basement water despite pumps
hello, We are in the South Slope. Our basement has 3 sump pumps which were installed 6 years ago when we bought the house. Up until now we have had occasional minor flooding after heavy rains or when one of the pumps isn’t working. For the past month or so we have had water coming…
hello,
We are in the South Slope. Our basement has 3 sump pumps which were installed 6 years ago when we bought the house. Up until now we have had occasional minor flooding after heavy rains or when one of the pumps isn’t working. For the past month or so we have had water coming in every day. The flooding is consistent with what happens when the pumps aren’t working. Problem is, all the pumps are working, and the water level in the sumps is well below the floor level in the basement. It is turning into more than just an annoyance as we have to mop it up every day, and presumably would make a pretty bad flood if left alone for several days. Also, the water is coming in towards the front of the house- we have party walls- and not from the back where the garden is.
Anyone have any ideas how to troubleshoot this? Can the water table change this drastically? Do we need even more pumps?
Thanks for any advice.
Update:
After waiting over a week for a callback from the DEP and the water problem starting to get worse, I called Sessa. Richie from Sessa came out and after a lot of poking around for quite a while in our basement told me it’s 99% certain the sewer line is broken. Most likely by tree roots.
So we are looking at a sewer line replacement. Richie said this normally runs in the $10K to $15K range.
I have read prices all over the map here on Brownstoner- does this sound about right?
Also, I understand the line to my house is my responsibility, but since it was most likely caused by roots from a city-owned tree is there any legal argument for some city funding here, or are we basically SOL?
Thanks…….
The DEP will do a chemical analysis to determine if it is city water. Even sewage would come through the ground relatively clean looking.
Thanks for the ideas. The water is clean though, no sewage or waste. How do they determine if it’s a break in the incoming water main?
Call the DEP. They will determine if it is a city water main leak. They will also put dye down your neighbors drains to see if it’s that kind of leak. They have listening devices to try to pin point the source. This happened to me in Union Square. It took 3 to 4 months to find out a toilet 4 buildings away was the cause.
sounds like a break in the water main on the exterior of the front wall…call a water main contractor like harris water main to take a look