Sump pump drainage problem

sk8z · 02-26-2008, 10:21 AM

Last year I discovered that where my sump pipe drains out of the house and into the larger black corrugated tube outside was clogged. This black tube was tied into the storm drain. I could not dig down deep enough to find a spot where it wasn't damaged underground to make a repair (this was careful digging around utilties), so I eventually gave up and rerouted the sump drainage into another corrugated tube that led away from the house and came up through a pop-up emitter in the yard. Worked great...until winter froze the pipe solid. Now any water that leaves the house through the white PVC pipe, pours into the black corrugated tube, and subsequently bouces off the frozen water column, and back out onto the house along the foundation washing away the soil. It's really fun to watch, but is causing some obvious problems. Why is my sump running in the winter you may ask? I have a whole house humidifier on the furnace that is draining into the sump. For now i've unplugged it so it doesn't continue to make the sump run. Solutions? I know it's against code to tie the sump directly to the sewer so that's out. It's been suggested to get a condensate pump for the humidifier, then tie in this to one of the sewar lines running in the basement ceiling joists. Problem is the closest pipe to tie into is at least 20 feet away from the furnace. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not even sure who to call. Would this be a problem to call a plumber or an HVAC guy on? HVAC installed the humidifier, but this seems like more of a plumbing issue.

jogr · 02-26-2008, 03:14 PM

I don't think a humidifier is suppose to put water into anything but the air. Confirm with your HVAC guy and either have him fix it or look at it yourself to find out why it is overfilling and discharging water.

wire_twister · 02-26-2008, 04:34 PM

If you have a flo thru humidifier it will discharge a small amount of water continuously. As for the drainage problem, how much room do you have? Can you bury 15 or 20 feet of perforated pipe below the frost line and run the drain into it, and just let it wick out. I have also seen people dig a trench and fill it full of gravel then run the drain to the trench allowing the water to drain into the trench under ground below the frost line

sk8z · 02-27-2008, 09:43 AM

Quote:

I don't think a humidifier is suppose to put water into anything but the air. Confirm with your HVAC guy and either have him fix it or look at it yourself to find out why it is overfilling and discharging water

This isn't a stand alone room humidifier that you add water to manually. It is a whole house unit that is attached to the cold air return on the furnace and is fed through a connection to a hot water pipe. It has water continually running through it whenever the furnace is running. Some of the moisture is drawn into the furnace and disbursed throughout the house, but a large portion is discharged through the bottom of the unit and into the sump.

Quote:

As for the drainage problem, how much room do you have? Can you bury 15 or 20 feet of perforated pipe below the frost line and run the drain into it, and just let it wick out. I have also seen people dig a trench and fill it full of gravel then run the drain to the trench allowing the water to drain into the trench under ground below the frost line

I certainly could do this I guess. I've got some tough clay soil so this will be very difficult digging, but it is possible. Anyone know the frost line in the southeast portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan? I think it's around 40 inches.

wire_twister · 02-27-2008, 07:38 PM

Sorry did not pay attention to where you are, you might want to hire someone with a trencher, that woukd be a tough dig.

chrishosley · 09-17-2008, 01:18 AM

The condensate pump to the sewer line may be a relatively easy fix for the winter sump pump running, a pump that can pump 20' vertically runs about $150, plus fittings and hoses. You can by a 24 volt pump that runs off your furnace directly or a 110V model that will need a GFI outlet by code-if you do this and use your furnace circuit make sure your furnace leaves enough juice on the circuit for the pump to run without tripping breakers. You should connect your ac condensate drain (s) (one, a "back up" is often plugged-not a good idea-ask me how I know) Take the plug out and put a fitting for a drain line on it then a T fitting so both go to the condensate pump tank.

Another possible option - there are some whole house humidifiers that have a tank and a pump of their own with a float switch that turns on the water flow to the humidifier only when the level in the tank indicates water is needed for humidification, so they have no drain tube or an emergency overflow-only drain tube, and no more wasted water. You might be surprised how much water you are wasting with your humidifier. You might be lucky enough to have one that you can buy a tank and pump kit for as an add-on, search online. It is also NOT advisable to connect your humidifier to a hot water line - doing so will cut the life of your elements in half, and your likely to end up replacing the valves, fittings, controls and possibly the whole unit when it clogs up prematurely due to mineral deposits from your hot water.
Best of luck

chrishosley · 11-29-2008, 11:09 PM

Hey I just remembered this post and thought I'd share.

