The Essentials of Sump Pumps

Incorrect terminology puts a real estate agent or homeowner at high risk.

When putting a home up for sale there are many details that are disclosed, sometimes, in a mandated seller disclosure report and other times for marketing promotions. If these features are overstated or not described correctly, liability and lawsuit risks will rise. There is no greater concern in purchasing a home than a wet basement. As a MN home inspector I too often see water control systems improperly portrayed. So let’s get the vocabulary and description correct.

Sump

The basket or pit that goes into the floor; it is typically about 3’ deep. In extremely high water table situations they can be up to 6’ deep. The sump is required to have a cover that is screwed down to protect kids and pets from drowning.

Beaver system

A plastic or metal diverter that sits on top of the basement floor slab. It is about 4” high and is glued to the foundation on the top and the floor slab at the bottom. Holes are drilled into the blocks allowing them drain and the diverter channels the water to either a floor drain or sump. This is not a drain tile system. It is an inexpensive, non-invasive, low quality method of managing wet basement walls. If the diverter glue fails the basement gets wet.

Drain tile

This is either a continuous plastic pipe with holes or clay pipe with open joints. Typically the pipe goes around the entire perimeter of the foundation below the floor slab and alongside the footing. Drain tile can be installed on the interior or exterior of the foundation and the pipes terminate in the sump.

Pump

This is an electrical pump that sits in the sump often called a sump pump. There is also battery pumps used to back-up the electrical pump if the power goes out.

Why is this important?

Can a house have just a sump? Sure, but this is not a drain tiled basement. It is just a basket in the floor. Is the beaver system the same as drain tile? No the beaver system is above the basement floor and the drain tile is below. A beaver system is an inferior method of water control. Can a basement be partially drain tiled or beavered? Yes and this is more common than you would imagine. To call a basement drain tiled you are implying the entire basement and that may not be true. Can a pump be discharged into the laundry tub? No sump pumps must be drain into the city storm drain or onto the yard. There is a stiff fine if caught dumping the water into the homes plumbing system. Does having a sump pump mean the basement is drain tiled? Absolutely not.

If you don’t know what you have, don’t claim it is something it might not be. That would make you easy pickings for a lawsuit.

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

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Sewer Backup

Old houses can have underground sewer problems.

Recently, wise home inspectors and real estate agents have begun recommending that, in older homes, underground sewer pipes be videoed.  Most of these old pipes are clay and have a high probability of failure. Why…because of the many years of tree roots, soil settlement, road and driveway construction, and the properties of aged clay material. This does not mean all underground sewer pipes are the same. Depending on where you live, since about 1950 most underground pipes are made of cast iron or plastic. These pipes do not suffer the same type of damage that clay does.

As a part of a home inspection, the typical inspector will run the bathtub water for 15-20 minutes to determine if the sewer backups. But that does not mean the pipe is not broken, collapsed, or sagged. Remember that a home inspection is a visual analysis of the house and an underground sewer pipe is not visible. This means the inspector cannot be held responsible if a problem develops. This could be a huge cost risk, probably in the range of $10,000-15,000. By taking a video of the sewer line for approximately $150, home buyers can put this possibility to bed, before they buy the house.

Can you now hear the whisper of a bad sewer?

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

‘Pops’ Rob Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

 

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Knock Knock…What’s Leaking?

My plumbing pipes bang since I installed a new front loading washing machine.

Many people who have installed similar machines have the same question. You are experiencing water hammer. This is a serious problem, which should be overcome as soon as it is possible. The noise that you hear is caused by the sudden closing of the machines solenoid valves. This causes massive pressure changes in the water piping. The result can be broken or leaking pipes. Can’t you just hear the whisper of running water while you’re still at work?

This problem can be overcome by the installation of water hammer arrestors, which are also called shock or surge absorbers. In the case of frontload washers they should be installed on both the hot and cold water lines just before entering the machine.

High-efficiency dishwashers often have the same problem. 

