Hello! This is my first post on this site so here it goes.
I live in a raised ranch just outside of O'Hare airport in Chicago. The house was built along with half of the subdivision in late 1956 - early 1957. Before that, all of the land around here was used for farms. My house has a perimeter drain with an outlet in a concrete lined sump pit in the basement. However, in the 20+ years I've lived in this house, I've never seen a drop of water enter the sump pit from the perimeter drain, even during the heaviest of rains.
I was simply wondering if this is an issue or not? Other neighbors on the block (all of them in houses that were constructed at the same time, obviously) also say that they never get water coming out of their perimeter drains. Almost everyone in this neighborhood - myself included - has fully finished basements with bathrooms, etc. The only time people get water in their basements around here is either from sewage backflow or foundation wall cracks - never hydrostatic pressure from the floor or anything along the lines of that. Perhaps the ground in this area is too dry to facilitate the need for foundation drains anymore? Or maybe the drain was installed when the house was constructed just for good measure?
At least I'm getting my moneys worth out of my sump pump... my HVAC condensate/humidifier as well as a floor drain are the only things that put water into the pit. Unfortunately, many neighbors have non-working 50+ year old pumps because they don't see the need to replace them if they're not used. I actually just installed a new Wayne primary/backup combo just in case our backflow protection ever fails like it did a few years ago. Frankly, if I HAD to get water in my finished basement, I'd much prefer that it comes from a perimeter drain than from the bathtub, sinks, and toilet...
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