Sump Pump Discharge Lines & Outdoor Drainage
Installing Your Sump Pump Discharge Line & Handling Your Drainage & Grading
In situations like this, where the yard 's grading slopes towards the house and the drainage stone, rainwater will collect in the soil directly around the home's foundation.
If a sump pump's discharge line sends the water into the wrong part of this yard, a much of the water it pumps out will end up back in the basement.
Your sump pump is the heart of your basement waterproofing system. If it stops, then your basement floods. How you design your sump pump discharge line is key to preventing clogs and keeping your system running without interruption.
It's also important to remember that what happens outside of your basement can have a major impact on how much water leaks into your basement. Keep water away from your foundation, and it won't be able to leak into the basement.
Yard Drainage & Discharge Line Products
Your local Basement Systems Dealer offers the following products for outdoor drainage:
- IceGuard® Drainage Line Fitting
- LawnScape™ Discharge Outlet
- RainChute®™ Downspout Extension
At Basement Systems, we can help you design a basement waterproofing system system that includes a sump pump discharge line and yard drainage system that will help you keep your basement dry.
Our basement experts can help you design a complete waterproofing system -- one that takes all aspects of waterproofing into consideration.
To schedule your free basement waterproofing estimate, call or e-mail us today! We have authorized Basement Systems experts operation throughout Canada and the United States.
Features Of Our Sump Pump Discharge Lines
Issues with sump pump discharge lines can lead to a clogged system or a system that is forced to run continually, shortening the life of the sump pump. Including a few failsafes within your system can make the difference between a properly working system and a flooded basement. As part of our basement waterproofing services, we will include several failsafes that help to ensure a properly operating system.
Our sump pump discharge lines include the following four features:
A Sump Pump Check Valve
The sump pump check valve is a section of the discharge line (black, in the photo to the right). Its purpose is to prevent water that's been pumped into the discharge line from washing back down into your sump pit.
Say that your system has eight feet of 1 ½" pipe leading straight up from your sump pump before bending 90 °. This would equal about a half gallon of water being held in that pipe section.
Without a check valve, all that water would fall back into the sump pit each time the pump shut off -- which the sump pump will have to pump out again. This would add to the wear and tear of the sump pump over time, causing it to burn out and fail much earlier than otherwise.
A Buried Sump Pump Discharge Line
Your sump pump system should discharge any ejected water far away from your home, sending it downhill away from the foundation. Otherwise, the water pumped out by your sump pump will collect in the earth around your foundation, which is the cause of the problem you're trying to address in the first place!
At Basement Systems, we include a discharge line with each of our sump pump installations. We bury the discharge line underground to avoid and eyesore and tripping hazard in your yard.
Your waterproofing crew will take special care to preserve your landscaping during the burial process, removing it beforehand and replacing it after the discharge line has been buried.
Your Discharge Line Outlet
The opening of your discharge line is a weak point in your waterproofing system. When these openings are clogged with dirt, leaves or other debris, it will halt your sump pump's operation and lead to a flooded basement.
Discharge line openings can also become a living space for squirrels, mice, and other small animals, whose nests and related debris can clog the opening.
Our discharge lines include a grated opening and durable plastic design that will help prevent clogs to keep your discharge line wide open. Unlike the traditional white PVC pipe opening, our drain system blends in with your yard, with a subtle green design that's flush with your yard surface, so you can run right over it with the lawn mower without an issue.
Freezing Line Protection
In the cold winter months, discharge lines and outlets will sometimes freeze over. As they do, the drainage of your system can slow or be stopped entirely. If there is no other way for water to exit your sump pump system, then it will back up and your basement will flood.
In the case of partially clogged drains, your sump pump may have to work extra hard to discharge water from your home, which can potentially lead to early burnout of your sump system.
To combat this, Basement Systems dealers install IceGuard® Discharge Line Fittings to each of our sump pump discharge lines. These fittings include a grated opening at the top, which will give flooding water a second way out.
How Grading & Drainage Influences Basement Flooding
One of the easiest ways to help keep your basement dry is to keep water from flooding around your foundation in the first place. If the soil around your home is sloped towards your home, then water will run downhill towards your home, collect around the foundation, and increase your changes of basement flooding.
"Regrading", or changing the slope of your yard so it's pitched away from your house instead of towards it, is an important step in keeping your basement free of flooding. Maintaining your gutters and cleaning them regularly will also help keep water drained properly away from your home.
Downspout Extensions
Did you know that a 1" rainfall drops about 500 gallons of water on an average-sized roof?
If your home's downspouts are too short to send this water away from your home, then all that water will end up in the soil around your basement.
Despite this fact, many contractors and homeowners will still design their homes' downspout systems do discharge immediately next to the home.
In the picture to the right, drainage stone has even been placed to trap the water and drain it down into the souls around the foundation!
An Easy, Common-Sense Solution
At Basement Systems, we recommend extending all downspouts so that they send all drained water far away from your home. We accomplish this with our LawnScape™ and LawnScape™ EZ systems.
Our downspout extensions can be buried in the ground to be flush with the lawn itself, eliminating a potential tripping hazard and allowing for mowers to run over them without incident.
These extensions are inexpensive and fast to install. And while they do not replace installing a basement waterproofing system in your home, they can ease the load on your system by hundreds of gallons per rainfall, prolonging the life of your sump pump.
We Install warrantied Sump Pump & Drainage Systems!
Whether you live in Canada and the United States, there's a locally owned and operated Basement Systems Dealer in your neighborhood!
To schedule a free wet basement repair estimate with your locally owned and operated dealer, contact us by phone or e-mail today!
Each estimate is free and comes with no obligation to you. We provide a professional, on-site inspection and measurement of your basement. We also provide a customized cost estimate on a custom waterproofing system for your home, as well as a full-color copy of our basement waterproofing book. Don't wait to reclaim your basement as dry, usable space!
Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.