Flooded Basement Basement Advice Needed

[tyler524]

I go to get in the shower this morning and realize that I have no hot water. I try the sink and the same thing. I head down to the basement and open the door to find about a foot of water sitting down there. I know I had hot water at about midnight last night so either it wasn't high enough to put out the pilot at that point or this all happened between midnight and 7. I am not sure where the water is coming from as I don't see any pipes leaking anywhere. I shut off all the power down there but shutoff and reset the sump pump power. The outlet is way up on the wall so no where even close to coming in contact with the water. I go check and it appears that the pump is at least running but the water isn't dropping. Maybe the outlet connection outside froze last night? This is the first time in the three years that I have been here that I have had an issue. The house/pump is only 10 years old.

Should I go rent a pump to start out with and get all of the water out of the basement? The water is freezing cold so it is hard to walk around in it down there. I can't even get to the pump without laying down on the floor which isn't happening. I don't want to run out and just buy a new pump. I am also curious as to where all of the water may have come from, because that seems like a lot of ground water to seep in that fast. I haven't been down there for a few weeks so I guess it's possible that some water may have been down there but like I said this has never been an issue. Something would have had to happen over the night to push it up high enough to kill the pilot out on the water heater.

Any help/advice is appreciated

[Bad324]

Definitely rent a pump to get the existing water out first. Might be easier to tell where a leak would be then. Could it be the hot water tank itself?

[grapesmuggler27]

I would def rent a pump and pump out the water as fast as possible and find where the water is coming from.

[MidgetTodd]

New addition ... indoor pool.

[Steve Butters]

is your hose connected? "frost free" hose bibs dont work if the hose is connected

also - you would be shocked how fast water comes in if you have a leak....a 1/4 inch leak can cause something like 10k gallons of water in a day...i have a paper that tells the amount for sure, but dont know it off the top of my head

its possible that your pump was being over worked and burned up, due to the water pouring in, or it could have sucked up debris from the basement that either clogged it up or burned it up.

my guess is you have a water line break, inside or outside the house is hard to tell without coming to see it in person.

sounds like when it got cold last night, one of your pipes might have cracked

[ohiomike]

Insured? Then call one of the Disaster Restoration companies, but initially I would do like others here have suggested, start removing the water. I've gone through it before and I sure do not envy what you're going through FOR SURE. Good luck man

[Steve Butters]

also - not seeing leaky pipes doesnt mean there isnt a break...it could be outside and the water just coming in under your foundation into basement.

we did a job where a lady left her hose connected and turned on (no water coming out since she had a nozzle on it)....well it froze and the hose itself cracked and water began flowing out and did the same thing youre describing....flooded basement over night and ruined sump pump....shut off hose bib, disconnected hose, drained basement, replaced pump....good to go

i would say rent a pump and pump out your basement, then try and diagnose your water problem (examine the ground outside to see if theres any puddle spots, etc)....once you find your water problem you need to dig it up and repair it, then replace the sump pump

also, if it helps, homeowners insurance will usually cover these repairs.

youre a little far away for us to do the job...its a 1 day job, but you never know what could come up

many things can cause a water line break...most common is ground freezes, rock rubbing on water line (water lines move underground when you turn them on and off), and the foundation of your house settling (house goes down, water line doesnt...break)

Edited March 5, 2012 by Steve Butters

[conn-e-rot]

How old is the hot water tank? The tank could've failed and is leaking.

[tyler524]

How old is the hot water tank? The tank could've failed and is leaking.

10 years old, same as the house

[conn-e-rot]

Did you shut the water to the house off?

[tyler524]

also - not seeing leaky pipes doesnt mean there isnt a break...it could be outside and the water just coming in under your foundation into basement.

we did a job where a lady left her hose connected and turned on (no water coming out since she had a nozzle on it)....well it froze and the hose itself cracked and water began flowing out and did the same thing youre describing....flooded basement over night and ruined sump pump....shut off hose bib, disconnected hose, drained basement, replaced pump....good to go

i would say rent a pump and pump out your basement, then try and diagnose your water problem (examine the ground outside to see if theres any puddle spots, etc)....once you find your water problem you need to dig it up and repair it, then replace the sump pump

also, if it helps, homeowners insurance will usually cover these repairs.

youre a little far away for us to do the job...its a 1 day job, but you never know what could come up

The hose valve is off, the crawl space where all the water comes into the hose is dry, no pipes are leaking in my basement anywhere. Who knows, maybe the water heater let go or something and that is where the water came from.

