A Wetland, sump pump NIGHTMARE...HELP!

[JHughes]

My condo complex was built on a wetland and the drainage system that was never completed, so the water level is much higher than it was intended to be. My sump pump runs every 2 ½ minutes and has for 4 years (everyday of the year...this is not an exaggeration). My end unit carries the mother load for the whole building. They all have pumps that a few times a day. I have burned out 3 pumps, and have had to have the pipes that expel the water replaced because they become solid with a red silt. Initially the smell from the slim that comes into my pump was a major problem; that isn’t as bad as it was. The red/orange silt and slime (an organic iron material) gets so thick that I used to have to use a wet vac to suck up the material from the pump pit and carry the buckets outside. My condo association finally stepped in to help and had a trash pump installed that is more powerful then a regular sump pump. I now use a strong hose spray to stir up the material and the pump sucks it out. I also have always, and still do, run a hose into the pipe that brings the water into the pit. There is an opening in the floor midway between the pit and far wall where I stick a hose and push it as far as it will go, and I run water, full blast, for several minutes. I then remove the hose and the water rushes back through the pipe into the pit. This water is very nasty and thick with a red slimy material that has apparently built up where the water enters the pipe near the outside wall. It has been a year since the trash pump was installed and it started laboring, running very slow. The association sent another plumber who used a chemical to clean out the pit and the mess that was plugging up the pump. It now runs much better. He suggested I use CLR regularly the keep the pit clean. I’m surprised non of the other plumbers made this suggestion. I could write a book on the whole nightmare pertaining to this water issue that involve the township, plumbers, engineers, and the like; but I am trying to stick to info that will help you understand the problem. I obviously need any helpful suggestion I can get. This being a condo, I am unable to solve the outside drainage issues; I can only deal with the maintenance to control the inside issues. If need anymore info to help you understand this mess, please ask. I also want to add that I’m a 65 year old female who knows very little about the mechanics of all of this and is ready to pull her hair out!!!...and moving isn’t an option…HELP!!

 

[hj]

There was a suburb back in Chicago that had that same problem with a high water table. You are trying to lower the water level in the entire area, and it doesn't work with ANY single pump. I doubt that CLR could be effective unless you use it by the gallon.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[LLigetfa]

Maybe you should stop trying to lower the water table for the entire complex and let your neighbors do their share. What will happen if you raise the level in your pit? Maybe then your neighbor's pumps will take up some of the slack.

The red/orange slime you describe is probably iron oxide and exposing iron to air is what turns it into that sludge. If you raised the water level so that the pipe was full of water, it would not react with air as much. Also, draining the pipe like you do might expose you to the risk of radon gas although unlikely.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I'm thinking a for sale sign and perhaps a lawsuit. Maybe not in that order. You are fighting a battle that you will never win. By the way, who is paying your electric bill to run that pump?

 

[LLigetfa]

I'm thinking a for sale sign and perhaps a lawsuit. Maybe not in that order.

In that order, it could be the buyer suing the seller for a pre-existing undisclosed condition. If it's an unfinished basement, maybe turn it into an indoor pool. j/k

 

[Ballvalve]

Since its a condo, a letter from a lawyer insisting that the issue be dealt with as a group issue would be a good step. the condo assoc. could daylight your sump outside into a LARGE sump and pump it with the correct pump that runs constantly [lasts longer] and the electric bill would be split between the complex. No response, sue even if in small claims you can get 5000$ to pay your pump bills.

In the meantime, you should have the smallest pump available and a larger sump made if possible . Long run time with a very small motor, perhaps 1/12 hp, such as a high head radiant heat grundfos would cost little to operate and can run 10 years without failure. You would need an intake filter.

 

[JHughes]

When my pump stops working the water level raises approx. 5 or 6 inches from the top; it never floods because the other pumps down the line in my building must be pumping more. Isn't there a possibility of doing damage to the foundation or something with the water level so high. I really don't have a clear picture of what happens under the floor or around the outside when the water is that high in the pit. Question: if the pump were raised so it is higher then were the water enters the pit, would the pipe be full of water at all time, so it would be constantly flowing and possibly keep the sludge moving instead of accumulating, causing me to do the hose thing? Please explain the possible radon gas possibility. Should I have a radon detector in my basement.

 

[JHughes]

Maybe you should stop trying to lower the water table for the entire complex and let your neighbors do their share. What will happen if you raise the level in your pit? Maybe then your neighbor's pumps will take up some of the slack.

The red/orange slime you describe is probably iron oxide and exposing iron to air is what turns it into that sludge. If you raised the water level so that the pipe was full of water, it would not react with air as much. Also, draining the pipe like you do might expose you to the risk of radon gas although unlikely.

RESPONSE:
When my pump stops working the water level raises approx. 5 or 6 inches from the top; it never floods because the other pumps down the line in my building must be pumping more. Isn't there a possibility of doing damage to the foundation or something with the water level so high. I really don't have a clear picture of what happens under the floor or around the outside when the water is that high in the pit. Question: if the pump were raised so it is higher then were the water enters the pit, would the pipe be full of water at all time, so it would be constantly flowing and possibly keep the sludge moving instead of accumulating, causing me to do the hose thing? Please explain the possible radon gas possibility. Should I have a radon detector in my basement.
JHughes

 

[JHughes]

In that order, it could be the buyer suing the seller for a pre-existing undisclosed condition. If it's an unfinished basement, maybe turn it into an indoor pool. j/k

Thanks!! I needed a good laugh. Swimming pool in the basement and my own private ice skating rink in the wetland just off my deck!!

 

[LLigetfa]

I don't know what level of risk there is for Harrison Township but you can bring up a map that the MDPH commissioned.

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3310_4105_4196-10497--,00.html
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-dwrpd-rad-Residential_Radon_Survey.pdf

As I presumed, allowing the water level to rise in your pit spreads the load to your neighbors. Whether or not the elevated water level would impact your condo would depend on how much and what sort of aggregate was used under the slab. As long as there is not moisture seeping up through the floor or walls, I think it would be OK not to pump it down as much as you have been. I'm confident that keeping the pipe under water will reduce the volume of iron sludge.