Background info: We live in a 100+ year old house. The old basement clay tile drain has been an issue for the entire 25 years we have lived here. It has a break in the line “somewhere out there”. This means somewhere 6 feet below the surface between the house and the ditch which is about 200′ away. And…it could have multiple breaks. Anyway, it has created problems over the years with periodic backing up into the basement. My solution has been to use a bladder attachment on a garden hose to periodically “somewhat” clear the drain. This has been a messy, smelly procedure that I have done on an irregular basis (roughly annually) for 25 years. Well, the other day it was not draining at all, and there was standing water in the basement (about 1 inch on half the floor). So…I did my usual bladder method of clearing the drain, which worked so well for 25 years. However this time the bladder attachment broke off in the drain somewhere, along with the hose coupling. So now, I have to really deal with the problem.
Alternative #1: Dig up the yard 6 feet down and hope to find the broken tile. Decided against this option because it would involve dealing with underground electric lines, destroying wife’s landscaping (I don’t want to die yet!), and who knows what else. Plus, there may be multiple breaks out there along with tree roots to deal with, etc.
Alternative #2: Leave the floor drain as it is, where it will somewhat work and install a sump pump/sump pit to deal with the real problem.
I have decided on the sump pump/sump pit option. This is something I have thought of doing for years but have put off. Now, because of the bladder stuck in the existing drain, I am “forced” to do what I should have done anyway.
I have always been one to postpone taking preventive measures until forced to do so. Instead my m/o has been to wait til a problem/crisis arises and then take temporary stop-gap measures to alleviate it…until next time. I would probably have saved myself alot of grief in alot of areas if I would just “bite the bullet” and “git-r-done” as soon as a problem is recognized.
One immediate benefit of this has been to force me to clean out the basement in preparation for digging/installing the sump. It also has “forced” me to clean out and repair the gutters and make sure the downspouts are functioning properly.
More to follow: (check back in a day or two!).
… and the basement is getting cleared out of clutter as well.
we can always appreciate the good job Nate did of digging the ditch for the other drain. he was always the hardest worker (like Anastasia)
Agreed. Nathan did an exceptional quality job in digging the trench for the PVC line that drains the gutters to the ditch. Hard work and excellence and pride went into his efforts…one of his qualities! This is the drain line that the sump pump will be fed into.