Sump Pump Install in very wet basement crawl space

[muddywings]

So I just had the top tier water mitigation company come out and look at my very wet crawl space. He advised I needed a sump pump install and their very fancy water barrier membrane install option. I was very impressed with his understanding and recommendation but the price was a bit hard for me to swallow.
I'm calling for a second opinion and will hopefully get someone out this week. That being said, it is pretty obvious and I do agree that I need a sump pump.
So looking online, this doesn't seem that difficult but would like to ask for general advice such as-just hire the pro you idiot.

Do I need a permit for sump pump install? Assuming so but off to look that up next.
I'll need an electrician to come in to run a dedicated line for the pump per the expert-I'll hire that out.
Beyond that I plan on pulling up a gutter downspout that I'm worried might have had the underground tubing clogged and may be backed up (never noticed anything but it's not a place I go out to look at in a heavy rain). I just want to rule it out as a an additional source of a problem.

So is this a DIY project or not?

[JohnTRourke]

Your crawl space shouldn't be wet. Period.

You should call other people, but you're going to want both the barrier and the sump pump.

and no, it's not going to be cheap

The sump pump (minus the electrical) is pretty easy

[Hummer]

You'll probably be okay without a permit if you install everything to code. I might consult with and maybe hire a plumber who should be able to wire the pump. Shaping the ground, digging the sump basin and installing moisture barrier is homeowner doable.

I noticed that Home Depot now sells a sump pump with a battery backup. This would have been very helpful to me during the 2013 flood when my crawl space and the house basement next door had virtual creeks running through them. We had power for two days but when that failed, I was SOL and had to drive to GJ to get my generator, more sump pumps and hoses. When I do a remodel next year I[m going to install a permanent sump with battery backup, and an automatic backup generator.

Oh, I'm curious what company you talked with and what their price was for the sq. footage?

[muddywings]

The size is about 25x20 feet with the drain line having to be run to the front yard which would be about a 50 ft run.
Quote (after reading the fine print was without the electrician installing a dedicated line) was $7400.

While I was impressed with their product, knowledge, delivery etc. That price was just too damm high.


I'm calling for another opinion but I'm leaning on doing it myself. I'll probably go with getting an electrician to run the dedicated line vs running off my only circuit in the basement (unfinished).

I also realized my basement sump pump drain is pointed towards my back yard and only comes out of the house about 8 inches. My back yard is slopped towards my house....WTF? So i'll probably redirect that drain line in with this one and run it to the front yard under the dirt/rocks.

[Martinjmpr]

My sump pump is just plugged into a wall socket. Don't know if that's "normal" or not, I've never lived in a house with a basement before. But it does work, when we get a lot of rain or snow I can hear it running.

[EvilRhino]

The size is about 25x20 feet with the drain line having to be run to the front yard which would be about a 50 ft run.
Quote (after reading the fine print was without the electrician installing a dedicated line) was $7400.

While I was impressed with their product, knowledge, delivery etc. That price was just too damm high.


I'm calling for another opinion but I'm leaning on doing it myself. I'll probably go with getting an electrician to run the dedicated line vs running off my only circuit in the basement (unfinished).

I also realized my basement sump pump drain is pointed towards my back yard and only comes out of the house about 8 inches. My back yard is slopped towards my house....WTF? So i'll probably redirect that drain line in with this one and run it to the front yard under the dirt/rocks.

Holy balls! Are they digging and putting in a new french drain all around the crawl space for the pit? Or is this with and existing pit?

If your backyard is truly going towards your house without the standard 5-10' of slope away from the house, that will be an ongoing issue. Most home inspectors catch it and note it as "negative flow".

Most of the time it is a dedicated electric line with only 1 outlet and it is marked as "non-gfi"

[def90]

Holy balls! Are they digging and putting in a new french drain all around the crawl space for the pit? Or is this with and existing pit?

They are doing more than just a sump for that $$ in the original post the OP says they are also doing a water membrane and trenching out the front.

