expanding sump pit

11 years ago

Greetings.

I have an 80-year-old house in a small city.

The water feed comes in under the foundation wall,

and there is an opening about 10" x 3' in the basement floor.

The water company put their meter in line with the water feed into the house, almost filling this pit.

Due to rain, mud has filled this hole, even covering the meter.

I need this pit to have a sump pump.

I had installed one a while ago, but it doesn't work well,

it uses a leash/float mechanism.

The new sump pump I bought uses a vertical float,

which worked on my other sump pump.

With this setup, the pump is above the slab.

It says on the box it needs 14".

But I only have about 10"

(10" wide, and there is 10" from the vertical 3/4" copper in the picture until the edge of the opening in the slab.

I see two options:

1. Try to get the water company to move the meter up out of this hole, as it is a really bad place for the meter.

They were not so cooperative when I called them.

For money, they would do it. Lots on money.

2. Make the opening in the slab bigger by about 5"

3. Drill a well (and fill in this hole :-)

Thanks for everyone's consideration and ideas.

Seth

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Comments (2)

lazypup
11 years ago
It is not the water companies responsibility. On the edge of your property near the street there is a small round metal cover that says "Water" on top. That is the "Curb stop valve". The water company is responsible for the line from the municipal main to that curb stop valve.

The homeowner is responsible for the house "Service Line" which runs from the curbstop valve to the house and all distribution piping within the house.

During initial installation, when we pull the permit they water company will specify where they want to set the meter. In milder climates it might be in a vault near the curb or just outside the foundation of the house. In colder climates it will be inside the house to protect it from freezing. The water company will also give us a "Fitting Allowance" and specify the type of fittings on the pipe. Generally the fitting allowance will be about 16" to 24" with a MIP(male iron pipe) fitting on both ends of the pipe. We then run the supply pipe from the curb stop to the house and put a male thread adapter on the end of the pipe. We then leave a gap equal to the fitting allowance. We then attach a MIP fitting on another piece of pipe and begin running from there to the distribution system.

In your case, instead of worrying about a pump, I would consider raising the meter above the floor and fill the hole.
pachai
Original Author
11 years ago
Lazypup,
Thanks for your comment.
That is what I am considering.
But the water company quoted me thousands of dollars.
They did not say I could get my regular plumber.
They did not say I am free to move it.
(not that they would know; they read it electronically)

The only reason I would touch the meter is for the
benefit of being able to use a reliable sump pump.

Meanwhile, I will continue working on the slope
and density of the soil near the basement wall.
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