DIY Crawl Space Guide: Sump Pumps and Basins Week 5

Water infiltration in your crawl space isn't just annoying – it's a serious threat to your home's foundation, air quality, and structural integrity. In this comprehensive guide to crawl space sump pumps and basins, Michael Church of Crawl Space Ninja delivers game-changing insights for homeowners battling moisture issues.

Most homeowners make critical mistakes when selecting and installing sump pump systems. Michael reveals why cast iron or carbon steel pumps with substantial warranties are essential investments rather than budget options that fail when you need them most. You'll discover why the placement of your basin might be completely wrong – even if a professional installed it – and learn the surprising truth about where your basin should actually go (hint: it's not always against the foundation wall).

The installation details make all the difference between a system that protects your home for decades and one that fails prematurely. From the perfect basin depth to the critical components most installers skip, like quick-disconnect couplings and check valves, Michael walks through each element with clarity and purpose. You'll understand why monitoring technology isn't just a luxury but essential protection for your investment.

Whether you're tackling a DIY crawl space project or evaluating a contractor's proposal, this episode provides the knowledge to make informed decisions about your home's moisture management system. Ready to transform your damp crawl space into a dry, healthy foundation for your home? Listen now, and don't forget to subscribe for more expert guidance on protecting your home from the ground up.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Hey there, ninja Nation, michael Church with
Crawl Space Ninja.
Today we are continuing weekfive of our Crawl Space Repair
Challenge and we will becovering the subject of crawl
space sump pumps and basins.
This is a very important topicif you have flooding in your
crawl space, so let's getstarted and talk about what we

(00:20):
will be discussing today, whichwill be the products needed Is a
basin even required, theplacement of that basin and sump
pump, best practices forinstalling that basin and sump
pump, monitoring whether thebasin and sump pump are working
properly.
More specifically, the sumppump itself and then tying that
into the water management system.

(00:42):
If you have not had anopportunity to watch week four
of the Crawl Space RepairChallenge, which is the water
management system, I'll put alink to that video up here at
the top right.
So the recommended products wealways recommend you use a very
powerful sump pump.
These sump pumps take on a lotof water and are running often,

(01:03):
so we want to make sure we use asump pump that can withstand
the heat of running often, andnormally that would be a cast
iron or carbon steel sump pumps,and a lot of times you can tell
the quality of the sump pump tothe warranty that is offered
with it.
So we always recommend at leasta three to five year warranty
and we recommend a highefficient pump either a one

(01:26):
third at the lowest up to athree quarter horse and even a
one horsepower, depending on howfar the water has to travel up
and out.
But we typically install a halfhorsepower sump pump which does
a little over 4,000 gallons perhour.
So make sure you choose areally good brand, like Wayne is
a really good brand to chooseon a sump pump.

(01:46):
Make sure that sump pump basinis a perforated basin.
Yes, it does need to have holesin it and it needs to be a high
capacity basin with the abilityto seal the lid on top.
We don't like open basinswhenever we're installing these
in crawl spaces.
And, of course, I recommend, ifyou haven't had a chance, make
sure you check out ShipShape.
This is a check engine lightfor that sump pump that you're

(02:07):
going to install.
It can also check thedehumidifiers, your HVAC system
and other at-risk areas of yourhome, because the worst thing
you could do is pay all thismoney to get these sump pumps
installed and then not know ifthey're actually working or not.
So ShipShape is a great way toknow that.
By the way, shipshape isavailable on our DIY store and
we can install that.

(02:27):
If you're in our service area.
A few other products I'drecommend you check out the
Dranger Drain.
This is a great product.
I know a lot of waterproofingpeople that have been in the
industry for years that havenever heard of this product.
It allows water to enter thebasin lid without allowing soil
gases to escape.
It's a great way to push thatdehumidifier water into the sump
pump.
It also inhibits odors comingout of that sump pump basin.

(02:49):
You want to make sure you havea check valve.
Check valves will stop therecycling of the pump to
minimize pump burnout and, ofcourse, a rubber coupling, which
I'll show you what that lookslike here in a little bit.
We use these as quickdisconnects so that we can
maintenance the pump easily.
So is the basin needed?
You tell me this sump pump herewas installed in a basin and

(03:12):
look how nasty it is.
We feel like basins are neededin order to protect the sump
pump and to keep as much of thesoil contaminants out of the
sump pump as possible.
Of course it's not going tostop all of it, but it does do a
good job as a first line ofdefense to protect that sump
pump.
It's also protecting that sumppump in other ways, by not
allowing critters to get downinto that basin.
This is how we install a sumppump with a sealed basin that is

