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Question:

sewer water in my sump pump?

my sump pump keeps filling with sewer water. i cant figure out why or where it could be coming from. and the smell is awful.

Answer:

A sump pump is designed for use in the basements of homes whose water tables make them prone to flooding. Many basements are actually below the water table. This means that should the integrity of the walls or floor of the basement be breached, the basement could flood. This would result in thousands of dollars of water damage to anything in the basement, as well as the loss of anything irreplaceable that's stored there. Even should no breach occur, a great deal of moisture and condensation forms over of time within such spaces. Typically the water drains into a hole in the basement floor called a sump pit. When the water level in the hole rises to a certain level, the sump pump engages and removes the water. A pedestal sump pump, for example, has a long rod that extends down into the sump pit. At the top of the rod sits an electrical motor. Beside the rod is an inflated plastic bubble such as the kind one finds in flush toilets, attached to a pressure switch. When the water level rises beyond the bubble, the bubble is buoyed upward and activates the pressure switch. The switch turns on the electric motor, which sucks the water out of the sump pit and passes it through a connecting PVC pipe. This pipe may lead outward into the soil away from the house's foundation, or it may be connected to the wastewater system that connects to the house's drains and toilets. In either case, the water is pumped out automatically.
Water In Sump Pump
The only way you can have actual sewer water in your sump pump is if there is a broken pipe that is leading to the sewer and broke. It would have to penetrate and saturate the ground, then go all the way into the soil under the foundation and enter your drainage system under the basement floor. It then would run back to the pit containing your sump pump which would pump it back up through the pipe and start it all over again. If you have a septic tank the same pipe could be leaking, the tank might have a crack in it, or if you have had a massive amount of rain the field might be swamped and the water is following the pipe back into the house. If on a municipal sewer the municipality is generally responsible from the house to the street and you are responsible from the foundation back into the house. If it is septic system, you are completely responsible for all repairs. First thing to do is decide which system you have and call them if it is sewer system, call a plumber if you are on septic.
I'm guessing that instead of the ground water being pumped to outsde somewhere, it was installed into the sewer system. If a check valve wasn't installed or if it leaks by, and your sewer line is backing up, it will backfeed down the outlet pipe and into your pit. If you had a lot of water coming in from the ground, it would force the sewer water out of a drain somewhere, like a laundry drain, sink drain, shower drain, or toilet. If this is the case, get your sewer line to the main checked and have the sump pump installed properly.
As the name suggests, this type of pump relies on water power or suction to do its work. It's really just a glorified T Junction with a valve connected. It connects the wastewater pipe that leads out of the home from the drains, with the PVC pipe leading from the sump pit. These are backup pumps should the home's power supply be cut due to bad weather conditions. To operate, the flow of water from the drains and sinks in the home acts as a suction, pulling along the water from the sump pit to lead it out of the home to either a wastewater facility or a septic tank (depending whether or not the house is connected to a city water and sewer system). As you might guess, this type of pump is far less effective than an electric model. But in an emergency, it's better than nothing.

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