What kind of water pump do I need to buy?

[disneysteve]

Here's the deal. I live in NJ which is essentially all at sea level, one of the flattest states, so drainage is a perpetual problem. When we get hit with a massive storm, as we did this morning (>3" of rain in an hour on top of 1" last night) we get water in the basement. One particular problem area is the back window well. Today, it filled with water about 6" deep. Of course, that water had nowhere to go but through the frame and into the house.

Fortunately, we live at the high point of the development. Some neighbors down the street close to the creek got 8" of water in their basement this morning. I was able to keep ours under control with the shop vac sucking it up as it came in.

It occurred to me that if I could put some sort of pump, like a bilge pump, in the window well, I could have it suck out and redirect the water and keep it from accumulating in there. It wouldn't totally solve the problem but it would minimize it.

What should I be looking for? I need a pump that is waterproof/submersible obviously, can plug in to the outdoor outlet, and have an output hose that's maybe 8-10 feet long or so to direct the water far enough away from the house. Any suggestions or links to appropriate products would be appreciated.

 

[Golden Mean]

I can't help on pump choice, but you might look into installing a french drain in a strategic location.

 

[Jerry1]

Can you cover the window well so water doesn't get in?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MacCourt-44-5-in-W-x-14-25-in-H-x-17-625-in-D-Round-Plastic-Window-Well-Cover-W4419/202081201

As for the pump, are you planning on setting up an automatic system that would work like a basement sump pump? If so, the main recommendation I'd have for a sump pump is to get one with a pressure switch and not a float. You'd dig a pit and install electric and it would run when the pit fills up.

If you just want a pump to stick in there to get the water out, similar to what you did with your shop vac, there are submersible pumps available. Like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-6-HP-Plastic-Submersible-Utility-Pump-SUP54-HD/300534069

You'd put a couple bricks in the well to set the pump on (so you don't suck up a bunch of dirt), hook up a garden hose and plug it in.

 

[G-Money]

Seems a more permanent solution would be in order, or a temporary structure to divert water away from the window/well for severe weather events.

If you just need a pump occasionally, I'd ditto something like the link to a submersible utility pump in the 2nd link above. You can find them on Amazon too, and they may have different features: Auto shut-off, for example, when it's done pumping the water. You'll burn out the pump if you leave it continuously plugged in and it's not sucking water. They plug in with an extension cord, and can pump water away using a standard garden hose attached to it.

 

[skyking1]

A little float pump like that will do the trick.
If you want to share pics of the area I can help with mitigation before it floods the well.
True good fortune to be at the higher end of the neighborhood!

 

[disneysteve]

Can you cover the window well so water doesn't get in?

The window wells are all covered with those. They are pretty worthless. The water just goes under and around them.

Thanks for the pump recommendation.

 

[gauss]

Can you build up the grading on the side of the house with the water issue so that it slopes away from the house for maybe 4-6 feet or so?

-gauss

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Can you dig out a little excavation at the bottom of the window well and install a sump pump in the 'well'? Or, on the topic of digging, could you dig a low point under that window well and plumb a drain pipe through the wall to the inside that would drain into any basement sinks or basins already there?

Not sure of your exact situation, so those are just the two ideas that popped into my head upon first read. My basement has a 10-gallon (ish) metal bucket set below floor level (at the low point of the basement) into which a sump pump was placed, which then pumps the water into a stem atop a P-trap into the sewer line. That's what came with the house.

 

[disneysteve]

Can you build up the grading on the side of the house with the water issue so that it slopes away from the house for maybe 4-6 feet or so?

-gauss

I'm sure there's a way to improve the grading but the yard is flat so the ground can't be any higher next to the house. It would have to be sloped down away from the house which would just create a trench across the back yard. Maybe some sort of drain could be built there but that sounds like a massive project.

 

[disneysteve]

Can you dig out a little excavation at the bottom of the window well and install a sump pump in the 'well'?

We've never seriously explored putting in a sump pump and drain because that requires digging a trench around the perimeter of the basement. Doing so would require ripping out all of the built in shelving and closets.

Plus, none of that would solve the problem of water coming in around the windows and flowing down the walls, though it would save me from sucking it up with my shop vac when it does.

 

[braumeister]

Can you dig out a little excavation at the bottom of the window well and install a sump pump in the 'well'? Or, on the topic of digging, could you dig a low point under that window well and plumb a drain pipe through the wall to the inside that would drain into any basement sinks or basins already there?

Not sure of your exact situation, so those are just the two ideas that popped into my head upon first read. My basement has a 10-gallon (ish) metal bucket set below floor level (at the low point of the basement) into which a sump pump was placed, which then pumps the water into a stem atop a P-trap into the sewer line. That's what came with the house.

This idea makes the most sense to me.

 

[latexman]

My NJ home (1983-1988) had a sump pump in the low point in the French drain around the periphery of the basement. I kept a spare sump pump on the shelf. We had no electric back-up.

 

[Slim11]

Are you getting seepage through the walls? Or floors? Is the basement damp? Or is it just water through the 1 window? Where are the gutters going to? And yes , elevate the grade around the home.

 

[Slotracer]

Our house had the same problem when I moved in. Adding about 2" of soil at the house tapering out about three feet AND extending the downspouts farther away from the house solved the problem. YMMV

 

[disneysteve]

Our house had the same problem when I moved in. Adding about 2" of soil at the house tapering out about three feet AND extending the downspouts farther away from the house solved the problem. YMMV

The soil is already up to the bottom of the siding so we can't add to that. It shouldn't even be as high as it is. I do have the downspouts extended.

