Here’s a picture of an interior window well drain. Sometimes when windows are below grade level on the outside, the well on the exterior will fill up with water and come in. When we are installing French drains, we can create a relief valve with PVC pipe so that if the water rises up in the well, it will drain through the pipe into our French drain directly. It will stop the well from filling up like a fish bowl and come in through the seams of the window.
Here's a short video on how to check your sump pump. Normal rule of thumb is to check it quarterly, every 3-4 months, or as soon as the "big storm" is forecasted. This way it gives us time to get to your house to fix or replace your pump if there's something wrong with it.
When installing French drains, and you have a water heater in the way, the customer could remove it temporarily or we can go around it. Here are two examples of going around the heater. On the left is one way of doing it. On the right, is how Arid goes around the water heater, nice and neat. We leave the 1" gap around it so that if water seeps in behind the water heater, it'll trickle into our gap without spilling into the rest of the basement. In addition, if the water heater ever leaks, that too, will drain into our gap and prevent a flood in your basement.
Here are two French drain systems that are commonly installed nowadays. On the left, Polyethylene pipe (PE) enters the pit, rather shallow, inches from the top of the floor. This tells you the pipe is not pitched. It is level throughout the perimeter of the basement if it enters the sump (the lowest part of the French drain) only inches from the floor level. On the right, PVC pipe enters the pit much lower and has a downward slant to it indicating the PVC pipe was pitched as it made its way around the basement to the sump. Arid Basement Waterproofing installs their systems like the one on the right, using PVC pipe and pitching the pipe to the sump.
Here's an interview with Inspection Certification Associates.
A French drain is a French drain, right? Pipe, gravel, and a sump pump. If it was that simple, homeowners would have it easy. But when you look at the details, there are differences that are significant especially when you want to waterproof your basement ONCE and not have to do it again. After 25 years of driving around New Jersey and New York, going into people's basements, and knowing my competition, I've learned a lot about French drains and how they are installed. I'll attempt to break down the two main differences for you and explain it as simply as possible.
The first difference is whether the French drain trench is pitched to the sump or kept level to the footing. At Arid Basement Waterproofing, we feel a proper French drain should be on a gradual slope toward the sump pump. A lot of companies, either in their literature or per the salesperson, will state something about the footing. The footing is the solid concrete base where your foundation wall sits. Its depth, on average, is about 8-10 inches thick. Also, the footing is level, otherwise your house would be tilted. So when companies state that,"the trench is dug alongside the footing" or "the depth is equal to the depth of the footing" (I think you get the picture), it means their trench is flat, not pitched or sloped to the sump pump.
PE pipe entering the sump at 8" deep
Also on the market is a system where a rectangle perforated pipe is installed ON the footing, which for sure tells you that the system is not pitched at all. The reason why companies would do this basically boils down to time, money, and simplicity. When they only dig adjacent to the footing around the perimeter of a basement, they simplify their system so that ANYONE could dig to the footing and lay pipe and gravel. They also minimize the debris dug up and hauled away versus a company who pitches the trench thus digging up a lot more debris. And that also means less gravel to fill in the flat trench, too. If you install hundreds of jobs a year, that is a lot of money. Lastly, they save time and money when only going to the footing because it's a quicker job and can get by with minimally skilled workers since it's straight forward. You need highly skilled laborers to make sure it's pitched especially when dealing with sewer and water lines under the floor as well as boulders and granite that might be under the basement floor.
The second difference is the pipe used in the trench. There are 2 main materials used in the New Jersey/New York area: PVC (poly vinyl chloride) or PE (polyethylene). PE also goes by its brand name: ADS pipe (Advanced Drainage Systems). PVC pipe is used by practically all plumbers today in new and old houses. It's non-biodegradable and very rigid so when you use it to go around the perimeter of a house, you have to use elbows to go around corners. You also need to male-female connect the pipes because they come in 10 foot lengths. These two factors make PVC pipe less desirable for companies to use because it's more of a pain in the neck to work with and it's more expensive (double the price per foot and you have to pay for each elbow used). PE pipe comes coiled up in 100 foot rolls (no elbows or connections needed).
PVC: rigid, straight PE: flexible, coiled up
The problem with it being coiled up is that when you install a French drain, it typically takes one day, maybe two. When you unravel the coiled pipe to lay it in the trench, the pipe wants to go back to its original state of being coiled up, so you get a snake-like effect (right to left) or a hills-and-valley effect (up and down) and you can't get the pipe straight as an arrow. Which stands to reason, most companies that use this PE pipe also dig the flat trench as stated above. I have yet, in my 25 years in NJ/NY, seen a pitched PE system. Every single time I see PE used as the French drain pipe, it is not pitched. I have also seen PVC not pitched as well. Just because you use PVC doesn't mean you have to pitch but it certainly makes it easier to slope it because it is rigid and straight.
