Exterior Drainage to Yard
Once out of your home, you'll want the drain to take it safely way from the house. If your discharge line is clogged of frozen, this won't be possible. For some basement waterproofing systems, this means a flooded basement.
Responsible basement contractors will take four important measures to ensure that your discharge lines stay open, unclogged, and ready for action:
- Reliable Discharge Pipe Check Valves
A sump pump check valve prevents the water that rises in the pump from falling back into the system. All sump pump systems should be installed with a catch valve. Otherwise, the sump will run continually in an attempt to pump the same water out over and over again.
- Two Drainage Pipes for Two Pumps
If two sump pumps are hooked up to a single discharge line, you have a problem. That discharge line can only hold so much water, when two pumps are hooked up to it, the result can be two pumps working to remove just as much water as one.
Make sure that your contractor installs two discharge lines when you install two sump pumps. This will keep your basement dry during times of heavy water volumes.
- IceGuard
Your system is not working if your discharge pipes are frozen with water. When this happens, the pump runs, the pipe is filled with water, and the system backs up.
One effective solution to this problem is fitting the outside pipe with a grated top opening. This fitting attaches near the home on the discharge line and includes openings that will allow the water to flow out of your home if the discharge line is blocked further down.
- Grated Discharge Openings
Open drainage pipes just are just asking for a problem. They can easily collect dirt, leaves, sticks, rocks, and other debris inside. Additionally, animals can sometimes crawl into the space to live- and die- there. Be sure the installer who lays your discharge line installs a grated or screened covering over the end that will allow the water to leave without collecting excessive materials in the line.
As a final note, your basement waterproofing contractor should also bury the discharge line- either right away or as soon as the ground has thawed. Otherwise, you're left with an ugly, invasive pipe in your yard.
Read more about clogging discharge lines and sump pumps or learn about sump pumps.
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