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Fascinating Problem: RISING sump.. Anyone Had This Happen??
So something fascinating happened today, and I'm wondering if anyone else has had this happen.. It rained tons today, and I go to check on my system and I see that my sump (a 55gal drum) has literally lifted itself OUT of the ground, about a solid foot!!
It makes perfect sense actually, the same principal of how a multi-ton battleship can float.. I guess the rain-water seeped underneath and slowly lifted the darn thing out of place, as the sump pump evacuated the drum!!
I stood on it to displace the water out of the hole and set the barrel back down. I put 5 bags of pea-gravel carefully laid on top of the drum's lid - so 240 pounds of gravel should temporarily do the trick.. Meanwhile I'm thinking of the best ways to prevent this in the future. If you check out the pics I posted, my best guess is to use a 2x4 or 2x6 set vertically, laid across the sump's top and placed across, underneath my IBC fish tank -- I dont think 2000 pounds of water is moving anyplace.. if anyone's got better thoughts I'm all ears - I really can't have the sump lifting out, especially because I just added a rafting-bed along the return line, next to the drum - luckily the 90 PVC fitting allowed the return pipe to rotate as the drum lifted. The rafting bed was made from a 35gal roughneck bin - I'll post pics tomorrow, assuming the rain gives up a bit.. I'm fascinated by this dilemma.. isn't physics amazing?? Anyone else ever had this happen??
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alex Veidel on
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Drill a bunch of holes in your sump tank, that should keep it from rising up again :) That's bizarre; can't say I've ever had that happen to me lol.
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Permalink Reply by David - WI on
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Once the ground gets saturated, anything can happen.... caskets, swimming pools, fuel tanks can all "float" out of the ground. If you keep the water level in the sump higher than ground level, it shouldn't be able to float.
http://www.newser.com/story/36199/lost-coffins-remain-part-of-katri...
http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/blog/bid/31234/Can-Concrete-Gunite...
http://marshallcountydaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&vie...
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I thought of that Alex, but I'm reticent, since ground is red clay and won't that allow red-clay dirt to enter the system??
Alex Veidel said:Drill a bunch of holes in your sump tank, that should keep it from rising up again
That's bizarre; can't say I've ever had that happen to me lol.
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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Bob Terrell on -
Alex, you lose me. If you drill, a bunch of holes in the sump tank does it not then cease to become a sump tank and become a drain that will allow the water from the system to leak out into the ground?
Alex Veidel said:Drill a bunch of holes in your sump tank, that should keep it from rising up again
That's bizarre; can't say I've ever had that happen to me lol.
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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Bob Terrell on -
Oh wait, you were being sarcastic, maybe?
Bob Terrell said:Alex, you lose me. If you drill, a bunch of holes in the sump tank does it not then cease to become a sump tank and become a drain that will allow the water from the system to leak out into the ground?
Alex Veidel said:Drill a bunch of holes in your sump tank, that should keep it from rising up again
That's bizarre; can't say I've ever had that happen to me lol.
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Bingo! Lol, sorry I wasn't more clear :)
Bob Terrell said:Oh wait, you were being sarcastic, maybe?
Bob Terrell said:Alex, you lose me. If you drill, a bunch of holes in the sump tank does it not then cease to become a sump tank and become a drain that will allow the water from the system to leak out into the ground?
Alex Veidel said:Drill a bunch of holes in your sump tank, that should keep it from rising up again
That's bizarre; can't say I've ever had that happen to me lol.
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