To make sense of all of this, take a look at the guarantees given by companies that have been around a long time. There is one company out there that claims they "invented" waterproofing. They have been around since 1947 and they are like McDonald's in the sense that they are franchised. They do WAY more basements than a privately owned company in New Jersey since they have franchises across the United States. So with that in mind, their liability is huge, doing thousands of jobs a year versus hundreds. They install the PE/footing-level French drain and they give a 10 year guarantee. Now, they've been at this for almost 7 decades, so they know their 10-year periods and they don't give a day more with their guarantee. Arid Basement Waterproofing hasn't been around as long as this company but we've been at it for 51 years. In the days prior to PVC, we would give a limited guarantee (12 years and then, 20 years). But when PVC pipe became prevalent in the marketplace and we started to use it, we changed our guarantee to lifetime and haven't looked back. If you use material that will last a lifetime and pitch the trench, which constantly cleans out the pipe since water can't sit and clog it, there's no reason why you can't give a lifetime guarantee. You do it right the first time, you'll never have a problem again. With that said, there are many companies that install the PE/footing-level French drain systems and they give a 25 year or even a lifetime guarantee. How can that be? Well, there are no codes or guidelines for waterproofing in many states, especially New Jersey or New York. There's not even a basement waterproofing license. No such thing. We only have to have a home improvement license. So, it's a buyer beware situation when it comes to basement waterproofing. Know what you're getting yourself into and realize that a company could do essentially whatever they want. Ask yourself, "If I were to do this myself, would I pitch the trench or keep it flat? Would I use flexible pipe or rigid pipe that all plumbers use today?"
A common water problem is when rainwater fills up into window wells due to poor grading and comes through the window sill and down the wall. Sometimes, it can even come through the cinder blocks right below the casement window. The most common reason for this is poor grading around the window well. Usually when this is the case, the top of the window well (cement, galvanized steel, bricks) is even with the dirt, grass, garden bed, mulch, etc., and the surface water hits the ground and trickles down into the window well. It fills up like a pool and finds its way into your basement through the window sill, cinder blocks or mortar joints.
As a rule of thumb, you want the grading around the house to be sloped away from the house for about 5 feet. Imagine placing a soccer ball up against the house on the ground and let it go. It should roll away from the house. If it doesn't, the ground is too flat or pitches towards the house, which in turn, would be pitched towards the window well. One would have to add top soil and raise up the grade and slope it away but if your window well doesn't provide you enough room add more top soil, that's when you need a larger window well.
Below are some before and after pictures of instaling a window well. In this particular case, the homeowner was experiencing water coming through the window due to surface water building up outside. They were faced with the issue of having to build up the grade but not being able to because there wasn't a window well. We installed one and now the homeowner has plenty of room to build up the grade with top soil.
One of the features of an Arid Basement Waterproofing French drain system that separates us from our competition is that we pitch the PVC pipe and trench to the sump. Most companies do NOT pitch the pipe and only go to a uniform depth of about 6 to 8 inches. These companies, in their literature, will state something regarding the footing (e.g., to the footing, alongside the footing). The reason for creating a downward slope to the pit is so the water is gravity-fed down to the sump and pumped out. In addition, that flowing water constantly cleans out the pipe because water doesn't sit in a tilted pipe. Creating a pitched trench clearly takes more labor, removing and replacing material, and know-how, including how to navigate the pitch around sewer pipes, boulders, etc. Some customers ask why there are companies out there who don't pitch the pipe. It's because it's simpler: less dirt is removed so less gravel is needed. But potentially system-blocking sedimentation can occur when water sits in a flat, non-pitched pipe.
Side note story: Whenever I inspect a basement that has existing French drains that aren't pitched, the place where homeowners almost always say they get seepage in is the opposite corner of where the sump pump is located. To me that completely makes sense, because it's the farthest point from the sump pump and the build up of groundwater can't make it around the perimeter of the basement (through the level pipe) to then get pumped out.
How you can tell if the pipe is pitched or not is by the depth and angle of the pipe entering the sump liner. Depending on the length of the wall or run, the pipe should be at least 8" (on a short run) or maybe as deep as 15-16" if it is a long run encompassing, say, 2 walls. Here are some photos depicting a non-pitched system versus a pitched system.
Here's our system, mid-installation, notice the angle and depth of pipes at the bottom of the pit.
Here's a job done by a competitor. Notice the flat, rather shallow pipe entering the sump.
This is the second year in a row we won the best waterproofing contractor award! It's good to know that our hard work goes unnoticed! We love being in Bergen county, NJ and especially Ramsey.
