Hi there,

Just found this site doing a google search, as I'm looking for some tips on how to handle my sump pump here in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Wife and I recently purchased a house here and this is our first time dealing with a sump pump at all. The pump is currently piped to the side of our house (which also has the house entrance on the same side of the house) so the pump is just pouring water out onto the pathway that we walk along to get into our house every day.

I'm looking for some solutions. It's not so bad in the spring/summer/fall as we can connect the long plastic tube to the pipe coming out from the house and have the water run all the way out into our backyard, but with the temperatures in the winter up here, we were told we should remove the extra piping so it doesn't freeze and block the system. So now our pump just dumps all the water onto the pathway beside our house and has created quite an ice formation.

I'd like to move the pvc pipe to come out of the back of the house, but even when I do that, I'll sitll have the issue of trying to get the water away from the house in the winter time, if I can't use the extended flexible piping from the wall of the house out into the back yard.

Anyone have any information on how I can do this properly and safely, to have the water pumped to a safe distance from the foundation even in -40 degree celsius temperatures without worrying about freezing lines and more damage?

Also worth noting that we are building a pathway and back patio area that we'd love to try and have the piping for the pump not interrupt the traffic flow of, but not sure how to accomplish that either, as the pump currently comes out of the house on the side that peiple would walk from the house door out and back to our patio area.

Thanks in advance for any help, I can provide some pictures if that will help, let me know and I'll scribble up some diagram to give you a better idea.

Cheers,
Andrew