Sump Pump Discharge Line...Considerations
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2019
- What is the best way to install a sump pump discharge line?
It should 1)Be able to still operate if frozen or clogged 2) Be uncoupled as to allow for frost heaving 3) Have an air gap for venting and freeze relief.
Other things to consider....
--Using schedule 40 holds up better than thin wall over time .
--3" is okay but 4" is best.
--Sump line should run downhill to final discharge.
If your sump is in a finished basement... A battery back up is okay but will only last so long. Water pressure operated pumps may not keep up. A generator would continue to power pump(s) in the case of an extended power outage.
Remember.... The first and best way to keep water out of you crawl space or basement is to ensure your gutters and downspouts are working properly and getting water clear away from structure. Secondly, check the soil grade... that is slopes down and away from house.
I have witnessed flooded basements and crawl spaces on numerous occasions. Keep in mind, if your basement or crawl space floods, will it ruin your water heater, furnace, or other expensive equipment?
This is why sump pumps and discharge lines can be so critical.
Excellent. Best explanation of all videos of this type. Thanks.
you went over alot of things nobody else seems to mention, ive only been looking into this for s few days, but you sir have a very valued understanding of the system in question here. thank you.
I’ve been checking out sump pump videos for about a month now, and my biggest concern has been about proper drainage. Your video thoroughly covers all my questions, and you do an excellent job of explaining everything! Thanks for the video!
Great video. Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough!
Great video, Thank you for the in depth explanation!
I am soooo glad that I stumbled across this video! Thank you for the very clear explanation. ♡
Good stuff man! Just what I needed to know. Thank you!
I've been researching how to video's for the past two days because I want to do this right for my customer. This is the best advice I've seen so far. Takes care of all my concerns. Thank you
Not over the top , it was perfect great video.
Colorado guy here. Very good stuff. Simple rules that make a lot of sense.
Hi, Philip -
Thank you so much for the great video and the thoughtful, intelligent, in depth explanation. I have a provider who wants to install a sump pump but had no idea what was ideal or doable once the pipe exits the house. I wanted to understand what my discharge options are before he shows up here and just digs wherever is easiest for him, with no regard for my home or landscaping. This has been invaluable. Oh, and the cell phone photos and your commentary on them were extremely educational. I now feel like I understand just enough to have an informed conversation with my water proofer. Can't thank you enough for enlightening me.
just the information i was looking for.
Live in the winter region and need to put in a pump line
I like it a lot!!! This is what I been looking for because I’m in Wisconsin.... I will be doing this
Thanks for the examples and explanations. Most helpful.
Just the information I needed. Springtime in Duluth Mn. I have an over flow setup but, my new pump is more powerful than the old one and there is overflow because of the pressure and volume of water. Was looking at putting a 12 inch catch basin to give the drain pipe a chance to catch up with the flow of water. So yeah two thumbs up man!
This is great information. I want to do the underground pipe as you have shown. Thanks!
Works great till your yard becomes a swamp from the discharge
Great ideas, thank you for the video. I might have to add the spring cover on the outlet because of the mower sucking it up.
Very knowledgeable.... I got some good ideas from you thank you!
Awesome video! Thank you so much for your expertise!
Thanks. Good tips and thoughtful information.
Excellent video. I agree with everything you said.
This is an awesome video.
Thank you for the info.
I think you covered every thing very well.. my pipe from the house has a elbo and and long white pipe the same size as the pipe coming from the house and its about 5 feet long going inside the large black burred pipe along the side of the house to the side walk in front of the house .. about 25 feet.. but the attachment came apart where the 5 foot pipe atattche.. no freeze line,, no air.. just the long pipe dropped and flooding back into the house threw my basement window just repumping the same water.. so i got the y shaped pipe 2 yrs ago, and now it apparently froze again and no water reaching the street.. i hope it works.. seeing your video shows i was on the right track so thanks.. i have some repair person coming tomorrow so all i need in the freeze part attached and the air separation.. and i 'll know if he knows what he's doing so he wont over charge me. and i live in Dayton ohio up north.. and its about to rain for 3 days .. Thanks so much!!
