How to Install a Dry Well for a Sump Pump | This Old House

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This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares a permanent way to collect and disperse sump-pump water. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Shopping List for How to Install a Dry Well for a Sump Pump:
- 1 1/2-inch-diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe
- PVC elbow and couplings
- line-marking spray paint
- plastic drywell tank and cover
- crushed stone
- plastic tarp
- landscape fabric
- PVC primer and cement
- rubber pipe connector and two stainless-steel hose clamps
- pop-up release valve
- grass seed
Tools for How to Install a Dry Well for a Sump Pump:
- pointed shovel
- wheelbarrow
- utility knife
- PVC pipe saw
- drill/driver fitted with 1 1/2-inch diameter hole saw
- screwdriver
- leaf and garden rakes
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How to Install a Dry Well for a Sump Pump | This Old House
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Опубликовано:

9 ноя 2014

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Комментарии : 123

@therealweedram 9 лет назад

Thanks for the video. Love the parts breakdown in the description. Keep it up TOH!

@jakefriesenjake 4 года назад

That is a very nice blend of tarp soil. Almost like it came out of a bag!.. I always recommend buying a heavy gauge blue or green top, for dumping the tarp soil on. They are only like $20.

@iselfdevi 3 года назад

I came for the info but stayed for the accent.

@drakeanderson6473 2 года назад

i was expecting them to say something about calling befire you dig lol

@reddog418 4 года назад

FYI this is the correct install video. This Old House has another one with just a guy digging and they install the basin incorrectly.

@wanderingwade8877 4 года назад

Ya always wana carry tha wata away from the house. And New Englaand has haad winters, so ya hav ta think about the freezing temps.

@errcoche 4 года назад

I enjoyed his accent immensely. Nobody speaks like that in Old England.

@femineity 3 года назад

Where I live is heavy clay soil so I don't know if using this method would do much but cause water to gather at the point the well is installed. Plus, that piping WILL FREEZE here, no doubt about it! That accordion discharge pipe he connected to the hard pvc pipe, BOTH would freeze the first freeze night. I REALLY need a workable solution!

@slimj091 9 месяцев назад

Bury the pipe further underground, and consider installing larger a concrete cistern instead.

@DaDaDo661 4 месяца назад

I've had 2 discharge pipes freeze on me in Canada. I just run it above ground, that way I can go outside and visually make sure my sump is discharging. There's also a failsafe elbow on the discharge pipe where it comes out of the wall, if the main pipe freezes then it will still flow out of the hole in the elbow. I'm not sure what the name of it is

@JT-py4cc 5 лет назад

They should of put a 4" discharge pipe in and an air gap, that thing will freeze up in the winter.

@hsiehkanusea 5 месяцев назад

I guess we use the main riser if we need a clean-out

@adrianongoco5840 3 года назад

Hello 👋

@jima4286 5 лет назад

I am getting blisters on my hands just from watching them dig that much without gloves!

@doct0rnic 4 года назад

I am having a hard time believing those two dug that huge hole

@jeremiahyeahheah506 3 года назад

Than you're not a real man!

@taxisteve929 5 лет назад

Which is better.....to keep the well close to where your sump pump discharges out, or, if like my house at the top of a hill, should I run a pipe along the side of the house to the back (the lower part of the yard) and place the well there? A couple other questions, if I do run it through the alley to the backyard, how deep should the trench be (length is about 50 ft).....also, concerned about freezing. I'm in NJ, so it probably doesn't get as cold as where you guys are from, but we do get a few sub zero days. (trying to remember....but I think the pump still runs for a while on those cold days because the low ground is not frozen.....over a long period, of course, everything freezes and we get no water.

@GruvenHaus 5 лет назад

Basin and a pump right under the drain line, 2 inch PVC from the pump out to the curb.

@Doomzdayxx 2 года назад

This would be fine in an area where the temperature never drops below 35F and never gets heavy rain, ever. In other words, this system would be great for a desert.

@briantorsell 6 лет назад

Take a drink every time you hear "dry well"...

@NPC-et9ik 5 лет назад

I'm drunk.

