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Message
Water in basement of home we just bought
Posted on 5/28/25 at 8:00 am
Posted on 5/28/25 at 8:00 am
So this is obviously fun. This happened a few weeks ago when we first moved in but the power was off. We had some electrical work being done and the house was without power for several days. We got heavy rains and saw that the sump pump was overrun and itself was not running due to no house power or backup power.
Well it rained again last night, and while the sump pump is running, there's still water accumulating again in the floors. It seems to be seeping up through the floor tile and ponding in one area. Previous owners did not disclose this at all but I assume this has been an ongoing issue for them they're glad to be rid of.
My question is how is a sump pump supposed to run? Ours is definitely pretty old, and when it runs, it runs for about 20 seconds on, off, on, off. It does not run continuously. Is that normal? I know there's a float that gets activated when there is water but I am wondering if it's all running normally.
Looking for help to deal with this as this will be super annoying in the short term when it rains, and obviously devastating in the long term if we develop some kind of mold or worse.
Well it rained again last night, and while the sump pump is running, there's still water accumulating again in the floors. It seems to be seeping up through the floor tile and ponding in one area. Previous owners did not disclose this at all but I assume this has been an ongoing issue for them they're glad to be rid of.
My question is how is a sump pump supposed to run? Ours is definitely pretty old, and when it runs, it runs for about 20 seconds on, off, on, off. It does not run continuously. Is that normal? I know there's a float that gets activated when there is water but I am wondering if it's all running normally.
Looking for help to deal with this as this will be super annoying in the short term when it rains, and obviously devastating in the long term if we develop some kind of mold or worse.
10
Posted on 5/28/25 at 8:36 am to jlovel7
bruh, i got nothing to help you on this but from your recent string of posts the last few months, this thing seems like a damn money pit!
Posted on 5/28/25 at 9:05 am to jlovel7
where is the sump pump and pit? Is it in the middle of the basement floor/slab? How deep is the basement? Is it 100% below grade? Where is the water coming from? Is it rainwater runoff exclusively?
in any event, there are ways to address this but you need to determine the cause not just observe the symptoms
in any event, there are ways to address this but you need to determine the cause not just observe the symptoms
Posted on 5/28/25 at 9:08 am to jlovel7
I saw an earlier post that the inspection found horizontal cracking and mold, and there were follow up inspections planned. Did these turn up anything?
Posted on 5/28/25 at 10:52 am to jlovel7
1st thing I would do is contact your real estate agent. If the previous owners knew but didn't disclose, they are responsible for it.
And I would bet that they did know.
As to the sump pump. It sounds like the pump is kicking on, running and pushing water up the hose, maybe a little comes out. It's enough for the float to shut off the pump and then the water comes back out of the hose and kicks the float on again.
And I would bet that they did know.
As to the sump pump. It sounds like the pump is kicking on, running and pushing water up the hose, maybe a little comes out. It's enough for the float to shut off the pump and then the water comes back out of the hose and kicks the float on again.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 11:02 am to Randall Savauge
quote:
bruh, i got nothing to help you on this but from your recent string of posts the last few months, this thing seems like a damn money pit!
Not really. This is the only “problem” I’d say we have. We are turning it over in a lot of ways out of choice. First time home owner so just excited to do lots of projects.
This is one that I am not excited about
Posted on 5/28/25 at 11:03 am to meeple
quote:
saw an earlier post that the inspection found horizontal cracking and mold, and there were follow up inspections planned. Did these turn up anything?
Yes. Mold test came back negative so that was great. Foundation company said they could do carbon strapping and stop the cracking but two different structural engineer said it wasn’t an issue.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 11:09 am to cgrand
quote:
where is the sump pump and pit? Is it in the middle of the basement floor/slab? How deep is the basement? Is it 100% below grade? Where is the water coming from? Is it rainwater runoff exclusively? in any event, there are ways to address this but you need to determine the cause not just observe the symptoms
Near the corner of the foundation below the slab. There’s a big hole cut out and it goes below that. Top of Basement slab is 7’ below the floor above which is about at grade. The far side of the basement away from the sump pump is partially buried as the grade goes away. However this area is not an issue . The seeping comes when it rains heavily so I am assuming it is rain water building up below the slab and then seeping up through.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 11:44 am to jlovel7
Have gutters on the home? In addition to figuring out the pump issue, I would do what I could to keep as much water as possible away from the home.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 11:52 am to TimeOutdoors
quote:
Have gutters on the home? In addition to figuring out the pump issue, I would do what I could to keep as much water as possible away from the home.
