Here’s an example of a sump pump installation with drainage system:
We will construct a drainage system along a 26 feet long portion of the front, the entire left side, and the rear side up to the left rear corner of the solarium. The system will be comprised of 2 legs, each discharging into a sump located on the left side from where the water will be pumped into the existing pipe that leads to the street. The starting depth for each leg will be 48 inches. We will remove the rear planter up to the brick wall. The owners will remove the plants they wish saved prior to the start of work.
The drainage system consists of two pipes in a rock filled trench. One is perforated, to collect sub-surface water and the other is non-perforated, to collect water from the roof downspouts. At the upper end or start of both lines, as well as at the major corners, a clean-out will be provided so that both lines can be tested or cleaned as necessary.
The minimum depth for the perforated pipe will be below the grade of the soil under the house and both the perforated and non-perforated pipe will fall at least 1/8 inch per foot for the total length of the system to the point of discharge.
The perforated pipe will be installed on top of a bed of gravel, two inches deep, with the perforations pointed down. The trench will then be then backfilled with drain rock. The rock we recommend is Class I, Permeable Type A drain rock per the California State Specifications. The drain rock is clean gravel that varies in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
The trench will be a minimum of 12 inches wide. This permits a four inch blanket of rock on each side of the four inch perforated pipe. The pump we will use is a high quality 1/3 H.P. 115 volt submersible TEEL, model 3P530C, with a 1 1/4 inch discharge. The performance rating is 2300 GPH at a head of 10 feet. The impeller is cast bronze and the motor housing is stainless steel.
The motor housing is the automatic float which eliminates the need for an outside float to control the pump operation. The advantage of this is that it is less likely that the float will get stuck.
A check valve will be installed in the discharge line to keep water from running back into the sump when the pump turns off. The pump does not pump the sump dry and there will usually be water standing in the bottom.
The installation will be made so that it will be as easy as possible to service or replace the pump when this becomes necessary. You should check the sump several times each season to make sure the pump is functioning and that the sump is free of debris. If the system is designed so roof or other surface water flows into the sump, it will be up to you to install screens on the roof downspouts and surface drains to prevent as much debris as possible from flowing through the lines and into the sump.
We will install a redwood cover over the sump, above the ground surface.
We will provide you with the manufacturer’s limited one-year warranty. You will be charged for all service calls we make to clean, change or test the pump. It will be important for you to keep the sump as clean as possible to prevent the pump from becoming clogged.