I just bought an Aprilaire 400a bypass ($180 delivered), a new model of whole house humidifier that uses all the water it takes in with no pump. It has two floats with magnetic sensors encapsulated in plastic that control water flow, one operates the water flow into the unit all the time, the other if that one fails, and has a "backup" drain hose outlet to boot. I chose it to avoid loading my septic system unnecessarily.

02-26-2008, 10:21 AM	#1
sk8z Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Fenton, Michigan Posts: 48	Sump pump drainage problem Last year I discovered that where my sump pipe drains out of the house and into the larger black corrugated tube outside was clogged. This black tube was tied into the storm drain. I could not dig down deep enough to find a spot where it wasn't damaged underground to make a repair (this was careful digging around utilties), so I eventually gave up and rerouted the sump drainage into another corrugated tube that led away from the house and came up through a pop-up emitter in the yard. Worked great...until winter froze the pipe solid. Now any water that leaves the house through the white PVC pipe, pours into the black corrugated tube, and subsequently bouces off the frozen water column, and back out onto the house along the foundation washing away the soil. It's really fun to watch, but is causing some obvious problems. Why is my sump running in the winter you may ask? I have a whole house humidifier on the furnace that is draining into the sump. For now i've unplugged it so it doesn't continue to make the sump run. Solutions? I know it's against code to tie the sump directly to the sewer so that's out. It's been suggested to get a condensate pump for the humidifier, then tie in this to one of the sewar lines running in the basement ceiling joists. Problem is the closest pipe to tie into is at least 20 feet away from the furnace. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not even sure who to call. Would this be a problem to call a plumber or an HVAC guy on? HVAC installed the humidifier, but this seems like more of a plumbing issue.

02-26-2008, 03:14 PM	#2
jogr Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,463	Sump pump drainage problem I don't think a humidifier is suppose to put water into anything but the air. Confirm with your HVAC guy and either have him fix it or look at it yourself to find out why it is overfilling and discharging water.

02-26-2008, 04:34 PM	#3
wire_twister electrical contractor Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Georgia USA Posts: 181	Sump pump drainage problem If you have a flo thru humidifier it will discharge a small amount of water continuously. As for the drainage problem, how much room do you have? Can you bury 15 or 20 feet of perforated pipe below the frost line and run the drain into it, and just let it wick out. I have also seen people dig a trench and fill it full of gravel then run the drain to the trench allowing the water to drain into the trench under ground below the frost line __________________ Jimmy Life is tough, Life is tougher when you are stupid.

02-27-2008, 07:38 PM	#5
wire_twister electrical contractor Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Georgia USA Posts: 181	Sump pump drainage problem Sorry did not pay attention to where you are, you might want to hire someone with a trencher, that woukd be a tough dig. __________________ Jimmy Life is tough, Life is tougher when you are stupid.

09-17-2008, 01:18 AM	#6
chrishosley Newbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 20	Sump pump drainage problem The condensate pump to the sewer line may be a relatively easy fix for the winter sump pump running, a pump that can pump 20' vertically runs about $150, plus fittings and hoses. You can by a 24 volt pump that runs off your furnace directly or a 110V model that will need a GFI outlet by code-if you do this and use your furnace circuit make sure your furnace leaves enough juice on the circuit for the pump to run without tripping breakers. You should connect your ac condensate drain (s) (one, a "back up" is often plugged-not a good idea-ask me how I know) Take the plug out and put a fitting for a drain line on it then a T fitting so both go to the condensate pump tank. Another possible option - there are some whole house humidifiers that have a tank and a pump of their own with a float switch that turns on the water flow to the humidifier only when the level in the tank indicates water is needed for humidification, so they have no drain tube or an emergency overflow-only drain tube, and no more wasted water. You might be surprised how much water you are wasting with your humidifier. You might be lucky enough to have one that you can buy a tank and pump kit for as an add-on, search online. It is also NOT advisable to connect your humidifier to a hot water line - doing so will cut the life of your elements in half, and your likely to end up replacing the valves, fittings, controls and possibly the whole unit when it clogs up prematurely due to mineral deposits from your hot water. Best of luck

Sump pump drainage problem