@hamscanner 5 лет назад

Better still the word okay

@zibzer 2 года назад

Is this an acceptable solution in a northern climate where we get 5 months of freezing weather?

@michaelrentz1595 4 года назад

no freeze thaw collar? no over flow should basin be filled?

@romand123 5 лет назад

Great video! Wondering if this was done in the North East. Do we have to worry about the pipe freezing?

@kizunadragon9 4 года назад

I hope not because there are three fundamental flaws in this project. 1, not using 4 inch SCH 40 pipe for the discharge means that 1 1/2 inch pipe could freeze completely creating a blockage or damage to the pipe (4 inch pipe is rarely ever completely frozen due to the much bigger diameter not to mention the pipe is much stronger.) and 2, no "floating" discharge, meaning there is no way for the pipe to move up and down as the ground freezes/thaws. 3, there is no freeze overflow so if the pipe does freeze the water will just sit there and not move or drain, with an overflow/freeze drain the water has a plan B to at least get out of the house. If this system is connected to a sump pump (which i assume it is) leaving the water with no where to go will burn out your pump. if this is in a place with snow they will have massive damage to the pipes they put in and their sump pump i promise because they didn't do it right.

@robs1852 2 года назад

Hey all the excess dirt leftover just disappeared after filling in the hole???

@PeterMarcaurelle 7 лет назад

Roger- how do you size the unit required to hold the "normal" amount that you maybe pumping ? If it is undersized your yard might be flooded from the over flow. I have been trying to find a solution to my pumping situation and this looks like it might do it.

@rafaelabreo9988 7 лет назад

Peter Marcaurelle i have the same problem so i did was put to dry well side by side

@navigator3 8 лет назад

I'm curious about wintertime freezing. Wouldn't the discharge pop-up freeze shut? You're kind of screwed if it is frozen shut.

@sniper___1732 6 лет назад

navigator3 it wouldnt need to popup without rain to freeze! Snow wont melt fast enough to overwlm it

@oldarkie3880 4 года назад

@@sniper___1732 Wrong, that will freeze in the right condtions. Put a freeze guard at the discharge by the house.

@MrJohndeere3720 9 лет назад

man i love 2 do that. i hate haveing 2 remove my Sump Pump hose 2 mow. im not sare if this set-up would work becuz im on a hill..

@MrJohndeere3720 7 лет назад

ya 1 day i'll try that..

@TonyDiscenza 5 лет назад

Two thing to remember if you are a plumber: water runs downhill and payday is Friday. Feel free to replace the word "water" with the word "sh*t."

@andydaddy2009 6 лет назад

betcha the water gets under it and it floats

@timtrain35 2 года назад

I’m sure the neighbors appreciated the new basement water problem that was just created.

@sigsauer5620 7 лет назад

Hope your in Florida because in the midwest you need a gap between the discharge line of the house and your buried line. If the buried line freezes the water could still be pumped from the house. In this video the basement would flood.

@youtuuba 6 лет назад

Guess who is wrong here! Sig Sauer is right. In the Midwest, it is not uncommon to have a sudden snow melt in the middle of winter when the ground is frozen and no water will soak into it. And often what happens is there will be thunderstorms in January or February, on top of a few feet of snow, with temperatures going from below zero to 50 above in a day or two, and then the big rains plus rapid melt of the snow, and the sump pumps pretty much run constantly for days. If your sump discharge strategy is to rely on buried pipe, then you and your house are in big, flooded trouble.

@WisconsinDIYGuy 5 лет назад

Same in Wisc. You can make your own freeze proof sump discharge or buy one.

@jakefriesenjake 4 года назад

@@WisconsinDIYGuy Yeah, just put a tee, near the house, and a 90 degree elbow pointed down, so when everything freezes, your basement won't flood. It might flood outside near the house, but that's better.

@joea2274 6 лет назад

Plug the center shovel faster

@MaxTor2112 6 лет назад

does it have to have chrushed stone. can any stone work too

@darkone12491 6 лет назад

Max Planck yes as long as the stone is crushed

@jakefriesenjake 4 года назад

I would think un crushed, large round stones are better. Like 1.5" egg shaped. Large river rocks. Washed and clean of course.

