Water in basement

Post Reply | Watch this Post

There are a couple of things that you need to address.

1. Make sure none of the roof water can make it to the basement. This involves gutters and adequate slope around the entire dwelling. Key efforts on specific areas above water problems in the basement. This is the most important step. Why? Because if you have a clay soil, or any other soil type that doesn't drain well, a sump won't cut it because the water won't ever make it to the sump, given you have no drains (assumed by your statement).

2. Given you don't want to put in drains to the sump, I don't really see the point in any sump pump. The likelihood of a sump pumping any water unless you have really good soil isn't great.

3. After you feel you have done everything to improve drainage off the roof and around the perimeter, if you still have water problems, that will imply that you can't improve the drainage well enough through the good topside efforts and need to do more. At a minimum, let's say you have an impossible situation where you can't improve the slope on the west wall of the house and water flows to the foundation on the west. I would at a minimum then install draintile on the west wall of the house, including holes in the lower blocks, etc, and then taking that drain to a sump basket and pump.

You'll be surprised at what the combination of good efforts will produce, versus an effort that isn't well thought out. A sump pump in a static basket with a hole in the bottom in a basement really isn't an effective total solution and probably a wasted effort in most cases.