Setting up pump in sump pit to pump to sidewalk if sewer line is backed up

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bpeikes

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During extremely heavy rains my basement tends to flood, so I've installed some floor drains which run to a sump pit. This sump pit in turn has two pumps which run to a pvc pipe out to the street. Ideally, this would instead pump to the storm line, when the storm line isn't backed up that is. One thought was to run the sump pump pipe through a backflow valve to a T, and have the T connected on one side to a backflow valve, followed by a trap, and then into the storm line. The other side of the T would go up to the sidewalk.

My thoughts is that the water being pumped from the sump pump would naturally go to the storm as long as the storm wasn't backed up, and the backflow valves would prevent the storm from backing up into the house. I'm not even sure that I would need the backflow valve on the storm side if the trap and T were high enough off the ground. i.e. if the storm were backing up that high, I'm pretty screwed anyway.

I am going to hire a plumber to do the work, but the plumber who installed the drains and sump pit (yes he was licensed), didn't think to run anything to the storm line, so even when there is minor water in the basement, it all goes to the sidewalk instead of the storm drain. Just wanted to see if it was feasible before proposing the work.

PS - In the drawing I wrote "sewer" but I meant "storm" drain.

plumbing.jpg
 
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NHmaster3015

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Are you adding valves to direct the flow to which ever location you want? If not, water follows the path of least resistance and by your drawing, its all going to the sewer.
 

bpeikes

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Are you adding valves to direct the flow to which ever location you want? If not, water follows the path of least resistance and by your drawing, its all going to the sewer.

I'm adding the valves to prevent water from coming back into the sump from the storm system when it backs up. I only want the water to go up to the street if the storm drain can't handle the water. The valves are just backflow preventers. I think I probably just need one between the T and the trap.

Do you think this system would work? I'm assuming that under normal circumstances, the water would follow the path of least resistance out of the pump, and go into the storm system instead of the street.

One of the feeds to the sump pit is a drain at the bottom of some steps in the backyard. I occasionally dump pool water there, and it would be nice if it went to the storm system instead of the street. Right now, the sump pit pump just goes to the street.
 
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