. I do not fix foundations, so I do not have any hidden interest in helping you.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and suggestions. Unfortunately I am in Michigan and no where near Boston. I do have a little more information that may or may not help. We have a lot of clay in our soil and a high water table in the town we live in. Actually, we built a raised ranch so our basement wouldn't be as far in the ground. There are two houses on either side of us with the same style house and they do not have water in their basements. Last night I did a test and put a piece of toilet paper about 6" into each tile pipe that goes into my sump pump crock. We got an inch of rain over night. In the morning I had water on the basement floor, and the toilet paper in both of the tile lines going to the sump pump was completely dry. I would like to hire a company to run a snake, scope, or something through the tile lines to determine if the tile lines are blocked or if the bleeder line is crushed or clogged. At this point I feel that water is just not getting to the pump. So far, I have not been able to find a person with the ability to do the "scope thing" but I have just started on this quest. If I do find out that the line is blocked somehow, do you know how this problem would be fixed? My main concern is that my basement is completely finished with a family room, two bedrooms and a bathroom. I am worried about having the floor tore up. Also, other than a blocked line or a water table issue, is there anything else that might cause the lines to be dry?

Any chance you could post pictures?

I don't think your lines are clogged, I think it is just that the water level is not high enough. Water can seep through the smallest of cracks, so it would have to be a serious collapse or clog for the lines to be dry. Also, what are the chances of both lines being clogged?

I would concentrate your efforts to the area that is wet. If your water table was high, I would think you would be getting water in all areas.

Thank you for your comments. I understand what you are saying and it is unlikely that both lines would be blocked. I will continue my quest focusing on the areas that are getting wet. This Friday I have a company coming out to remove the dry wall in the areas the floor is getting wet to see if we can figure out what is going on. In my storage room we can see where the water is coming in, but not where it is originating. I will try to attach pictures. I can only do one per posting, so I will have to do a few different postings. This one is of my pump with the dry toilet paper after the rain. There is about 6 inches of water in the bottom of the drum. Thank you so much.

This is one spot that gets wet. On the other side of the wall is a storage room.

This is the same corner as the one with the dehumidifier, just on the other side of the wall. Before the rain, I put some rags down along the edge of the wall to soak up some of the water.

This is about 3 feet down the same wall from the previous picture.