Frozen sump pump outlet

[Swimmer]

I have a basic sump pump set up. PVC out the side of the house, then going to hose that runs down a slope along my drive way. I was hoping the gradual slope would prevent water from collecting, but it is only about 4 inches below the surface for the last ten feet of it's run and then the hose turns up slightly at the end to discharge at the surface. So I think that slight upturn is holding freezing water. I plan on making a crushed rock discharge pit when it gets warmer so that the end of the hose doesn't have to turn up.

Has anybody used a pan of hot water to unfreeze their hose end? Heat tape (I have a long driveway so this is probably not practical)?

[drewevans]

you said that you used hose? is it a normal size hose or bigger? if its big enough you can push a normal hose down it you dont even need hot water just need moving water and you will get your plug out if that dosnt work i recemend that you just cut the PVC where it come out of your house and if need be put a peice of pipe on it to get it away from the house for now until we thaw out. good luck

Drew

[Swimmer]

It's a garden hose diameter stiff rubber hose. UPDATE: I heated up a kitchen knife sharpener (diamond coated steal rod with a handle on it) in a pot of boiling water, took that out there and jammed it into the opening. Then put it back in the water to reheat and did this numerous times until I got a tiny jet of water to come out. Then after all the air was pushed out, the water came jetting out. So I have some temporary success. I'll just have to check it each morning and repeat the above until the temps go back up (maybe unplug the pump overnight so it doesn't overheat and hope the water in the sump doesn't overflow). I think with a crushed rock pit, the hose end would be angled down with no water plug, and with 100% air in the line, this wouldn't happen. Good advice about cutting the PVC on the outside of the house...that would have beat a flooded basement!

[chris63]

Depends how much is frozen you may have to wait till it thaws.A drain pit (discharging BELOW the frost line) is in order as soon as possible.If your not draining the tiles away from your structure it will continue to cycle the sump and "could" flood if the sump becomes inoperable or is unable to keep up.This is a common occurrence in our spring climate.At night the temperature drops well below freezing and the sump tube clogs partially and either blows off the PVC outlet or just continues to cycle because the water isn't being removed from the drain tiles.You can try using some salt to thaw the line out.c63

[Tom7227]

I have a similar setup that I put in about 15 years ago. I put in 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch pvc tubing. It empties into an open box. The box also has an inlet for some underground drain tile that I ran under my driveway before it was installed. From that box I have a 6 inch perforated and socked drain tile that ultimately discharges into a native prairie garden I put in last year via what is known as a French drain - simply an open tube that has some porous material at the end to limit erosion. My sump pump setup exits the house about 2-3 feet below grade and runs about 2 feet deep down a hill to the box I mentioned.

One thing that I did to make it work a little more efficiently was to install a valve inside the house that broke the vacuum on the line and lets it drain all the way down the hill. Before I did that the thing would gurgle for 10-15 minutes as it drained down. I think that helps keep my setup from freezing up much longer, but it still freezes up. It hasn't thawed yet and I doubt that it will for at least a week or more.

You may want to consider putting in a larger diameter hose, on of the vacuum breaker valves (I'm sure there's a better name for it) and try dumping it into a graveled area via a French drain. I suspect a pit will work well in the summer if you have good soil drainage, but eventually it will freeze as well.

Good luck.

[Swimmer]

A lot of good ideas. Not sure if I will do anything to "improve" the system. I think if I drained it into a crushed rock "pit" under the frost line that I still might have problems and getting to the end of the hose would be much harder. Maybe the way I'm doing it now -- though kind of a PITA -- I can at least get to the hose end easily to thaw it.

[chris63]

A wise man once said "beware of unintended consequences!"c63

[cold one sd]

I pour RV anti freeze into the uphill end of my sump drain in the fall so it doesn't freeze during winter. I will just have to remove the cap and screw my outleet pipe on this spring and plug the pump in.

[delcecchi]

I have 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe that exits at grade on the side of a hill. If the pump is running regularly it won't freeze up. Think how long it takes to make an ice cube or freeze a glass of water, expecially at like 15 degrees or so.

But for the rest of the time, I ran one of those cables they sell to keep ice dams from forming down the inside of the pipe. They come in lengths up to 80 or 100 feet. If things might be getting clogged with ice I just go down in the basement next to the sump and plug it in. Unplug the sump pump at the same time. After a few hours, plug in the pump and see if it goes.

It is pretty easy to judge when the pump is going to start running, and plug in the cable. I don't think they get hot enough to be a problem but I don't like wasting energy.

[Surface Tension]

The slight upward bend it trapping water. What ever you decide to do you have to get that upward bend out.

A shallow grey water well is going to freeze. I would dig it up and lay it with back down starting just below the surface.

Figure 1/4 drop for every foot of length and day light it. Use a straight line to ensure your keeping the pipe straight when you back fill.

[Swimmer]

I pour RV anti freeze into the uphill end of my sump drain in the fall so it doesn't freeze during winter. I will just have to remove the cap and screw my outleet pipe on this spring and plug the pump in.

The problem with that is that the sump is now filling slowly so it doesn't come on often enough to prevent freezing. So regardless of having anti-freeze in the line, it would be flushed out on the first run of the pump.

The best easiest method, as someone suggested, might just be to make sure the end of the hose is not upturned. The problem there is that there is memory in the rubber. I may have to zip tie it to something rigid like a piece of pvc. Hey, or put the pvc around the end of the rubber hose. There should be enough slope there to let the water drain even though the water would now be kind of shooting into the soil, not out of the soil. Just rambling.

[Redlantern]

Not really your question but why are you using garden hose? Some cities don't allow the discharge to be done in 3/4 inch, causes pumps to fail sooner. I always run them in 1- 1/2 inch minimum.

[bobbymalone]

if it's just garden hose why don't you just cut the upturn thing off at a point where the memory gives it a down turn?

[Swimmer]

if it's just garden hose why don't you just cut the upturn thing off at a point where the memory gives it a down turn?

It's not really garden hose. It is thicker walled and stiffer rubber, but it is the same outside diameter of garden hose. The water comes up out of the basement and through the wall in 1.5 inch PVC, then transitions to copper pipe under the sidewalk, and the to the rubber hose running along side the driveway for 60 feet or so to the street. I'm not sure of the legalities of the hose outside. But we did have a city inspection of the inside (I think checking so that it was not discharged into muni sewer system). All I know is that it has been in place since we bought the place and has worked very well for 7 years -- I don't remember the end freezing in the past...maybe because the melt has been more rapid and consistent in the past.

As far as cutting the end off, I could but I like the specific spot where it discharges...on a slope that goes immediately to the street gutter. Huuuum, I wonder if that's even legal, since it is technically discharging on city property? I won't say anything if you don't.