Do I need a new sewage basin?

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Kubstix

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So long story short. We got an absolutely ridiculous storm 2 nights ago that dropped several inches of rain within an hour and flooded out all my neighbors basements, ect ect. I walked in my garage the next morning to find 3-4 inches of water. I have a sewage basin in this garage with no pump in it. The pump went bad but I never bothered to replace it because I am remodeling my basement and the toilet/shower/sink is all removed (all drains into the basin).

Well, apparently this thing filled up with water somehow. I pulled the cover just to check to find the basin completely filled with water (we emptied it when pump when bad). But here is the kicker, the basin being overfilled is not what flooded the garage. The concrete was not wet near the basin nor showed any signs of being wet. Either the driveway drainage pit in the front of the garage doors couldn't take the water on fast enough and it all came rushing from the doors, or it came from beneath through small cracks. Vent pipe is blocked off but not wet, so it wasn't from rain entering roof vent. Here are my questions.

1. Is it possible I have some sort of drainage on the perimeter of the house that somehow drains into this basin? Like I don't see any french drains or anything but I guess it's possible it's behind drywall?

2. My sewage basin looks like its some sort of metal. Should I look to replace the basin before I install a new Zoeller sewage pump? Is my basin still in good shape?

MVIMG_20180524_084123 (1).jpg
 

Kubstix

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If you fill it with a garden hose and it maintains it's level, then the basin is still good.

I will do that tomorrow for sure. Is there any reason for the brick and rock in there? I'm guessing whoever installed the old pump maybe rested the pump on top of this? Any reason for this or should I take this out and just put the new pump on the bottom?
 

Reach4

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This does not look like a sewage pit. A sewage pit would be gasketed, and it would have a vent pipe. This looks like a sump made to have a sump pump, unless you have removed the vent pipe from your pit before the photo.
Vent pipe is blocked off but not wet, so it wasn't from rain entering roof vent. Here are my questions.
Tell us about that vent pipe. I don't see a vent for a sealed gasketed pit in your photo.

1. Is it possible I have some sort of drainage on the perimeter of the house that somehow drains into this basin? Like I don't see any french drains or anything but I guess it's possible it's behind drywall?
French drains are not behind drywall. They are underground, and thus you don't see them. That pipe coming into the side probably does come from a perimeter drain.

When you do your leak test, you cannot expect to hold water above the bottom of that side pipe.
 

Kubstix

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This does not look like a sewage pit. A sewage pit would be gasketed, and it would have a vent pipe. This looks like a sump made to have a sump pump, unless you have removed the vent pipe from your pit before the photo.

Tell us about that vent pipe. I don't see a vent for a sealed gasketed pit in your photo.


French drains are not behind drywall. They are underground, and thus you don't see them. That pipe coming into the side probably does come from a perimeter drain.

When you do your leak test, you cannot expect to hold water above the bottom of that side pipe.

I have everything disconnected. Vent pipe is definitely there, just removed for re-piping job. The previous owner just had a sewage pump laying in there with a piece of plexi glass hand cut in a circle, hole sawed for piping, and it just laid on top. On extremely hot days I use to smell it too, but since my basement bathroom has been removed for remodel (I will eventually finish it), the smell has gone away on really hot days in garage. I just haven't tackled it yet because of it not being in use. It appears from looking at things around the house, the water came rushing through the garage doors as my driveway channel in the front of the doors clogged and filled with water, so water came rushing right over it and came underneath both doors. So it filled it up that way. Bi-level house by the way. I since bought a nice new lid and I'm going to repipe only the discharge tomorrow for now. I have to drain a washing machine hook up and a garage sink to that vent pipe but both aren't there yet so I will do that another day.

My thought is to hook the discharge pipe back up just in case we get rain like this ever again I will unbolt and prop up the lid so it can empty in there and pump out. I've never experienced a storm like we had since we lived here rain wise. It dumped several inches of rain at a rapid pace and everything in the neighborhood flooded. I will also take care of the driveway drainage clog as well.

1. Should I prop the new pump up like this guy half did with a rock and a brick (I will do all 3 legs with something better to level)? Is the reasoning so it doesn't suck up something like a rock or anything else a kid would flush?
 
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