Hi Mah,
Mahatma wrote:
Our downspout in the front of the house is clogged. guess iIt empties down the small hill near the street, but I can't find any exit spout. Could the downspout empty directly into the sewer? The water is pooled up in the front and seeping into the basement. It may have been collapsed for a long time, and the owners never disclosed it. Can I snake this thing?
If you talking the portion from where it enters the ground I'd try high water preassure 1st. Is the downspout from the roof to the ground clogged also? Pretty common occurance in communitys with a lot of trees. Back to the drain in the ground, if the high water pressure dosn't work try a snake, won't hurt anything. Maybe there a dead critter in there :-). Bad time of year to have basements leaks. Oh hell what was I thinking, your in washington there won't be a good time of year.
Prioritize.
1) Fix that damn down spout/drain.
2) (Seriously) I have got some great news for you. If you can enlist the help of a friend for just one weekend, you will be able to prevent basement or crawlspace flooding and dry out the soil. Your early spring fever problems and flooding concerns can be cured permanently with some simple linear french drains.
.
Normal soil makeup consists of small pieces of rock, organic debris, water and air. In many soils (especially clay soils), the air content is highest in the upper 24 inches. As you go deeper into a soil, the weight of the overlying material compresses the soil and squeezes out the air.
When it rains, water enters soil and pushes the air to the surface. Gravity then takes over. If your yard slopes, the water within the soil actually begins to flow downhill. Level yards suffer as the movement of the water through the soil is minimal. You can accelerate the movement of water or intercept and re-direct sub-surface water by installing gravel covered perforated drainage pipes in narrow trenches. Water, just like most things, takes the path of least resistance. Subsurface water would much rather travel through gravel and open drain pipes than force its way through soil.
A linear
Remember, the holes in the perforated pipe point down. If they point up, they get clogged by pieces of gravel.
french drain is simply a "moat" that protects your yard or house from sub-surface or surface water. You construct it by digging a 6 inch wide trench approximately 24 inches deep. If you want to intercept sub-surface water to dry out your yard, you install the trench along the highest part of your property. Extend the trench to the lowest part of your yard. If your intent is to protect your house from water, you construct the trench approximately 4-6 feet away from the
foundation. In many cases the trench system is U shaped as it passes around your house.
If your yard is nearly level and you wish to drain it, you will probably have to dig a series of trenches and inter-connect them. Consider renting a builder's level at a tool rental store to help you determine how deep to dig the trenches. Lots that appear flat often have sufficient slope that allows you to install the pipes so that they will extend to daylight at the lowest portion of your yard. You can use the optical or laser builder's level to tell you the high and low portions of your
lot.
The bottom of the trench can be level or it can follow the contour of your yard much like a fence. If you can expose the end of the pipe to daylight at the edge of your property, you will obtain the best drainage results.
Once you have the trench completed, compact any loose soil in the bottom of the trench. If you choose to use rigid plastic pipe that has two rows of holes along each length, be sure to install it correctly. The holes are supposed to point down, not towards the sky. After the pipe is installed in the trench, cover it with 1 inch or larger washed, rounded gravel. Fill the trench with gravel to within 1 inch of the surface. Place a piece of sod over the gravel to disguise the trench.
If you wish to control surface water that flows over your lot, allow the gravel to extend completely to the surface. If you widen the trench in the upper few inches of the soil, you can disguise the drainage system. Use colored stones, gravel or large stepping stones to create a walkway. To further enhance the illusion, install the trench with gentle curves as it traverses your lot
3) The nuisance of water in a basement seems to have a simple solution. Stop at the local hardware shop, pick up a sump pump, installation of the sump pump, and voila! Unfortunately, sump pumps are only half the battle.
Basement water typically comes from 2 locations. The main culprit is called the cove area (where the floor and wall meet). Additionally, water can come through cracks in the basement floor.
Basement sump pumps will collect water, but only when the water is directed to the sump pump. To keep your basement from getting wet, a drainage system needs to be attached to lead the water to the sump pump.
If your current pump has a 1/3 or one half horsepower rating, you should be OK. Higher horsepower pumps will pump more water. Look for pumps that have cast iron or heavy metal housings. Cast iron can dissipate heat buildup much better than a pump with a plastic or thin metal housing. Remember that price is usually an excellent indicator of quality. Higher priced pumps often have better parts!
Caio, Skank