When you've been in business for as long as Arid Basement Waterproofing has, you come across certain situations that challenge and force you to find a solution. One particular situation that fits this bill is iron bacteria. A naturally occurring substance, it's found from time to time in the soil due to high iron (ferrous) content. Iron bacteria is harmless to you and your pets, but it could have an odor to it, similar to rotten vegetables or a murky swamp. It looks like brownish, orange slime coating everything it comes in contact with and leaves a rust-like residue when cleaned up. From Wikipedia.com: "Iron bacteria are bacteria that derive the energy they need to live and multiply by oxidizing dissolved ferrous iron (or the less frequently available manganese). The resulting ferric oxide is insoluble, and appears as brown gelatinous slime that will stain plumbing fixtures, and clothing or utensils washed with the water carrying it."
How you know you might have this? When seepage comes in from around or under your house, the surface of the water has an oil slick look to it and when you clean up, it leaves an orange tint on the flooring. Sometimes it takes us breaking up the floor and to start digging for French drains to realize you have this iron bacteria.
There's a two-pronged approach for combating this problem. First, you have to have enough access to the French drain (i.e. the pipe and gravel) to flush the system out with hot water. We are dealing with bacteria so that means the water has to be at least 140 degrees to "pasteurize" it. However, this is not a one time deal; you can't kill off all of the bacteria. So the key phrase is "enough access." Which means our normal 1-inch gap that we leave between the wall and floor now has to be about 6 inches. I realize this is not what any homeowner wants to have around their basement but unfortunately, in order to keep the floor dry and deal with iron bacteria, this is what 49 years of installing French drains has taught us. Keep this in mind: The iron bacteria is not always around the entire perimeter. It can only be on one wall. The rest of the basement will then be installed regularly.
The second approach is to alternate the system flushes with Iron Out. Iron Out is a powdered product that you mix with warm water to make a solution and it chemically changes the iron bacteria into a clear, soluble state that easily rinses away without scrubbing. You basically pour this solution along the French drain opening and into the sump pit to help eat away the bacteria. Pour it in and let it sit for a half a day or more, and then flush it out with hot water, either from a bucket or preferably through a garden hose hooked up to a hot water supply (slop sink or hot water heater) because otherwise you'll need a lot of buckets!
We (us at Arid AND you homeowners) are thankful that this problem is rare, but when you've been around for almost 50 years, you've encountered this problem enough times that you can figure out a way to keep a homeowners floor dry and preserve the integrity of our French drain. Is it the ideal situation to have a wide gap along the walls that battle this slimy enemy? No, but would you rather vacuum up water at 2am? Ultimately, it's the homeowner's call.
Here at Arid Basement Waterproofing, we advise our customers in New Jersey and New York to check their sump pumps at least every season or when a big storm is in the forecast. Testing the pump is fairly easy. There are two ways you can test the pump, but one is preferred and more thorough than the other.
The first method is to reach down into the sump (pit) and with your finger lift up the float, usually that oblong, black or white ball that hangs off of the sump pump. By lifting the float on the pump, you trigger the motor on and should hear the impeller (the device that moves the water up the pipe) become engaged and if there’s water in the sump, it will pump it out. If there isn’t enough water in the sump or none at all, then you will just hear the motor run and no swish of the water up the discharge pipe. The problem when there is no or little water in the pit and just hear the motor kick on, you don’t know if the impeller is properly working. It could get stuck which happens from time to time (see below for remedy).
So that brings us to the second method and more thorough way of checking a sump pump, which is to pour water down in the sump via garden hose or a couple to a few buckets of water. You basically need to pour enough water in the pit so that it triggers the float by itself, engages the pump’s motor and hence, the impeller should drain the water in the sump. If the water you pour engages the pump and the water gets dispelled, then your pump is working properly. If the water you poured just sits there and you hear the motor on but nothing is getting pumped out, then you have something wrong with your impeller. As crazy as it sounds, grab the discharge pipe (typically PVC pipe) that is hooked up to the pump and give it a jiggle. Sometimes a little pebble or piece of gravel gets lodged and impedes the impeller and the giggle will jar it loose. If after you do that or if you experience nothing after you pour enough water down into the sump to engage the float, unplug the pump and call a professional, a basement waterproofing company or plumber, to check it out or change out the pump.