@lifeisgood070 3 года назад

River rock has more void but it shifts and does not lock. Angular rock is best (less voids, but it interlocks). For instance you could never build a driveway on Riverstone.... or a retaining wall or a skyscraper... etc. I always use angular rock in case I want to build a patio over it in the future 3/4 washed probably works. Just dont get crush and run or fines or pea gravel or any other bs. The larger the rock the more void. Void holds water. So 1 & 1/2 washed rock would be even better. For reference 3/4 angular will allow 40% of the space to be occupied by water or void.

@Cccc-ky4vq Год назад

How deep should it be so it doesn’t freeze

@codyjeremiah7959 Год назад

Depends where you live of course. Also I think the idea a lot of guys have is that if its cold enough to freeze that pipe then its cold enough to snow. I live in the midwest so I went deeper than his 8".

@slimj091 9 месяцев назад

I've seen water lines at a depth of five feet freeze in Ohio. Of course it was -30 for a week and a half straight.

@DJMichaelAngelo 5 лет назад

Okay video, but I'm VERY surprised you didn't mention how important it is that the SLOPE of the PVC pipe actually be DOWNWARD, and be how much! Granted, most people would think this is a no-brainer, but I myself was wondering if the pipe has to slant downwards at a certain angle (1 degree? 2 degrees of slope?) in order for the water to flow into the dry-well and NOT freeze during the winter time. This seems like a huge oversight on whoever put this little video together...?

@karlliu5580 4 года назад

pipe is at least 6 inches below the soil surface, so there is a angel lead water downward.

@TNtoolman 9 лет назад

I hope they called 811 to be sure there were no utilities where they were digging...

@Mutation666 8 лет назад

+Porsche924Tim When they mark the lines you just have to hand dig in those areas.

@taxisteve929 5 лет назад

I watched the other videos too, and that is the first thing they say to do before digging.....811 should work, but good to check with electric, gas, cable, water, phone....etc....all utilities and anyone else who might be snooping under your lawn!!!

@taxisteve929 5 лет назад

@@Mutation666 or save time and effort by planting some TNT then just fill in the hole part you don't need....much easier than digging. Of course, you'll have a heck of a hole if you hit a gas line....still amazed that if a line from my water company breaks on my property through no fault of my own, I have to pay, so they constantly bombard us with extra fees for "Insurance"....no idea why the homeowner is responsible for something they didn't install that is there to make the water company lots of money....but wouldn't know who to ask about it. When I did call the water company, they sent a couple big guys to the house who said "Hey...you gotta problem payin? Just shut up and pay if you like having water."....can't fight city hall.

@eddiem384 4 года назад

This videos where made in 1992 to 811 back then. Sorry dude

@Justin-yk3ox 3 года назад

we're gonna lay down a tawp

@bad1788 Год назад

How did you determine the sump needed a dry well?

@BradBrother Год назад

If you cant run a sump pump to city storm drains or if building codes do not allow you to let it drain into the road. Also, even if you can run the sump to storm drains, those storm drains can still fill up, and the sump pump will not be able to push the water out. Which will flood your basement. As a preventative measure you can have something like this dry well. I work in insurance and water claims are a PITA. Although coverage (..in Ohio) is $100/yr for $10k in water backup.... the best insurance is making sure it never happens in the first place.

@finscreenname 6 лет назад

Why did the pipe have to come up in front of the basement window??

@gregsplace.greecenewyork2744 6 лет назад

fin screenname it's don't. It can be any place near your home or below grade.

@mainelyelectric 8 лет назад

It's not an inch and a half its a 2 inch hole! Just saying inch and a half is the inside diameter of the pipe.

@johnanders8861 5 лет назад

Isn’t it a constant cycle, when the sump pump discharges water in a storm, it goes into the drywell and seeps back to the pump.

@Guillotines_For_Globalists 5 лет назад

Well, it did seem to be far enough away from the foundation.

@-AnyWho 5 лет назад

whats to stop the crushed stone from entering the pit thru all the holes on the sides of the pit? ... i mean, those holes were much larger than the crushed stone was ...

@jeremiahyeahheah506 3 года назад

They should of wrapped the drywell with geotextile filter fabric.

