Sump Pump Installation in Roseville, CA

Most Roseville homes do not have basements, so a sump pump here usually clears a crawlspace or lifts water out of a low corner of the yard. We look for a gravity fix first and recommend a pump only when the water has nowhere lower to go. When we do install one, we size it for the water you actually get and send the discharge somewhere it will not come back.

When a sump pump makes sense in Roseville

Most homes in Roseville sit on a slab or over a crawlspace, not a full basement. That changes what a sump pump is for here. We rarely install one to keep a finished basement dry. We usually install one to clear water from a crawlspace, or to lift water out of a low part of the yard where a drain line cannot fall to the street by gravity.

Gravity is always our first choice. A French drain or a solid pipe that slopes to a curb outlet has no motor and nothing to wear out. A pump is the right answer when the lowest point of your lot is lower than every place the water is allowed to go. In that case the water has to be collected in a basin and pushed uphill.

Many lots in newer subdivisions were graded fairly flat, with side yards that drain toward each other. A sump basin at the bottom of that low spot, fed by a short French drain, is often the simplest way to stop water standing for days after a winter storm.

Signs you may need one

Water problems in a crawlspace are easy to miss because nobody goes down there. A few things are worth checking after a heavy rain.

• Standing water or soaked soil under the house that is still there two or three days after the storm
• A musty smell in rooms above the crawlspace, or condensation on ducts and pipes
• Water stains or mineral lines on the foundation stem wall
• Soft wood or mold on floor joists and the subfloor
• A low spot in the yard that holds water long enough to kill the grass or breed mosquitoes
• Water pooling against the foundation where a downspout or patio slab sends it

What usually causes the water

Much of the ground around Roseville is heavy clay. Clay holds water and lets it through slowly, so rain that would soak into sandy soil sits on top or runs sideways until it finds a low spot. Often that low spot is the crawlspace, because the soil around the foundation was dug out and backfilled looser than the undisturbed ground beside it.

Our rain also tends to arrive in bursts. A few strong winter storms can bring a large share of the year's rain in a short stretch, and clay that has baked hard all summer cannot take it in quickly. Once it is wet, it can stay saturated for weeks.

Other common causes we find on a visit:

• Downspouts that empty right at the foundation, or into buried pipes that have crushed or filled with roots
• Soil, mulch or planter beds built up above the foundation vents
• Patios and walkways that slope toward the house
• Irrigation still running on a timer through the rainy months

Choosing the pump, the basin and the discharge

A sump system is more than the pump. It is a basin set below the lowest point of the area you are draining, a pump sized for the water that comes in, a check valve so pumped water does not fall back into the basin, and a discharge line that takes the water somewhere it will not return.

• Submersible pumps sit inside the basin and run quietly. They are the usual choice for crawlspaces and yard basins.
• Pedestal pumps keep the motor above the water. They are easy to reach but louder, and less common outdoors.
• The float switch turns the pump on. We set it with room to move freely, because a stuck float is one of the most common reasons a pump fails.

Repair or replace an existing pump

If you already have a pump that is not keeping up, the problem is often simple. Before replacing anything, we check a few things.

• Whether the float is caught on the basin wall or the power cord
• Whether the inlet screen is clogged with silt or roots
• Whether the check valve is stuck open, so the pump moves the same water over and over
• Whether the discharge line is crushed, blocked with debris, or disconnected underground

What a visit involves

We start by walking the property with you. We look at where the water collects, where your downspouts go, how the yard slopes, and, if it is a crawlspace, what the soil and framing look like underneath. If water is present, we note how high it gets and where it seems to come in.

Then we explain what we think is causing it and what we would do about it. Sometimes that is a sump basin with a short French drain feeding it. Sometimes it is regrading or a downspout fix first, with a pump only if those are not enough. We tell you which parts are needed and which are optional.

Installation usually means digging the basin, setting it in gravel, running any collection pipe to it, installing the pump and check valve, and trenching the discharge line. Before we leave, we run water through the system to test it, and we show you how to lift the float to check it yourself.

Once a year, before the fall rains start, it is worth pouring a bucket of water into the basin. Make sure the pump starts and the water comes out of the discharge where it should.