[Steve Butters]

Did you shut the water to the house off?

this will be a good way to determine if the leak is outside or inside....shut off the valve where the water line comes in and see if you keep getting water

i am willing to bet he has a busted water line outside, either due to his foundation settling or the ground freezing and busting his line against a rock

[Steve Butters]

The hose valve is off, the crawl space where all the water comes into the hose is dry, no pipes are leaking in my basement anywhere. Who knows, maybe the water heater let go or something and that is where the water came from.

it is possible the water heater let go. shut off the water where the water line comes in the house and see if you keep getting more water. this will either let you know its outside or inside.....i wouldnt be surprised if you have a water line break outside your house, causing water to come in like ground water....ive seen it many times, often when theres a break at the outside of the foundation from the house settling...close enough to drain right into house, but still outside so no visible signs in the basement....ill find a pic and show you what i mean

[conn-e-rot]

Is the outlet for the sump pump where you can check if it's pumping? Also are you on a well?

[Steve Butters]

heres where it usually breaks. notice the 2" pvc we used in the repair, this is to act as a protective sleeve, in case the house settled more, it would prevent future damages...this house settled and when it went down it put a crack in the water line

there were no signs of a leak or anything in the basement, aside from water on the floor

not saying this is your problem, jsut giving you some things to check

[tyler524]

heres where it usually breaks. notice the 2" pvc we used in the repair, this is to act as a protective sleeve, in case the house settled more, it would prevent future damages...this house settled and when it went down it put a crack in the water line

there were no signs of a leak or anything in the basement, aside from water on the floor

not saying this is your problem, jsut giving you some things to check

I don't think this is the issue as the main water supply is coming from the east side of the house and has to go through the crawl space first which is bone done dry

[tyler524]

The sump pump is definitely running but I'm not sure if it is actually pumping anywhere. I shut the pump off on the circuit breaker and you could see that it quit running. I wonder if somehow the outlet somewhere is plugged between the house and the sewer?

it is possible the water heater let go. shut off the water where the water line comes in the house and see if you keep getting more water. this will either let you know its outside or inside.....i wouldnt be surprised if you have a water line break outside your house, causing water to come in like ground water....ive seen it many times, often when theres a break at the outside of the foundation from the house settling...close enough to drain right into house, but still outside so no visible signs in the basement....ill find a pic and show you what i mean

It doesn't appear to be rising any further than where it is at.

Is the outlet for the sump pump where you can check if it's pumping? Also are you on a well?

It runs up through the top of the foundation and then runs into the ground. All of my drains on my house are tiled to the storm drain system.

[Steve Butters]

I don't think this is the issue as the main water supply is coming from the east side of the house and has to go through the crawl space first which is bone done dry

is your crawl space on the ground level? my crawl space isnt, a lot of them you climb up into, depending on the house setup...if that was the case, the water woudlnt necessarily be in there, because it will come up from below the foundation...there wasnt water coming in where that water line repair is...it was bone dry, the water was leaking down below the foundation.

try shutting the valve off for your house, pump it out, wait a few hours, then see if theres any water that has come back...if so, your leak is outside....if not, its inside

[Steve Butters]

The sump pump is definitely running but I'm not sure if it is actually pumping anywhere. I shut the pump off on the circuit breaker and you could see that it quit running. I wonder if somehow the outlet somewhere is plugged between the house and the sewer?

It doesn't appear to be rising any further than where it is at.

It runs up through the top of the foundation and then runs into the ground. All of my drains on my house are tiled to the storm drain system.

with all the water in the basement, it is possible it sucked up debris, such as a dryer sheet, a sock, some lint, etc...this could keep it running but not pumping..i suggest checking it out or leaving it off and renting a small pump...hate to burn yours up if you dont need to

good that it isnt rising further, i assume you shut the water off inside the house? if so - i would pump it out and maybe start checking for a faulty hot water tank, leaking sink/toilet, etc

[conn-e-rot]

do you have a union in the outlet pipe off the pump that you can take it apart and see if it is in fact pumping?

[tyler524]

Sump is back in the corner. You can see the black pvc pipe that runs horizontal, that is the outlet of the sump pump that feeds the tiling system outside.

is your crawl space on the ground level? my crawl space isnt, a lot of them you climb up into, depending on the house setup...if that was the case, the water woudlnt necessarily be in there, because it will come up from below the foundation...there wasnt water coming in where that water line repair is...it was bone dry, the water was leaking down below the foundation.

try shutting the valve off for your house, pump it out, wait a few hours, then see if theres any water that has come back...if so, your leak is outside....if not, its inside

The crawl is about 2 1/2ft below ground level

[conn-e-rot]

do you have water backup protection on your home owners?

[conn-e-rot]

I can't really tell from the photo but is that a union on the outlet pipe a little above the water line?

[blue03636]

I wonder if somehow the outlet somewhere is plugged between the house and the sewer?

The sump shouldn't hook into the sewer unless it's a storm sewer. When we did our house they tried to tie it into the sanitary sewer and the inspector had a fit. Ours now runs out through one of the down spouts of the house.

[tyler524]

The sump shouldn't hook into the sewer unless it's a storm sewer. When we did our house they tried to tie it into the sanitary sewer and the inspector had a fit. Ours now runs out through one of the down spouts of the house.

It ties into a storm drain. We have separate storm and sewer