Sump discharge advice wanted

[tkappeler]

Our sump pump typically runs only during the winter months or when the water softener recharges. We do not have public sewer and do not really want to put it into septic field. Unfortunately, our yard is pretty **** flat after the first 50 feet or so from the house. We have a dry creek bed about 200' back from the house and would really like to get the discharge back to there.

During our home build, we used 150' of soft discharge lines but they froze up and I had to just use 50 and direct it to the side yard, which then turned into a snow covered swampy area until spring. I could put a hard discharge underground but it would only be about 6" below grade or it will be below the creek bed in the back. I am concerned about freezing and having the water back up.

Any suggestions on how to handle the discharge? Regrading the entire back yard is not really an options as it would take about 70 triaxles to adequately regrde the entire back. I could dig a dry well and line with rock but the high water table will probably keep it filled on it's own and then I would be back to the freezing issue.

I'm stumped.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I agree this is a challenge.

I buried my sump pump discharge pipe to go under a driveway near the corner of the house. On the other side of the drive there is a shallow open trench that flows away about 150 feet where it mostly goes flat.

In the winter the underground pipe froze. So I cut the pipe coming out of the house, put in a no hub fitting and directed the water away from the house and drive the best I could. Then when things thawed I reconnected to the buried pipe with another no hub.

My sump runs all year so it was a benefit to do it this way. Even though this doesn't totally solve your problem it could reduce the amount of water that builds up.

If you want to pursue this further or want a picture, let me know.

Hopefully someone else will have a better idea.

 

[dave1949]

Maybe some 2" closed cell 4x8 foam boards covering the discharge pipe for 24' or 32' beginning at the house. Set the pipe as deep as you can, fill along the pipe sides, lay foam length ways centered on the pipe. Layout 8' to 10' wide 6 mil black poly sheeting to cover the foam. This will keep the soil dry around the pipe and foam which helps prevent cold penetrating the ground via moisture.

Cover the foam as deep as you can without it looking bad or odd. That will give you some freeze protection, possibly enough for your location. For insurance against freeze ups you could install one of those heater hoses inside the drain pipe, but only power it when there is a cold snap.

At the end of the insulated pipe transition to an open shallow swale that leads to the dry creek. Way back when you were clearing the lot, tearing down the old house, etc., there was talk of a water garden.

 

[oosik]

What dave1949 recommends is a good answer - if possible. Remember, if the line from the house to the discharge point is a continual slope there will be no standing water to freeze. The slope of the discharge line only has to be sufficient to allow the water to flow.

 

[tkappeler]

Maybe some 2" closed cell 4x8 foam boards covering the discharge pipe for 24' or 32' beginning at the house. Set the pipe as deep as you can, fill along the pipe sides, lay foam length ways centered on the pipe. Layout 8' to 10' wide 6 mil black poly sheeting to cover the foam. This will keep the soil dry around the pipe and foam which helps prevent cold penetrating the ground via moisture.

Cover the foam as deep as you can without it looking bad or odd. That will give you some freeze protection, possibly enough for your location. For insurance against freeze ups you could install one of those heater hoses inside the drain pipe, but only power it when there is a cold snap.

At the end of the insulated pipe transition to an open shallow swale that leads to the dry creek. Way back when you were clearing the lot, tearing down the old house, etc., there was talk of a water garden.

Yes, we would still like to have a water garden and might consider the sump discharging into that. I think we will have to see how well digging goes and how high water table fills the pond. We would have to use a liner or it will be just mud and then worry about hydraulic pressure from ground water seeping behind the liner. New areas for me so mainly my speculation at this point.

I am also thinking of a Tee that I could shut off the long level portion when it freezes up and divert to a dry sump in an area that still has slope.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Have you ever considered just dumping the sump pump discharge into the sewer?

 

[tkappeler]

Have you ever considered just dumping the sump pump discharge into the sewer?

No public sewer and not sure I want all that water going to septic not to mention the salt water from softener discharge

 

[dave1949]

Yes, we would still like to have a water garden and might consider the sump discharging into that. I think we will have to see how well digging goes and how high water table fills the pond. We would have to use a liner or it will be just mud and then worry about hydraulic pressure from ground water seeping behind the liner. New areas for me so mainly my speculation at this point.

I am also thinking of a Tee that I could shut off the long level portion when it freezes up and divert to a dry sump in an area that still has slope.

Spreading it around via a tee would help.

The 6 mil black poly is much more resistant to breaking down than the clear Visqueen types. I have some that is 9 years old and still in decent shape. In the ground of course, no sunlight.

Another benefit to the plastic is it holds enough moisture to help keep grass from browning out above it even though there isn't much soil depth.

There are high compression versions of the foam board if you are worried about driving over it with your tractor. I wouldn't worry about a riding mower.

 

[dodge man]

Unless you can bury it deep or it doesn't get very cold, its going to freeze, insulation won't help. Ours just dumps into our septic, it doesn't seem to hurt anything with the salt in it.

 

[Fossil Farm]

Depending on the grade you have to work with from the house to the creek bed, you could put in a dry well or catch basin and then run a 4 inch field tile line ( solid or perforated -slotted not round holes ) to the creek. If you can keep 2 feet or more of cover on the tile line, you should be fine in most cases. If you use poly pipe, use a section (10 foot) of SDR 35 as an outlet pipe since the poly deteriorates with UV light. Or depending on your water table, run a 4 inch perforated to lower the water table and run the sump water in a second solid tile line alongside it. Since the winter is the most problematic, maybe build a foam cover for the catch basin just to use in the winter to reduce freezing problems. The grade (or fall) from the house to the creek bed is the most critical part for gravity flow. Don't think you want to get into an outside pumphouse situation for such a small amount of water. Good luck.