I love in upstate NY and TRUST ME you need a good freeze/overflow system. Downhill drain is ideal but make sure there is no standing water in your drain pipe or it will freeze. I like this setup think i'm gonna copy it. Right now i'm running my 4 inch drainage line above ground to completely avoid freeze/thaw issues. It works but it's kind of an eyesore.
Thanks, this is awesome and very informative!
Looks good I will be installing in the spring
If you’re going to do it, do it right the first time. Saves money and time in the long run. Good video
Thanks Phil this was helpfull bro..thanks
Great video. Very informative!
Great advice. Thanks
Thanks from Grand Coulee Wa.
Excellent video. Great examples. My sump pumped and backup system almost couldn't handle a heavy rain event. I was looking for a solution in case my outside line ever clogged. Not sure if I need a second pump well for heavy rain or not (Help). Definitely learned from the video that part of my problem is my pump discharges into gutter spouts. Thanks!
If you have a laundry tub nearby your pit you could rig up something to pump into the laundry tub. This is for an emergency situation anyway. That's what I had to do when my discharge line broke.
Good video. Explains what is good and why. And you show what a bad job or a so so job looks like. Only thing missing is how far you should run the drain away from the house before you attach the pop up. As for a drain field, would help if you shown how to run a perk test to determine the size for a drain field or dry well, if required in your area, or if you should even consider one. Also, before running a drain line, best to check with local building and zoning codes, some areas have restrictions in their building codes as to what you can or cannot do. A couple examples; drain lines must be X number of feet from property lines or neighboring structures, or you cannot have the sump pump drain into the cities sewer lines. That sort of thing. Otherwise, good video.
Very informative, Lord bless you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
excellent points! I live in WI so these are the things I need to know. Unfortunately, my "drain" that goes underground is only 1.5 inch PVC (my city uses this to drain into the main street line and it's called a "mini-sewer") so I could not use the 3 or 4 inch size effectively.
Excellent video. Very well explained.
Very much appreciated. Thanks
Thank you for this!
Great information even for a girl who knows nothing, and had concerns. I can rest a little easier tonight😉
Thanks, bro.
I live in Nashville and doing an outside sum pump that will pump all my gutter water to the street. Never thought about releave line. I was only going to use 2 in but will go to 3 or 4 inch.
Thank you
Thanks for the valuable information I'm a new home owner and I going to have a sump pump installed how for should the drain pipe be away from the house
Good advice
Very informative video, thank you! We just installed a new sump pump and are in the process of burying the discharge line outside. Can you please tell me the name of the very first piece that the 1-1/2" discharge pipe slides into? It looks like it has a hexagonal shape. It fits into the 4" pipe just above the freeze relief valve.
Perfect video imo i have a discharge pipe coming out of the house UNDERGROUND about 12 inch deep! I have not seen one example out of 100 vids any advise please! Also im in winter area
Pipe broke from frost
Good info Philip. I just had my sump pump discharge line buried. We tied the 1.5 PVC line to a 4" PVC with a Y with a clean out cap. I didn't add a freeze protector because I figured I could unscrew the cap during the winter in case the 4" line froze up. I didn't include an air gap however. I hope that doesn't cause an issue later. I put a 90 degree elbow at the delivery end and I'm finding that it holds water. I'm somewhat worried about that but I'm guessing that if the line is frozen there's probably no water in liquid form going into my sump pit I could be wrong on that point, but even if the line freezes solid, I do have the clean out cap I can remove. I'm hoping this will end up being a usable system and I don't end up burning out my pump. Any suggestions ir your feelings on whether I need to worry at night when the temperature drops. Thanks.
Thank you very much, your video is gonna help me fix the problem of discharging my sump pump legally. For 22 yrs I've been discharging my sump pump into my sewer line in the hose that goes to the street. I know this is probably wrong but it used to pump into my back yard and just sit and not drain properly and become green algae. I want to sell my house and want to fix this for the new owner but do it properly. My sump pump runs alot sometimes, my house sits a little lower than my neighbors and my sump pump does it's job I just need a better way to discharge it correctly. Just this morning it's running 3 times in an hour. Any other ideas or help would be appreciated.