[EvilRhino]

They are doing more than just a sump for that $$ in the original post the OP says they are also doing a water membrane and trenching out the front.

I have no idea what the membrane portion costs, but the rest seems excessive. I was adding my input that unless they are digging a perimeter drain in the crawlspace to the pit, it likely wouldn't help much other than to maybe drain that immediate area. He mentions a basement (vs crawlspace) and another sump pump that goes to the backyard already. I've never seen a sump pump pit piped somewhere without a pump.

Ever since my mother in law got a bid for the personnel door to the garage, a front door, and storm door for just over $10k, I don't doubt that there are places trying to take advantage of folks.

I don't think I've ever been in a crawlspace that had the membrane for just moisture. Most times they have the radon fan, which now sometimes is even tied into the perimeter drain and sump pump lid.

[muddywings]

sorry, busy life.

yes-full water proof membrane is probably the reason why the cost is so high. they are very proud of their proprietary anti-microbial fully water proofing membrane system.

no-no french drain in that quote. That was my idea as a DIY. I was going to run the drain inside the crawl space. I'm not digging up the exterior of the house to find the french drain which I know is there but probably clogged. The basement is fine; i'm actually getting no water in my basement sump pump. The crawl space is only 20x25 so running 100 feet of french drain into a sump pump doesn't seem to bad and i'll just drop some new heavy plastic down.

I'm leaning more and more to DIY. Whether I get a dedicated circuit/line for the pump is one thing, whether i pull a permit for the sump pump is another.

The crawl space is elevated from the basement floor by 3-4 feet. It slopes away from the crawl space entrance. Near the entrance I have 6 feet of standing room and near the far side about 3 feet so it's a pretty good slope but manageable.

[Aardvark]

Muddywings, I don't remember seeing you around but you have described my house and crawlspace: negative flow, needs pump and drain, pita. Bought my house when there was 2ft of snow all around so didn't get to see the sh.t landscaping that left a slope towards the house. That and betonite soul are killing me. Anyway, *laugh* I have a pit in crawlspace for water and a fish tank pump attached to a 20ft hose to a drain. Manual power when needed to drain. I will watch this topic for better advice.

[muddywings]

Muddywings, I don't remember seeing you around but you have described my house and crawlspace: negative flow, needs pump and drain, pita. Bought my house when there was 2ft of snow all around so didn't get to see the sh.t landscaping that left a slope towards the house. That and betonite soul are killing me. Anyway, *laugh* I have a pit in crawlspace for water and a fish tank pump attached to a 20ft hose to a drain. Manual power when needed to drain. I will watch this topic for better advice.

Second guy was less doom and gloom.
I did some landscaping adjustment but some of my problem is the patio that the previous owners put in that really should have been sloped more away from the house. It's a pretty sad looking DIY patio and is on the short list to replace. But this guy gave me a thumbs up on the work I did to ramp up the ground near the foundation wall. I also put down tyvek that ramps away from the foundation wall to the side yard which is sloped away from the house.
Back to the problem, second guy recommended a water proofing barrier and to hold off on the sump pump. Currently I just had some cheap 6mil plastic that doesn't even get all the way to the foundation wall. Also, I'm not getting any seeping through the half/pony wall that separates the crawl space which you have to climb up in to, from the basement. Nor is sump pump well in the basement seeing any water. He said lets put down the water proof barrier and see where it goes. He will also ramp the barrier up the side of the foundation wall 2ft. He gave two options- 10mil plastic and a 10mil woven plastic. It's such a small space it was $780 on the low end and $980 on the high end. I took the higher end version since I use the space as storage and the higher version is white vs black so it's a bit brighter.
He said if I'm walking around in there and it feels like soup under the plastic and I really want, they can pop the barrier from the walls and put the sump in. (really, I can do that)
Looking at the break down, I'm only really paying for $150 in labor and taxes and the rest is the barrier (I'm sure it's marked up) but I figure he is buying it in bulk and I can't do much better.
He is coming at the end of the month so ping me if you have questions on how it went.