Do you have a sump pump in your house?

[Sugarphreak]

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[mo_money2supe]

The amount of misinformation as this thread progresses is dumbfounding, especially this comment:

Originally posted by sputnik
In most houses the weeping tile runs into the catch basin which runs into the sanitary sewer.

This is why when there is a sewer that backs up into someones basement it isn't just rainwater coming up.

Are houses in Calgary now built with separate sewer lines and catch basins?

First off, Catch Basins (CBs) are located along the concrete curbs on the streets and are connected to public STORM main piping, NOT Sanitary sewer piping. CBs are also never connected directly to a house's storm service piping so the two are essentially mutually exclusive of each other.

The basement drains one finds near the furnace/hot-water tank are connected into the public storm main piping via the house's storm service piping. If there's a stormwater surcharge in the storm main, only stormwater may back up into basements, not sanitary sewage. Now if there was a similar sanitary sewer surcharge in the public sanitary main piping, assuming the house does not have a sanitary check valve, then that's when there will be sanitary sewage backup into the house - and it'll be up via the bathroom piping in the basement, not the furnace drain.

As people mentioned before (the few that actually read the links provided), Weeping Tile Drains (WTDs) are required by code on all new builds and infills, and are NEVER connected into the sanitary sewers, only the storm, and only on a case-by-case basis. All new home builds and infills (where available and where there are no Hydraulic Grade Line issues) require a new storm service connection from the house into the public storm main piping, draining by gravity (minimum 2% slope). That also explains why you'll find dips all over the place in infill subdivisions due to service settlements. The foundation's WTD will be connected into this storm service. If the basement foundation is lower than the storm service when it reaches the house, then most builders/homeowners may opt to install a sump pump. If groundwater is not an issue in the area (as identified on geotechnical reports), then some builders/homeowners may simply choose to opt to drain the WTD directly into the foundation soils to be infiltrated into the ground.

For the average homeowner to say it's cheap insurance, it's not always the case. Take a look at your house's Building Grade Plan, find your lowest top of footing (LTF) elevation and compare it with the storm service's invert elevation. If the slab elevation is higher than the service invert, you likely will not need a sump pump. There are those odd cases where you will, but the subdivision developer (engineering consultant) would have identified that for the homebuilder anyway.

For the TL;DR folks:
So in short boys and girls, the necessity of the sump pump is dependant on your house's basement slab elevation vs the elevation of the storm service piping that services your house. If the basement is higher than the public storm main and the house's storm service invert, the WTD will connect into this service pipe and will naturally drain by gravity already. There is no need for the sump pump (majority of situations), high groundwater or not.

[suntan]

Ah, so that's the criteria for the sump pump. Thanks.

[avishal26]

Originally posted by sputnik


In most houses the weeping tile runs into the catch basin which runs into the sanitary sewer.

This is why when there is a sewer that backs up into someones basement it isn't just rainwater coming up.

Are houses in Calgary now built with separate sewer lines and catch basins?

This is from the year 2000 - See Seciton 3.3.6 (starts on Page 3-38)

City of Calgary Water Management - 2000 - PDF Download

The PDF also goes into detail about where sump pumps are required and every situation is covered in section 3.3.6.

All weeping tile is required to tie to the storm sewer by gravity.
Connection to the sanitary sewer is not permitted.

[mo_money2supe]

Originally posted by avishal26
This is from the year 2000 - See Seciton 3.3.6 (starts on Page 3-38)

City of Calgary Water Management - 2000 - PDF Download

The PDF also goes into detail about where sump pumps are required and every situation is covered in section 3.3.6.

Here's a more up to date (2011 - still outdated in many aspects) version of the Guidelines for those interested:
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Documen...and-Design.pdf

[mrsingh]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


I could be wrong, but I am fairly certain that weeping tile is installed regardless by code

I just checked my build contract, I was charged 900$ to add a sump pump... cheap

What did it cost to add it at your old house in Discovery Ridge?

[Sugarphreak]

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[Go4Long]

I have a Sump in our house in Didsbury. We back on to a pond. We've only lived there since July, and I've only heard it kick on once and it was because my brother-in-law dropped something while wiring the hot tub and it managed to find the opening in the cover and he was trying to retrieve it.

Interested to see how much it runs during the spring.

[JPB]

I have two, and nearly everyone on my block has at least one. Something about being near the reservoir gives us a high water table in the spring. Mine run all the time. Like other folks, I'm contemplating a generator for backup. I'd be screwed if the power was out for more than a couple of hours.

My neighbor's contractor knocked off my discharge pipe last summer and my pump basically was spilling right next to the foundation. Which drained right down to the sump and kept pumping the same water around in circles. Gave me a nice swamp to deal with.

[Robin Goodfellow]

Originally posted by rotten42
I live In Royal Oak on the highest point in the city on what is essentially a big gravel pile. If I need a sump pump, I have bigger worries.

It's not just about overland flooding - It's also about the drainage conditions of a given house.

Being on a hilltop or hillside is no protection against flooding.