(03:34):
attached to the vapor barrierBasin and pump placement.
This is a great example of thebasin installed next to the
foundation wall.
This is Hydraway beinginstalled inside of a crawl
space, but keep in mind that thebasin does not have to be
against the foundation wall.
I want the basin in the lowestpoint of the crawl space, even

(03:55):
if that is in the middle of thecrawl space, and then you would
tie the foundation wall to thatlow point basin with Hydraway or
other drain tile.
That's one of thosemisconceptions.
Everybody thinks it has to beright next to the foundation
wall and chances are yours mayneed to be next to the
foundation wall, but always gofor the lowest point in the
crawl space first.
I would also suggest that youput it in an area that is easy

(04:17):
to access if you can, but youalways want to go with the
lowest point first, and then, ofcourse, you want to install
these basins about every 140linear feet.
That is not a rule, it's moreof a guide that us waterproofers
go by to make sure that we'renot putting too much water on
that basin.
And a good way I like to explainit is that I'm sure you

(04:37):
probably have gutters aroundyour house.
Imagine if you only had onedownspout.
That downspout would not beable to keep up with all of the
gutters.
So having a basin every 140linear feet is kind of like
having downspouts that canhandle all the water that enters
that water management system.
And, of course, if you have afooter, this is also important.
A lot of times we'll see thiswith homes that have been added

(05:00):
on.
You bought a house that wasfrom the 50s and then the 80s
they added a new room or a newsection.
There's a footer that separatesthat old crawl space from that
new crawl space.
You would need a basin in eachsection of those footer
separations.
So make sure that you create anew water management system for
every time there is a footerseparation and unfortunately you

(05:22):
don't always come across thatuntil you start digging out that
water management system.
Best practices for basins makesure you dig that hole about 25%
deeper and 25% wider than theactual depth and width of the
basin itself because I want tomake sure that we put enough
aggregate around that basin.
But before you install thataggregate make sure you line

(05:43):
that basin with a pond felt.
That'll keep mud out, becauseeven though you're putting pea
gravel or three-quarter inchgravel around that basin, that
soil can still get into thatbasin and that felt really helps
stop a lot of that soil fromentering that basin.
Make sure you install the basinat the top level of the soil.
As you see here we've got thebasin level with the soil and

(06:05):
then we've got that sealed lidthat goes on top of that basin
and we like to tuck that plasticinto that basin.
So if for some reason you doget a leak from above, from a
plumbing leak, that water canstill flow down to that basin
and that dranger drain that Imentioned earlier is going to
allow that water to get into thesump pump so that it does not

(06:25):
turn your crawl space into aswimming pool.
Best pump practices or installpractices would be running the
plumbing to the subfloor.
I'm using this picture againbecause this shows a great
example of how we install thesump pump.
We have the sump pump insidethe basin and the check valve is
attached directly to the sumppump, which you can't see in
this picture.

(06:45):
That one and a half inch lineis coming out of that basin lid
to that quick disconnectcoupling.
So when we do maintenance on itwe can just quick disconnect it
right there, quick disconnectcoupling up to the subfloor.
The reason why we put it up tothe subfloor like that is
because these sump pumps arelittle jet engines and if you
come out of the lid and 90straight out the foundation wall

(07:07):
, there's a good chance that itcould bust that one and a half
inch line or at least rock loosethose joints.
So we like to take it all theway up to the subfloor and then
come back down, as you can seehere, and then go out underneath
the soil to a pop-up emitterthat is outside the crawl space
or the basement.
It's got its own dedicatedelectrical outlet and of course

(07:27):
we install that Drain-Dra-Draincheck valve, quick disconnect
and seal the lid, as I mentionedbefore.
Let me know what you think aboutthis video so far.
If you don't mind giving me aquick like down below, that
would be wonderful.
And of course we welcome yourcomments.
You wanna make sure you tiethat basin and that pump into
your water management system.
This is a great picture of howwe tie in Hydraway to that sump

(07:49):
pump basin.
So all the water that's beinggathered by your waterproofing
system is pushing all of thatwater directly into the basin
without having to go through theaggregate and work its way
through the perforated basin.
You want to speed up how thatwater exits out of the crawl
space or the basement.
Tie that Hydrowaste system intothe sump pump basin.
Thank you for watching thisvideo.

(08:10):
If you want to do aconsultation with me, we've got
that available onbuymeacoffeecom.
Forward slash CSNinja.
I hope you'll check out my bookCrawl Space Repair Myths Busted
.
We hope you'll subscribe to ourchannel.