Yes. Have not gotten up there to figure them out just yet. Probably need to grade a bit around the perimeter and make sure there’s nothing sloping back towards the house.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 12:11 pm to jlovel7
When we had issues in our basement there were a few easy culprits
-Grade the entire perimeter of the house to slope away
-Make sure gutters extended away and sloping down
-Check for any open gaps/cracks on porch or in areas where concrete meets the house and caulk/seal them
We randomly had water come in after a hard rain and there was a place where caulk had dried up on porch…this rain had heavy wind that blew rain sideways onto porch and it went in that crack, down the wall and soaked the floor. Water always finds a way
-Grade the entire perimeter of the house to slope away
-Make sure gutters extended away and sloping down
-Check for any open gaps/cracks on porch or in areas where concrete meets the house and caulk/seal them
We randomly had water come in after a hard rain and there was a place where caulk had dried up on porch…this rain had heavy wind that blew rain sideways onto porch and it went in that crack, down the wall and soaked the floor. Water always finds a way
Posted on 5/28/25 at 12:12 pm to jlovel7
Extension on the downspouts won't hurt.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 1:18 pm to jlovel7
quote:if it only leaks in a hard rain then its rainwater from grade level, not groundwater. fix that and you fix the problem. thats a far easier fix than a groundwater intrusion below grade
The seeping comes when it rains heavily so I am assuming it is rain water building up below the slab and then seeping up through.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 3:32 pm to jlovel7
Lawyer up.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 3:37 pm to jlovel7
As others have said, grade the land on side of houses to run water away, check gutters and downspout locations, maybe put in french drains, and get a new sump pump if you need to, they aren't that expensive.
Posted on 5/28/25 at 6:01 pm to CatfishJohn
How could I regrade in a DIY manner?
Posted on 5/28/25 at 9:30 pm to jlovel7
Get some sand/dirt and a wheelbarrow. Foundation should be your high point and grade downwards at an angle from there. All you’re doing is sloping away from foundation to guide the water away.
I’d maybe look at some foundation flashing or splash guard too
I’d maybe look at some foundation flashing or splash guard too
This post was edited on 5/28/25 at 9:32 pm
Posted on 5/29/25 at 7:41 am to Craft
Yeah I have a huge sand pile and dirt pile I get refreshed every couple of years. Not sure if right, but I go 50/50, dump piles against exterior walls and rake down to slight slope away from house. Then stomp on it and spray with shower setting on hose lightly to compact. Has worked for me.
Posted on 5/29/25 at 9:24 am to CatfishJohn
Alright so this weekend I am going to add a check valve to the sump pump before outright replacing it. Looks like it’s a pedestal pump with a PVC pipe connected but no check valve. I plan to cut the pipe. Add the check valve and then cut the existing pipe on the pump to size with the added valve.
While it is disconnected, I will lift it out and inspect it to see if there’s anything getting stuck in the inlet or anything like that. Also will dig around in the pit with a crow bar a bit to try and shift any debris out of the way and place it back on a small paver. I want to be careful that the paver doesn’t sit much higher than where it sits now otherwise my entire water level that it will start to remove at will be raised.
If it’s still being fricky after that, I can replace it with a new model.
While it is disconnected, I will lift it out and inspect it to see if there’s anything getting stuck in the inlet or anything like that. Also will dig around in the pit with a crow bar a bit to try and shift any debris out of the way and place it back on a small paver. I want to be careful that the paver doesn’t sit much higher than where it sits now otherwise my entire water level that it will start to remove at will be raised.
If it’s still being fricky after that, I can replace it with a new model.
This post was edited on 5/29/25 at 9:25 am
Posted on 5/29/25 at 4:30 pm to jlovel7
My FIL has the sump pump in his basement in Alabama. His runs continuously when the water level comes up. He has a foundation issue and needs the pump. When power goes off he has an alarm that sounds so he can go start the generator t9o run his pump. I’d run away from a plan to buy a house if it had a sump pump 8n the basement. 
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