A lot of people think they are doomed when they see that puddle coming up through the middle of the floor. They think just putting a French drain around the perimeter can’t possibly take care of the water coming up through a crack in the middle. And for the most part, they are right. At Arid Basement Waterproofing, when we visit a house and are told that water comes up through a crack, our remedy is to extend the French drain “laterally” through the floor where the crack exists. If the crack extends from the perimeter and runs 16 feet into the middle of the floor, well then we run our lateral 16 feet right along that crack. Sometimes, there is no crack and water comes up around a lolly column. Or, in extreme cases, I’ve seen water come up through the concrete floor all by itself with no seam or crack. The concrete will definitely look a little pitted, or shaded differently than the rest of the basement. But any which way you slice it, if water is seeping in other places than near exterior walls, a lateral is needed off of the perimeter French drain to guarantee the area in the middle of the floor.
Note: When installing the perimeter French drains, typically there is a 1′ gap left between the floor and the wall (a floating floor). If a lateral is needed, there are no gaps left. The lateral is completely covered over with concrete. Any flooring (carpet, tile, floor boards, etc.) can be put down and without any sign of the lateral.
Here’s a video of This Old House’s General Contractor Tom Silva installing a sump pump. It’s pretty comprehensive and pretty much shows the whole process of putting a sump pump in a basement.
Let’s start out something near and dear to all customer's hearts & wallets: the price range. You can get a battery backup system for as little as $200, or you can purchase the Rolls Royce of systems for $3000. The old adage applies: You get what you pay for! However, we developed our unit to be priced mid-ranged with the performance level of the high-end system. So let us get into the differences between the models. There are 3 main distinctions you have to know before making an educated purchase.
In a normal residential application, your primary sump pump is a 1/3 horsepower pump, and in some extreme cases, you might have a 1/2 horsepower pump. The differences between these pumps is essentially the output of water — how many gallons of water per hour (gph) can get pumped up and out. The 1/3 pump with a 1.5″ discharge pipe (typically PVC) with a head (the vertical length of the pipe going up the wall) of 5 feet can expel 3,000 gallons per hour. The larger 1/2 horsepower pump can do 4,000 gph. So with that said, in my opinion, if you are going to back up your primary pump with a battery backup unit, you do so with a pump that is EQUIVALENT or stronger in output. Now, once you start looking into battery backup pumps, you will find that most pumps do NOT have the discharge capacity as your primary pump. For instance, the Basement Watchdog BWE (the least expensive), retails for $250 plus the cost of a battery, and the output is 1500 gph with a head of 5 feet. Now look at the Zoeller Sentry 510 model, which retails for $900, and has an output of 2,040 gph. In some cases, the 510 model might be strong enough to expel the water in a mild storm, but in most instances, the pump will get overwhelmed and water will spill out onto the floor. The custom backup system that we devised and recommend includes matching your size pump, whether you have a 1/3 HP or 1/2 HP, we have you covered. Knowing that your system is up to par with your normal water output will give you peace of mind when the big storm hits.
Most units come with a 12 volt battery which looks like a car battery, and is usually a marine battery. This powers the pump when the electricity goes out. Sometimes there is maintenance with these batteries, such as having to fill them with water and/or battery acid. The batteries that we offer are a Duracell 100 amp hour, AGM batteries (absorbed glass mat.) AGM is the newest technology in 12 volt batteries which gives the battery the most life. I equate it to a lithium battery versus an alkaline. Our batteries are maintenance free and is glass enclosed, so leaks are a thing of the past.
The inverter is the mechanism attached to the battery and is the brains of the backup system. In a nutshell, it converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) and it charges the battery backup when it’s in use. It also ‘trickle charges’ the unit when not in use, so that the battery is at its optimal capacity. We sought out a company that their specialty and only form of business is making inverters. We nabbed their inverter for a sump pump application and it works tremendously. The one correlation between inverters that I’ve seen is that the cheaper units have smaller inverters compared to the more expensive ones. ‘The bigger the better’ doesn’t always apply, but I think in this case it does.
From the basics to maintaining, this article hits most of the major points on sump pumps. I agree with most of them, except the part with using a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter). Through our experience, if that little reset button on the outlet pops and you don’t know about it or see it, your pump will not work and you will flood.
Check your sump pumps and give a call if you need us! (800) 662-ARID 2743
We specialize in French drains, sump pumps, battery backup systems and dehumidifiers in New Jersey and New York. Free estimates!
Here is a great article on How to Keep Gutters Free Of Debris.
If your gutters are clear, leaders extended, and the grading sloped away from the house and you still get water in the basement….here’s your problem: the water table.
This article really knocks home the “grading” issue. What I always told people for years, you want the first 5-6 feet from your foundation sloped away from your house. It gets a little tricky when there are sidewalks and patios that aren’t properly pitched, however, with garden beds and grass, you can raise grade by packing down top soil. Unfortunately, with sidewalks, patios and driveways that have a negative pitch towards the foundation, they have to be torn up and relayed with a proper pitch.
The New York Times interviewed my dad, Jim Fusco, on Winter flooding problems.
