Drainage & Sump Pump Advice

FredAt · 06-11-2009, 03:12 AM

Hello All,

I hope that I will get some useful pointers from members on this forum.

Very briefly, owing to disagreements between the builder and the architect of my newly built home I find myself having to pick up the pieces.

The house has a drainage system installed but the level of the lowest point in the system is lower than the municipal drains (local regulations do allow discharge into municipal drains). Consequently, I need to install a sump pump.

I have been living here for about two weeks now. There have been many heavy showers but there does not appear to be any major issue with the soil getting water logged, my basement flooding or even getting damp - I should mention that the installed drainage system - a German affair - comes with an integrated manhole that allows me to inspect its insides without too much effort. There I guess I have just been lucky with the lay of the land.

Here is what I am planning to do

a. The lowest point in the drainage system and all the rainwater downspouts are at the front of the house on the left hand side of my garage entrance.

b. The manhole connected to the municipal drains is the right of the garage entrance.

My plans

a. Dig a trench and create a sufficiently deep & wide gutter in front of the garage with a grating covering it

b. Connect this channel to the manhole leading to the municipal drains

c. Dig a sump pit to the left of the garage and lead the drainage outlet into it.

d. Place a sump pump in the pit and lead its discarge into the gutter.

e. Also lead the discharge from the rainwater downspouts directly into the gutter.

Hope it all works. I am trying to research all this the best I can and learning a lot along the way. Please don't tell me to get a "professional". I have neither the money to do that nor the confidence to trust those guys. Advice...I will take gladly.

shumakerscott · 06-11-2009, 06:50 AM

How about some pictures. Dorf Dude

Maintenance 6 · 06-11-2009, 07:32 AM

When you say "municipal drain" or "municipal manholes" do you mean storm sewers or sanitary sewers? Many municipalities have rules about discharging pressurized water into their systems. Most will not allow rain water to be discharged into sanitary sewers. We will need to understand more about the system.

FredAt · 06-11-2009, 10:14 AM

Thank you for your replies. To clarify a few things

I live in rural Luxembourg - there is only one kind of sewerage, no separate storm water drains.
When I said municipal drains - I simply meant the local sewerage system
I have checked with the local authorities - there is no issue with connecting the pump discharge directly to the sewers

I have attached four photographs

The first one shows the drains from the house connected to the drain built by the builder. He legged it and I had to finish the job myself. Despite the two bends the system works perfectly. I have allowed for a "T" to enable me to connect the rainwater etc next.
The drainage system is from a German outfit called Frankische. I have spoken with them and they tell me that the large orange tube can double up as a sump pit - if I find the right size of pump to put into it.
The third photo is the drain/manhole built on the property by the builder. There is no cover yet - he legged it, as I explained. It is this drain that ended up being just a tad too high for water from the drainage system to flow under gravity into the drain and then into the sewerage.
Finally, there is a slightly wider shot showing the garage entrance. The OptiDrain manhole is to the left and the drains out of the house are to the right. The drain/manhole built by the builder is in the foreground-right.

The only negative gradient problem I have is that of connecting the drainage system with the sewerage via the drain. The rainwater downspouts are buried superficially and only need to be guided correctly.

I hope this clarifies my questions. I would rate my DIY skills not too badly but in this particular instance I am a newbie.