@xianli6488 Год назад

The dry well is outside all homes and is job of a landscape contractor?

@rickwest2818 4 года назад

You didn't perk test the soil first.

@MaxTor2112 7 лет назад

wont the gravel go into the holes of the well

@Seederful 6 лет назад

You only line the bottom with stone

@sniper___1732 6 лет назад

They used a mesh...

@TonyDiscenza 5 лет назад

@@tcossuto a few rocks won't matter.

@TonyDiscenza 5 лет назад

@@Seederful personally I use drain rock to line the bottom then 1 or 2 inches of sand and set the well (wrapped in water permeable landscaping fabric) on top of the sand layer. Then fill in the rest of the hole with the rock then finally topsoil.

@johnanderson3746 4 года назад

I would wrap well with fabric then put stones around it . But personally if it's just downspouts water or sump pump going outside . Go 6 to 8 ft out and pipe out to street or drywell . I wouldn't go that far away maybe 10 to 12 feet

@R2sojr09 6 лет назад

Why not just run french drain with a pop up to the curb

@Arteolike 5 лет назад

If I recall correctly, most municipalities will not let you have a drainage termination near a city sidewalk that expels water under pressure, do in this instance you’d need to run the pump discharge to a well or seep tank, and then instead of the pop-out, have a 3” French drain gravity feed to a discharge near the street. This is great unless your property does not have an appropriate slope in which case you’d need a pressure regulator on your discharge to only feed a specified amount.

@rogertrujillo7423 3 года назад

Rubbah connectah

@bootygrams 8 месяцев назад

So you pump table water from already saturated soil back into the same ground😂 Pump and discharge water into the street. Cut the the curb, instal the pipe and it will drain into the storm drain away from the house

@Okinanam69 5 лет назад

This does not work with clay soil.

@stellapartheniou4018 4 года назад

What should I do for clay soil?

@jessstuart7495 3 года назад

I just run my sump pump discharge hose out into the yard away from the house.

@NickPeters-tu3rh 2 года назад

Make sure it’s at least 15 feet away or water will just get forced back to ur foundation

@lifeisgood070 3 года назад

Hope they don’t use any commercial mowers, those mowers are going to suck that pop up right out of the ground

@erwinkuehneiii5282 7 лет назад

Why not just put the fabric and the "crushed stone"?

@gantmj 7 лет назад

The well acts as an empty storage area to buy more time for water disbursement.

@NPC-et9ik 5 лет назад

Because then you don't get to say Dry Well.

@markarca6360 6 лет назад

Dry well is also called a cesspool.

@gregsplace.greecenewyork2744 6 лет назад

Mark Arca Cesspools are for Sanitary waste water not Storm Water.

@ericbyrd9693 8 лет назад

Why not run the two inch pipe down hill to the road? Looks like a waste of time and money to me. And if the ground is saturated with rain water, it's never going to leach out of the dry well any way.

@jmr1068204 7 лет назад

In most areas, it is illegal to run a sump discharge to a sewer drain or even out by the curb. It overloads the sewers if everyone does that.

@Saltedbiscuits 6 лет назад

Come to Florida and live next to a guy who built a well. Then you'll see

@catlover1986 5 лет назад

I live in Ohio. We aren't allowed to pump into sanitary sewers, but we can absolutely pump into storm sewers. That's the whole point of storm sewers, to get rid of rain water. Our region is wetland and swamps if we don't drain this water...

@jeremiahyeahheah506 3 года назад

Because it's completely illegal in so many townships

@williamfabinski625 4 года назад

My friend has a huge finger

@cm1133 3 года назад

Hopefully, he’s not a proctologist!

@tanushribanerjee3109 6 лет назад

Make a new video

@bert26a 9 лет назад

That's not going to work if the soil is in fact permeable the water will just make it's way back in to the basement and if it's clay it's just going to turn the yard in to mud.

@SoraTheKey1991 7 лет назад

Mark Wright It's called osmosis. it's the movement of water from areas of high concentration of water to areas of lower concentration.