Great information. Question. My discharge pipe comes out about 8” below ground and I cannot drill a hole any higher. What do you suggest? I am in Illinois and have had frozen discharge pipe multiple times. I have a 1 1/2” pvc pipe buried and will replace it with a 4” pipe but I don’t see how I can apply the other suggestions in your video. I will appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
Good video. Thanks for the info. I'm just curious why you didn't like the sump pump sharing the gutter drain line? I have an existing buried 4" PVC drain line to a pop up emitter that is on one downspout. The downspout at full capacity wouldn't fill up the 4" PVC drain line. So I was considering tying my sump pump in to it. But after seeing your video I think I may dig a new trench. Thanks.
Hello Philip, I would like to share my findings with my sump pump discharge arrangement. So after the house was built I used a 4” pipe to discharge the water from the house to our pond where it dropped about 2’ to the water/ice (roughly 150’ distance front the house to the pond. Once the temperature dropped below -20 Celsius / -4 Fahrenheit the 4” pipe froze up. I had a bunch of 1-1/2” pipe so for temporary I hooked up all of the 1-1/2” pipe across the top of the snow, not wrapped up or insulated at all and I was surprised that it did not freeze up at all this winter and the month of February was extremely cold with temps of -42 Celsius/ -43.6 Fahrenheit. This summer I will be trenching in the 1-1/2” pipe to the pond as it worked this well above ground I feel it will work below ground. Obviously has to do with the size of the pipe and the volume going through it that keeps it clear.
The pipe really didn’t see the light of day until the snow started to melt. We had about 2’ snow at a minimum on the ground at any given time so there was no chance of sun seeing the pipe. I think it is the volume of water that goes through that kept it clear.
This worries me to read as I just got done burying 4" SDR35 and I live in Wisconsin. Mine only goes about 20' and terminates into a sanitary T that is buried in 2'x2'x8" area packed with drainage rock. The top of the T has a popup emitter so the water has a place to go when that well area gets saturated and I have a backflow preventer about 15" from the end of the pipe to keep rainwater from walking back up the pipe. Replacing that 4" pipe with 1.5" conflicts with all of the research I did before I buried the pipe I used. I'd hate to see you replace all of that pipe only to have it freeze up too. How do you know that the 4" pipe froze? Did you glue your fittings? What kind of 4" pipe did you use? (Corrugated, SDR35, SCH40, etc.)
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I think I can see how room temp water rushing down a 1.5" pvc pipe might not freeze up during it's travel, but 150' is a long way to go, and still stay warm! But a large volume should make a difference. Also, he mentions 2' of snow.... I wonder if the "warm" water melted the snow around the pipe, creating a kind of insulated tunnel along the length of the pipe; whereas, when buried in the ground and the ground freezes up, no chance of creating an "insulation" cavity!
Great video! How did you connect the 4x4x2 T to the elbow?
Do you have any suggestions on running the discharge to a rain barrel so I can use it for watering my garden?
I know I’m a little late on this question, I have the exact setup as your video everything is in working order but what would cause water to come out of the freeze during the summer months? Is there some type of suck back?
My sump discharges from basement under the front concrete porch/steps, completely underground, so I don't have the option of decoupling. Mine froze this winter mid way to the road culvert and is discharging in the middle of my lawn. Bad news! I will dig it up in the spring and fix the pipe but have been thinking of a solution using a retro-line (by Heat-Line) which is a self regulating heat wire that goes inside the pipe. Any other ideas are welcome but I think the heat line will work. Thanks for your video. It has many good points but won't work for me unless I tear out my front porch. Yikes!
Can you please tell me what the six-sided adapter that you have at the top of the discharge line is and possibly where I can purchase one?
Great video! Does the 4" line need to be sloped? If yes, by how much? Thanks!
I have the same exact tubing and the side freezing pipe you showed in the video. We had heavy snow and below temperature lately and I've been startled by the loud sound coming from the sump pump hole. The water sounds like someone smashing their hand and feet in the water like "Gallup gallup
sound. I think the outside underground pipe has to be frozen. What can I do to fix this loud noise? would my sump pump go bad? should I dump hot water ? I had plumber who came and wanted to cut the pipe from outside and install a temporary exit, but I refused and I told him that's the whole purpose of this exit pipe duh ! so I sent him away.
