High water table or sump problem?

Question

In really heavy rain, my sump will run every 1-3 minutes. It will take days and days to slow to once every 20-30 minutes. Even after a week it may only slow to once every 40-50 minutes. I have verified that the water is running out to the street. We have a little dry well and the water is running into it. I've asked my neighbors and their pumps don't seem to be running as often; however, I'm about 1.5 feet lower than them, because I purchased an extra block. My grading is fine. It just doesn't seem possible that I have this much ground water.

So, is my water table really that high? Is there a simple way to check this?

Or are there things that I haven't checked? If so, what and how can I check it?

Thanks ahead of time!!!!

Answer 1

I am in a very similar situation. I am the lowest on my block and also the land in my area has pockets of sand and clay which creates large underground water reservoirs. I can even see it in my lawn. Some large areas are green (where water is pooling under ground) and some areas are dry.

You can contact you local city to point you in the direction of someone to check the water table for you.

Two things I have done to "help" are extended my downspout away from the house - 5ft. And I have also installed a backup sump pump (just above the existing one - in the same canister) which also has a battery backup in case of electrical failure. Also make sure your sump pump is pumping the water far enough away and won grade from you home.

Answer 2

You could be that much closer to the water table. We had a neighbor who sat on top of a spring. Their sump ran every 2 minutes year round. Ours used to run very often after rain. We figured the backfill wasn't packed well, because we had so much clay and it got filled in chunks. If you don't already have one, I'd suggest getting a battery backup for your sump.