The cure is the same. The water hammer arrestor is needed, on each line, at the point where waterlines enter the machine.

Some homes never have the problem, simply because the installing plumber has installed a whole system surge absorber on the first vertical pipe after the water meter. So, you have a choice of installing a surge absorber large enough to service all plumbing in the house or individual units at the offending appliance. This is not an easy decision. To be sure you do not make the wrong choice…

As always, you will save time and money by calling an expert!

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI certified inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

My Furnace Is Leaking!

My laundry floor is soaked but I can’t find a pipe leak anywhere! 

I don’t believe you have a pipe leak. I think you’ll find that the water is coming from the bottom of your furnace because the air conditioner ‘A’ coil drain is blocked. “What is an A coil drain?”

The A coil (which is like a car radiator shaped like the letter A) sits in the air delivery duct just above the furnace. This evaporator coil is used for air-conditioning. When operating, it gets very cold and the air flowing over it and through the duct becomes cooled. The sudden drop in temperature causes the air flowing over the coil to give up its moisture (cold air does not hold the same amount of moisture as warm air). The moisture then runs off the coil into a drain pan and is transported through a plastic pipe to the floor drain. The more humid the day… the more moisture released!

Unfortunately furnace filters do not capture all of the finest dust. Some of this settles on the A coil and is flushed off when the air conditioner is operating. Usually this dust is just flushed down the drain. However, over time the dust can accumulate in the plastic drain pipe; eventually blocking it. Now the only escape the water has is to flow over the top of the evaporator tray and down inside the furnace, to exit on the floor.

You can overcome the problem by finding where the drain pipe exits the furnace duct. 

Usually there is a half inch plastic pipe that goes to the floor drain. Just above the pipe you’ll find a plug and this is at the level of the evaporator tray. So, by removing that plug, you can clean any debris out. Blow through the plastic tubing from the outlet end to discover if you have a blockage. If there is blockage you will need to remove the plastic pipe and blow it out.

this point you have overcome the problem of a blocked drain and your floor will dry out! But, be very careful; the water that has leaked At down inside the furnace could have caused an electrical short or rusted out the heat exchanger. Be certain that all electric wiring and contacts in the furnace are dry and the heat exchanger is good repair before attempting to start the heating system.

It may be a very good idea to call in an expert to do this job for you!

Doug Hastings
MN Home Inspector, Minneapolis & St. Paul
ASHI Certified Inspector, ACI
Kaplan University, Home Inspection Lead Instructor

Rob ‘Pops’ Leslie
Kaplan Professionals, Retired

Not So Common Sense…Look Before You Sit!!

Old houses have many quirks and memories. Growing up, I’m sure you can remember many stories about some old dirty, damp, and dingy basement. A vacation home, a farmhouse you visited, maybe your grandparents house, or even where you grew up.

Can you still feel the angst walking down those creaky wood steps?

Being a Minneapolis and St. Paul home inspector, there are many old homes that I visit daily and how the memories float around in my head. This last week I had a very fond recollection of my youth. Little did I know what I experienced would be an important lesson 50 years later.

It’s not as uncommon as you would think, but many old MN homes have a toilet sitting out in the open of the basement. This wasn’t for lack of modesty…it just didn’t get used or at least very often…hence the concern. You should always be able to see water in a toilet bowl. This waters primary purpose is to keep sewer gases out of the house. If a toilet is not used for a length of time the water trap will evaporate and sewer gas enters the home. Sewer gas is a methane gas which is toxic and explosive; that’s why smoking is not recommended when using the toilet…BOOM!

Just joking about the cigarette, but when a toilet is abandoned and has lost its water seal it is also a great nesting place for sewer rats. So the next time at home or when looking at a piece of real estate and you see a lonely, dirty, old toilet in the basement, be careful lifting up the lid or you may be very surprised at what crawls out. Always…Look Before You Sit.

For me, it was a lesson I will never forget.

Doug Hastings

MN Home Inspector
Minneapolis & St. Paul

Kaplan University
Home Inspection Lead Instructor

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