Sewers
How easy is it to get caught using a cross connection from your sump pump to sewer line?
I'm not making excuses for doing this, but this could save me thousands of dollars in case a flood occurs in my basement. How would the city be able to tell without actually seeing it in my basement? And how would they be able to get in my basement without my permission? A warrant?
Public Comments
- Typically sewer systems are tested for this type of problem using a smoke test. Smoke is injected at key points into the sewage system. The smoke will exit through any connection that does not have a proper trap. Someone drives around looking for smoke coming from improper connections. If your gutter drains are connected, they will usually be detected in this way. Your sump line will not have a trap. Even if it did, you would have to figure out how to keep water in it for it to be effective. It should have a check valve, which should keep the smoke out just as well, so you probably would not get caught. If there are severe problems in your area, the utility may want to do some more comprehensive inspections to minimize excessive inflow -- your sump would qualify. In this case, they would issue a notice that they want to inspect your plumbing and make some kind of arrangements to gain access. If you do not comply within a certain period of time, they would have the right to discontinue your service. This usually means you water would be shut off, but in an extreme case they could disconnect or block your sewage line. This is not a normal situation, but it does happen from time to time. A sump pump connected to a sewage system can cause more problems that it solves. If there is flooding, the sewage system may become overloaded as well. The overflow can run back through the pipes and into your sump pit, filling the basement with nasty stuff instead of just ground water. A check valve should stop it, but they do fail from time to time. Usually not worth the risk. Best to install the pump with a discharge outlet near a storm drain or natural drainage.
- Wow, that's quite an answer the other dude gave. Where you are going to have a problem is when you go to sell your house or change insurance companies. This is the only time a residence is going to be inspected. But, seriously, putting in a sump line is no big deal. 1/2" pvc can be used and most people just run their basement sumps out to the street. If this isn't an option, you can always create a leech line (dig a trench, drop your pipe in it with holes in the pipe, fill with rocks and cover with dirt). The other dude is right about one thing, though... there's a reason connecting your sump to the sewer isn't allowed. It can cause problems down the road (do you really want a pump applying pressure to your sewer line if your sewer line becomes clogged? Where do you think it's going to back-up into if this happens?). The money you save now won't mean diddly when you come home to find sewage coming out of your drains because the sump pump is pushing it back up a clogged line....