Thank you for this. Very helpful! I have one of those non-ideal situations. The discharge on my house is only about 5 inches off the ground. With being in the Midwest, freezing is a concern for me. That 5 inches doesn’t give me much room underneath a freeze relief device when I add one. Would it be better to just live with that minimal height or add some piping on the exterior to redirect the line upward a few inches in order to get a better height for the freeze relief device? Which seems like the greater risk - water freezing in the line before the relief device in that redirection add-on section OR water freezing on and around a device that is only 4 inches off the ground? Drilling a higher hole from inside the house is not an option unless I go up into my living room. To lower the ground level on the side of the house where the discharge is at would require a major regrading of a large piece of the property. Thoughts? Thanks!
Thank you!
Interesting...!
Question… I’ve gotten complaints from my neighbors that my sump pump discharge is extremely loud which I agree. Is there a way to address the sound and still perform and have a emergency relief in case the line freezes?
Could you show a correct way to install your system with two separate discharge lines with freeze protection on both lines? Thanks
Hi! I found your video very informative. I have 2 questions. We are up north we have the air gap and the underground 4” pipe. It takes the water out to a pond. There is about 8 inches from the pipe exiting the house to the opening of the underground pipe. There is nothing between the two pipes. We have mice coming into the house from that pipe into the sump pump pit. Also the underground pipe has shifted
and when the sump pump ejects water some of it spills over onto the ground. Would appreciate your suggestions! Thanks
Philip Williams Home Inspections thanks Philip I installed the vented section and it goes just up and over the pipe coming from the house - works like a charm! I found that the mice are entering through the hole for the AC pipes. The hole’s seal had broken down got that fixed too.
Hi,
I live in Chicago and I’m looking in ways to install a sump pump discharge system . The pvc pipe that’s connected to the sump pump is at the back of my home and I would like to ask you if is better to do a long trench pipe that goes 10 ft away from home through the back yard or to the front porch . Tia great video !
Philip Williams Home Inspections
Not an expert in this to be honest and it’s my first home . Wish I can sent you a picture or video on this .
what would be the issue if you just used 1.5 inch pvc all the way through the discharge?
Great video. I have two lines come out in the front of the house. How far from the foundation should they discharge? I wish I could discharge all the way out to the street but it’s about 55’ distance and yard slopes down towards the house. Any help would be appreciated.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thanks!
@8:20 the opening looks that way because they drilled from the inside of the basement pushing outward. Then the exterior coating chipped/broke away from the pressure. Start from the outside and drill inward (with many careful measurements before hand) to avoid that ugly occurrence on the outside
Best installation I have found, question, discharge check valve could you tie in a "female" end that I can screw a x amount of inches to ground w a 90° and another "female" end to attach corrugated pipe to take the water away from the foundation for freeze/thaw times during winter/spring, then when weather breaks you take the attachment off of the "chx valve" for spring time etc
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 got it!! This is the best system I have sen
Can you list out the schedule 40 4” pipe you have shown? I can’t seem to find the hub assembly, thanks.
Check out the price in Canada www.amazon.ca/Canplas-192134-Sanitary-2-Inch-White/dp/B003O5NYBA
Great video - gives me a lot to think about. In your mock-up, what is the part above the 4x4x1.5 Tee that you used to accept the 1.5" discharge from the house to create the "uncoupled" connection?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Found it at Lowes - they actually call it a bushing.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I think you'd want a "4 in. x 2 in. PVC DWV Spigot x Hub Flush Bushing": the larger diameter goes into the hub of a 4" fitting, like the Y; then your 1-1/2" discharge pvc pipe would fit easily into the 2" opening (actually, sized to cement in a piece of 2" pvc pipe), which will allow for the vertical expansion you speak of, without grabbing the 1-1/2" pipe.
Living in southern Maine, it gets pretty cold up here! And the standard for "frost depth" is 4 feet down! There's no way I can bury my pipe below the 4' depth! And I'm guessing that using 4" pvc, if any water freezes up in it, the pipe is going to get split open. So I'm going to be using 4" black corrugated drainage pipe, hoping that if water freezes up in it, it may expand a little, but not burst. And since it seems our local HD does not stock any kind of "freeze relief" device, I'm hoping to have room to put in a 4" T, with a grate in the side opening. Thoughts?
