Crawlspace /Pump is running again

[Talaki34]

Last year my pump never came on. This year it has. I realize we had heavy rains recently, but it is running again today.

Any recommendations on who to call?

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[redblack]

god? :)

just kidding.

if that pump’s running, then the water table in the soil under your house is high, and it will run until that level goes down. that’s a good thing.

if the pump quits, it means one of two things:

1. the water table is dropping.

2. the pump has failed, and water will eventually be coming your way.

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[FionaEnzo]

That was a long, heavy rain last night. A running pump may be a good thing. I have a pump too. It has turned off now but I’m not surprised it came on.

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[Talaki34]

Redblack; I did try putting in a call to “Upper Management.” They seem a little busy getting ready for some type of celebration and all the additional “Shout Outs” it generates. Guess a pump turning on doesn’t rank up there famine, sickness, poverty and the like. I got the impression that they might be a bit more interested if it turned into something like a giant sinkhole that was swallowing West Seattle.

I was also reminded that a certain individual is less that ecstatic when His/Her name is spoken with any added descriptive terms and using them will not draw attention to my concerns in a “Good Way!”

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Isn’t there a way to seal everything up so water does not enter? The underside is fairly clean and has from what I am told has a good vapor barrier, but my concern is mold eventually taking over if it does not dry properly and the eventual loss of integrity to the foundation. I thought it might be a good investment to have someone come out to check around the house for any water entry points it might have.

Added bonus: All this rain would give an inspector the opportunity to see exactly where the water is coming in, even if it does not have to get fixed until the summer.

First house…Just worried.

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[JayDee]

Talaki:

First, RedBlack has it right: if we have continued rains, and you *don’t* hear the sump pump running, then worry.

Second, unless your house is brand new, chances are the house has experienced heavy rains and the sump pump has cycled many times before. If the house inspection failed to detect a mold issue, and you haven’t yet noticed a mold problem, you are probably OK.

Third, there are no methods to seal a house against groundwater or surface water intrusion. Not that someone won’t try and sell you on their special method.

Fourth: Prevention is the name of the game. Keep soil sloped away from the foundation so water doesn’t infiltrate along a foundation wall. If your downspouts discharge to the yard, make sure they route water away–you can get extensions to make sure it does. You can do your own inspection–a break in the weather like this AM is perfect. Look and see if there is water ponding in the yard, or coming off a neighbors property onto yours. Can you do anything to route this water away from the house?

Last, they do sell water alarms for water heaters–the sensor is placed in a low-spot, and if water hits it, it sounds an alarm.

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[Talaki34]

Thanks everyone. I guess I just need to relax and enjoy the whirl of my pump.

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