I have a dirt basement and replaced a bug-box sump in 5 gallon bucket setup, with a 1/3 HP submersible iron pump. The new basin is about three feet deep – I drilled some holes in it, and added garden fabric around the outside and drainage stone around the unit.
My house is located on a river and the street has water problems in the basements. Yesterday I monitored the system and the pump would kick on every 60-90 minutes… I don't care about the pump running, I bought it to.
I question whether the depth of the basin is drawing too much water out of the ground. Can that be problematic to my home e.g. the foundation?
Best Answer
You done good.
It's doing its job and no risk of damage; sounds like you set it up perfect. The reason for more frequent kicks is for every increment you go deeper, you add that much more water spilling into the bucket but a sump float has a fixed height it kicks on. Your flow rate went up; the good news us you're draining more water from your basement than before which can add a nice bit of buffer relieving water further back from your sump pit than before.