I have that- a 4x4x4 T. Water gets pumped out of the green popup and also out of the 4" Tee with the grate on it. I took out the grate and put in a length of pipe on it to divert the water away a little more. I guess it's a trade off in that when I need the freeze out I will be glad it is 4" instead of 2" but when I don't need the freeze out with higher temps, I am pumping water out of this T when I don't want to. So I put a cap on a 5" length of pipe coming out of the T for use when it is above freezing, and will put the grate back in when it is below freezing. I was also thinking about drilling holes in the upper part of the end cap but that probably won't handle the amount of water I am pumping. I have a Megaboss pump by Richtechindustries that pumps 10,000 gph. Any thoughts about all this?
Quick question. My secondary water pressure sump pump is tied into the primary discharge pipe outside in the exact set up that you have in you video. Only thing is the secondary pump was tied into the freeze protection discharge vent on the side, so there is no escape if the discharge pipe freezes. So my question is, I live in Michigan so yes, it get frigid cold in the winter, my discharge is buried underground and spits out to city sewer in the corner of my yard. I wouldn't think the pipe would freeze discharging into the sewer. What are your thoughts
Thanks Philip. I agree.
Great video. Question on the outbound 4" line. How deep does that need to be buried? Does it need to be below the frost line?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thanks! Now I've got a good weekend project!
Overkill is always cheaper ..... Good job
My sump pump comes out of the house about a foot below the ground so the only thing you see is a pipe I have for frost relief because I live in Canada
Guess I never understood a sump drainage line freezing. At least in my case the sump pumps the water out the end of the drainage pipe into the ditch. Empty pipe. 🤔
Cheers from Pure Michigan
How far down would you dig the trench? I heard youre suppose to drop 1/8 or 1/4 every 10 ft. Im worried the pop up will be too low. is there a point I will have to elevate the pipe so that the pop up can be surface level? I live in MD where our winter can be brutal for a short period of time.
Philip Williams Home Inspections yes perfect! I was really unsure if I could add pipe vertically once I reach the end of the discharge line to bring the pop up surface level. Thank you!
I believe proper slope is 1/4" per foot. That provide adequate velocity for water. 1/4" at 10' is next to nothing.
Why do you not recommend connecting the sump discharge pipe to the downspout of an eavestrough? I was considering doing that located in cold climate area but would like feedback from anyone who knows best - thanks.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thank you.
Great information, have one question, how deep should the 4" be buried underground? I live in the Chicago area.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Great thanks, looking through Home Depot, they don't have a lot of schedule 40 fittings, does it mater or should I keep shopping?
I’m in the Chicago area, my sump pump pushes out 20’ from the house and has a drop about 1’ total in the ground. At the end I have a floor drain cover to keep animals out. Then it runs off toward a storm sewer cover that’s about 80’ away. My sump pit does not operate in the winter. My discharge 1 1/2” pump discharge pipe (I have a check valve inline above the sump pit) comes out of my home just above the rafters and makes a 90 degree outside into a 6” length of pvc into a rubber Fernco adapter fitting from 1 1/2 to 4”. This has SS clamps on both ends. I used thinwall 4 “ PVC outside and in the ground. This has been installed in 2003 and is working perfectly. I like in Round Lake, IL. Any questions? Jim
Very helpful video, but when you pulled out your phone for the pictures I died XD. Do you have some video editing software now?
Anyways, I really wanted to hook up my roof drain with my sub pump drain but you said that's a bad idea? why?
I dont edit videos, just do some Google research. When it comes to home improvement videos you can really jump the market with video quality. You were smart to use your pen but on screen arrows is better. And make as much as on screen text as you can.
I'll make sure the rain spout has good filtration then thanks!
I disagree with two elements. First is the up elbow at the very end. It simply encourages a pool that will freeze. If possible, an air gap at the end, in the form of a drop off from the pipe.
The other element is the up y at the top. Again, if the line freezes, the up y reduces the opening. A t would be better, or reversing the y to slope down.