@SoraTheKey1991 7 лет назад

Mark Wright I need to correct you because osmosis can occur with any material that attracts water, this includes sugars, proteins, ect. Generally speaking it's the movement of any fluid from areas of lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration. Solutes are anything that can desolve in to a particular fluid. Since soil is typically filled with all kinds of organic metereial it's going to exhibit an osmotic effect. That's why you can line a French drain with rocks, styrofoam peanuts, or sand and it will still work. These things contain few organic components and allow the water to pass freely into the pipe without obstructing flow.

@SoraTheKey1991 7 лет назад

Mark Wright It's alright, I try to stay up to date on this kind of stuff since it relates to medicine.

@jakefriesenjake 4 года назад

They are better off putting in a giant leach field.

@oldtwins 7 лет назад

Doesn't look like it's extended far enough away from the home. I'd be disturbed having such a vessel near the home.

@jeffthewhiff 6 лет назад

Yes, I was wondering if there is a rule-of-thumb in terms of how far the dry well should be from the house.

@rayray6490 4 года назад

jeffthewhiff ...they say 10 ft at least. Farther the better

@jeremiahyeahheah506 3 года назад

10ft is what is recommended. I personally always do further

@slimj091 9 месяцев назад

What they don't show you are the 20 year olds digging, and doing most of the work. If I had to do this myself that hole for the dry well would just end up being my grave.

@Aarronching 6 лет назад

Lmao just pump it to the storm drain...

@mikem.3308 5 лет назад

Aarron ching unless it's illegal like a lot of counties

@Aarronching 5 лет назад

Mike M. Pump it in you main drain... some states it’s illegal to drain any thing out in the environment 🤷🏼‍♂️ loose loose every where lol

@Drakey_Fenix 6 лет назад

It's called gravel.. ''Crushed stone'' lmao

@Seederful 6 лет назад

Gravel is smaller

@bodhisattva87 6 лет назад

Nope. Different product. Crushed stone has more jagged edges and compacts differently.

@buckhorncortez 6 лет назад

Well "Drakey" LMAO at you because you don't know the difference between gravel and crushed stone. Totally different. Stone is naturally occurring aggregate with rounded edges, while crushed stone is made from larger rocks put through a crusher and will have jagged edges. Before you're so quick to LMAO - you might want to know what you LMAO-ing at....

@80srockerable 5 лет назад

May be minus the lime residue.

@DD-gi6kx 3 года назад

what the hell is wadda

@Justin-bb2hj 5 лет назад

You’re not suppose to but if you have a situation like this and you live in the city (never do this on a septic system) just pump the water into the sewer

@Guillotines_For_Globalists 5 лет назад

I believe for retrofits you are not able to do that anymore. In my area all of the sumps do go into the sewage system but for new construction they have them going elsewhere to a storm water system that is run in new neighborhoods as well. If you add a sump pump to a home that did not have one before I believe you must discharge to the yard. As far as I know, that is.

@jeremiahyeahheah506 3 года назад

Completely illegal to run into sewer system. People do it but illegal

@kizunadragon9 4 года назад

not using a 4 inch SCH 40 pipe for the discharge is a mistake. no 4 inch drain pipe, no float system to keep the pipe from snapping in two when the ground freezes, no overflow. What is this amateur hour? I hope this is not connected to a sump pump or that home owner will be pissed. That black flexible discharge hose sticking out of the house is a disaster waiting to happen. Anything outside the home should be PVC and if it's exposed to sunlight the PVC needs to be painted to prevent damage. that is of course assuming this is installed in a place that has snow. if it doesn't snow you should be ok.. though even a heavy rain can cause the ground to swell and move thus moving that pipe.. pretty shoddy design. No excuse not to do it right the first time. I'd be fired if I did this kind of crappy work 1 1/2 inch PVC from the outside wall (from the sump pump) into an elbow pointing down with about a 2-3 inch nub on the end that goes into a 4 inch elbow with a 1-1/2 inch bushing on it. This will allow the drainage pipe to move freely when the ground does and you don't risk destroying your pipe or flooding your basement. Add to the pipe from the house a Y or T so you can have a freeze overflow so the water always has a place to go if the main drain freezes. Seriously i can't get over how bad this project was. on This Old House no less!