Is there supposed to be gravel in my sump pit?
May 30, 2022 8:02 AM Subscribe
Is there supposed to be gravel in my sump pit?
Our house is ~15 years old. It has a basement and the basement has a sump pit and sump pump. The pit receives water from pipes that lead outside of the house, but I don't really know where they go - presumably some kind of drain system around the perimeter. The basic setup is like this.
Recently, I have noticed the that the sump pump is not turning on and off properly - it is getting stuck "off" or "on" - not running at all sometimes, running continuously sometimes. I opened it up and found that there is a fair amount of debris in the pit that seems to be jamming the float and switch mechanism. A lot of the debris is gravel - like, there is an inch or two of gravel on the bottom of the pit, and the float cannot move all the way "down" because there is too much gravel beneath it. There are also rusted metal chips floating around, coming from the cover of the pit, which is rusting badly from moisture.
So, I think I need to clean the thing out and replace the cover with a non-metal cover. But here is my question: is this gravel supposed to be in there? Is it serving a purpose? Or did it just wash in with the water over time? Should I clean the whole thing out leaving nothing in the pit except the pump?
Our house is ~15 years old. It has a basement and the basement has a sump pit and sump pump. The pit receives water from pipes that lead outside of the house, but I don't really know where they go - presumably some kind of drain system around the perimeter. The basic setup is like this.
Recently, I have noticed the that the sump pump is not turning on and off properly - it is getting stuck "off" or "on" - not running at all sometimes, running continuously sometimes. I opened it up and found that there is a fair amount of debris in the pit that seems to be jamming the float and switch mechanism. A lot of the debris is gravel - like, there is an inch or two of gravel on the bottom of the pit, and the float cannot move all the way "down" because there is too much gravel beneath it. There are also rusted metal chips floating around, coming from the cover of the pit, which is rusting badly from moisture.
So, I think I need to clean the thing out and replace the cover with a non-metal cover. But here is my question: is this gravel supposed to be in there? Is it serving a purpose? Or did it just wash in with the water over time? Should I clean the whole thing out leaving nothing in the pit except the pump?
This thread is closed to new comments.
Is there any evidence that the gravel has "washed in"? Gravel is all one size, and natural rocks tend not to be (unless you're in an old riverbed or glacial deposits). Seems more likely that it was placed there intentionally.
If it looks like the gravel has filled the pit and is interfering with the float, perhaps the pump has instead settled into the gravel. If that is the case, it can be fixed by lifting the pump, levelling the gravel, and setting it down again.
Working in a sump pit is hard if it fills and empties often, or if it is large, or a confined space with atmosphere problems or mobility impairments. Take care.
posted by the Real Dan at 8:50 AM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]