Every other idea I'll be employing when get around to doing mine. But I'll be integrating it into the downspout line.
Great video! Can I use an 1.5" tee instead of the 4 X 4 X1.5?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thanks for the reply...I will replicate your system as shown. I guess I can lear from your mistake! Lol. Again, thanks for this video it really helped.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I know too. I have the 4x4x4 and water gushes out the side freeze out area when the pump kicks on. I responded to this in a comment above, but here is the gist of it. I put in a 5" piece of 4" pipe with an end cap on it, and drilled holes higher up on the end cap to try to limit the amount of water gushing out. But I will also be limiting the amount of water coming out when I need it to act as a freeze out. Any ideas on what I should do here with this 4x4x4 Tee?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 No it is not blocked - it is all brand new. The discharge line from the sump pump is 2". It goes to the Tee 4x4x4 like your video suggests. It is free from attachment, for freeze and thaw cycles, and there is the airspace from the end of the 2" to the 4" sewer line that goes underground. When the pump kicks on, the green popup activates and water also comes out the Tee where mine is 4" and yours is 2". There is a grill covering the Tee opening where you have your 2" pipe and elbow. That's where the water comes out- thru that grill. I can remove the grill and cap it when it is not freezing. One other thing, my green popup is right before a drainfield. The sewer line goes to a drainfield with perforated pipes thru it. The drainfield pipes are currently full of water, so the popup is the only place for the pumped water to escape, along with the freezeout. Again, this is a high powered pump and water is probably not going out the popup fast enough for it, so some of it goes out the freezeout. When I take the grill off and look in there, water is splashing around this airspace between the end of the 2" discharge and the beginning of the sewer line (in other words the airspace in the Tee).
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 yes 4" solid sewer line, thin wall, all the way to the popup, then after the popup it goes to a little more sewer line then to a 4" corrugated perforated drainfield system
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 yes, i guess i could replace the 4x4x4 tee with a 4x4x2 but when it does freeze I would be better off with 4x4x4, especially with this high power pump. I can always cap it off in the summer and just put a 10' length of sewer line in the Tee in the winter, as it runs downhill at least that far. Thanks for replying and thanks for the video, which is helping a lot of people.
Where can I get that freeze relief part? Great video. Thank you!
My parents plumber installed a sump when I was a kid. I'm now a plumber and I'm trying to find a solution to the fact that he's installed the discharge pipe horizontally, with about a 3 inch rise from the service multifit unions on the pumps and not installed a check valve. The pump outlets rise up, hit an elbow and then are coupled together using a tee which is then fed to a multifit McAlpine union before the discharge pipe proper. When the pumps run the pressure causes them to push the shared outlet pipe from the multifit and this has resulted in two floods in my parents' basement causing, as you can imagine, a lot of damage. I've currently changed the multifit and wedged two pieces of 2x1 between the pump wall and the tee on the outlet pipes to stop it from moving but obviously I need a more permanent solution. Has anybody got any ideas? I'm thinking of putting a flexible rubber connector with jubilee clips in place of the multifit as this may be enough grab to hold the two pipes in place but then I won't have any room for a horizontal check valve. I could use a solvent weld check valve in place but this would make it difficult to remove and maintain the pumps as the pipework would be rigid and they're already too high - placing the pipework at a slight upwards angle on the pump end. The pipework is plastic solvent weld (ABS) waste pipe. If anybody could come up with a solution you'd be a fucking legend.
So what if the discharge comes out the house thru the block under ground
What about inside the crawl just before the block running a T with a vertical pipe up and then out the block above ground as a relief in case the main discharge going out underground freezes
Yes it gets very cold
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 I'll give it a shot see how it works thanks so much for the help sir
can you list the parts used?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 -- how about black corrugated in place of the white PVC underground?
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 Thanks for your help. We used Green 4" and white connectors. with a green water pop up on the end. Also a Y at the house. --Hope it holds. We are in Cold Chicago
Don't mind the shared gutter, I do mind that it's not a tee wye or wye.
What sort of contractor does this kind of work? Plumber says no.
Where is the clean out Should be a threaded clean out below the 4" pvc