 

[disneysteve]

Are you getting seepage through the walls? Or floors? Is the basement damp? Or is it just water through the 1 window? Where are the gutters going to? And yes , elevate the grade around the home.

We get it all at various times. Walls, windows, floor. The water table is very high since we live at sea level or close to it. I don't know who ever thought building houses here with basements was a good idea. Pretty much every house in the state gets water in the basement. When we were house hunting 30 years ago, we went to some showings where there was standing water in the basement at the time of the showing. And I go to a lot of estate sales where there is standing water in the basement. It's a very common problem around here.

 

[street]

Can you cover the window well so water doesn't get in?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MacCourt-44-5-in-W-x-14-25-in-H-x-17-625-in-D-Round-Plastic-Window-Well-Cover-W4419/202081201

As for the pump, are you planning on setting up an automatic system that would work like a basement sump pump? If so, the main recommendation I'd have for a sump pump is to get one with a pressure switch and not a float. You'd dig a pit and install electric and it would run when the pit fills up.

If you just want a pump to stick in there to get the water out, similar to what you did with your shop vac, there are submersible pumps available. Like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-6-HP-Plastic-Submersible-Utility-Pump-SUP54-HD/300534069

You'd put a couple bricks in the well to set the pump on (so you don't suck up a bunch of dirt), hook up a garden hose and plug it in.

This is excellent advise to follow. It is what I would do.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

ArmchairMillionaire said:
Can you dig out a little excavation at the bottom of the window well and install a sump pump in the 'well'?

We've never seriously explored putting in a sump pump and drain because that requires digging a trench around the perimeter of the basement. Doing so would require ripping out all of the built in shelving and closets.

Plus, none of that would solve the problem of water coming in around the windows and flowing down the walls, though it would save me from sucking it up with my shop vac when it does.

I meant add a little well and a sump pump right in your window well outside the house to pump out the rainwater before it had a chance to build up enough to leak in through the window.

Like this guy did:

 

[Slim11]

French drain is the way to make sure you eliminate it. You could see if just a sump pump in the basement will help. But if the water table where you are is high, it may not be able to help much. At my mom's by the shore near asbury, I put in a sump and it eliminated getting water in the basment ,but it still gets seepage. You saw the flooding in the area today, nothing in her basement. If you want to address the window well only, you need to put 9n a new galvanized half moon thing around the window but make it higher, so the water dosent go under it. Then get a better cover and seal it or put it under the siding. Make it deep and fill with rocks. Or do the same and add a pump. You could do automatic like a sump, or just drop a trash pump in when you think its needed. Some used to drill in the wall and have a pipe drain the wayer inside the house to a sump that would be inside under the window. That was before French drains got popular. Definitely try extending the gutters and a better cover , even if you have to make one. And filling the window well with rocks first. We did have a lot of rain in a short time.

 

[Qs Laptop]

What should I be looking for? I need a pump that is waterproof/submersible obviously, can plug in to the outdoor outlet, and have an output hose that's maybe 8-10 feet long or so to direct the water far enough away from the house. Any suggestions or links to appropriate products would be appreciated.

This sounds like an ideal opportunity to get your feet wet (pun intended) with AI. This is EXACTLY the sort of thing that AI excels at.

 

[three putt]

We had this same problem in our old house. The problem is not the window well but the fact there is too much water around the foundation of the house. The window well is just the ingress point where the water collects. You mentioned you cannot do any more grading to the side of the house so you need to have some type of sump pump installed to move the water away from the house. A sump pump with a long drainage hose.

 

[Telly]

Don't forget to put a check valve on the pump's output, otherwise quite a bit of what it pumps out, will roll back in when the pump shuts off.

French Drains... around here, they are pretty much worthless, due to the lower permeability of our clay soils.
I saw a house on my walking route where they put in a very big F-D in the front yard. I didn't think it was worth the effort. The low permeability meant it wouldn't drain/disperse quick enough.
Soon, a trench was dug to put a pipe in, all the way to the street. And somewhere there is a pump to push along. After a heavy rain, it is busy gushing and burping.

 

[gutterman]

I have a similar problem that pops up every five years or so after a heavy rain. For me, it's the bottom of my driveway. I bought a pump like this-

Aquastrong Sump Pump 1 HP 4500 GPH Submersible Water Pump Thermoplastic Portable Utility Pump High Flow Water Removal for Swimming Pool Garden Pond Basement Window Wells with 10ft Long Power Cord - Amazon.com

Aquastrong Sump Pump 1 HP 4500 GPH Submersible Water Pump Thermoplastic Portable Utility Pump High Flow Water Removal for Swimming Pool Garden Pond Basement Window Wells with 10ft Long Power Cord - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Buy a five gallon bucket. Around the bottom of the perimeter of the bucket drill a bunch of small holes as close to the bottom as you can. Put the pump in the bucket. Hook up hose and electricity and set it in your area that needs to be pumped out. The holes in the bottom of the bucket let the water in to the bucket to be pumped out, and filter out any large debris that could clog the pump.

 

[NameTaken2]

When I replaced my sump pump 3 years ago, went w/quality vs cheap box store plastic to maximize dependability/lifespan.

Bought Model 233 at Ace HW: $221.

Sump Pumps

Protect your basement with Liberty Pumps sump pumps—built for reliability.

www.libertypumps.com

 

[Winemaker]

I second gutterman's advice above. If can do it inside great, but you would have equal success by putting it outside as well. Put a lid on it and cover it up with dirt, mulch, or whatever. Get a pump that can use a garden hose as a discharge line and plumb into a downspout/rain barrel diverter fitting.