We have a sump hole in our backyard that has a 1/3hp pump in it which works to pump out groundwater from our backyard. the water coming from it stinks.
HISTORY:
The deal is that when the street of houses behind us was developed back in the 60's, there were no drainage codes and so there are no catch basins or lines for rain water to go. With that in mind, our backyard is sunken and backs up to severeal of these houses and therefor we collect the rainwater/groundwater for about 5-8 houses that are behind us. Apparently the guy who owned our house before us bought in 1960 and had no problems for about 10 yearws, then one day his backyard (now ours) started flooding and consequentially flooding the basement. He tried lots of things to divert the water, but the only thing that worked was this sump hole rig. The hole is in the back of the yard; is about 3' deep and the pump feeds a 1.5" PVC pipe that travels underground for about 100' and daylights in the front yard at the top of our cul-de-sac, which is about 10' higher than our sunken backyard. The pump kicks on about twenty times a day (in the rainy season) and pumps the water to the front, where the water bubbles to the surface and flows by gravity down the hill to a catch basin at the bottom.
PROBLEM:
The water bubbling to the surface stinks like hell!!! Like a cross between sewage and a really funny organic compost pile. like the slimy funk of leaves that gets pulled from a rain gutter. We noticed the smell when we moved in about 5 years ago and our new neighbors, some of whom had been there since the neighborhood was developed in the 50's, said that it had always smelled that way. One of our neighbors had the water checked for fecal colifum when they moved in 25 years earlier and it the test showed that it was clean. When we moved in we had the county check it and they did twice and they told us it was perfectly clean. But it stinks and when it's flowing, people walking by give the water funny looks and stare at it like "what the hell?". It is really obnoxious. harmless, apparently, but obnoxious.
QUESTION:
Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell, or at least minimize it? A chemical dispersed throguh a drip system or something? The hole in the backyard sometimes stinks. I have cleaned it out, not with chemicals, but to where the water is perfectly clear; but it still stinks a day later. I have, in desperation, added a 1/4 cup of pine sol in the hole and that works for about a day.
I recently repaired the pump which was clogged and I noticed that when I disconnected the pump, the water that flowed back in the hole from the 100' PVC pipe had slimy "chunks" in it. Could that be part of it? I just don't know anything about this type of work and plumbers who I talk with do seem to know much about this type of configuration or have any advice for me.
thanks!
HISTORY:
The deal is that when the street of houses behind us was developed back in the 60's, there were no drainage codes and so there are no catch basins or lines for rain water to go. With that in mind, our backyard is sunken and backs up to severeal of these houses and therefor we collect the rainwater/groundwater for about 5-8 houses that are behind us. Apparently the guy who owned our house before us bought in 1960 and had no problems for about 10 yearws, then one day his backyard (now ours) started flooding and consequentially flooding the basement. He tried lots of things to divert the water, but the only thing that worked was this sump hole rig. The hole is in the back of the yard; is about 3' deep and the pump feeds a 1.5" PVC pipe that travels underground for about 100' and daylights in the front yard at the top of our cul-de-sac, which is about 10' higher than our sunken backyard. The pump kicks on about twenty times a day (in the rainy season) and pumps the water to the front, where the water bubbles to the surface and flows by gravity down the hill to a catch basin at the bottom.
PROBLEM:
The water bubbling to the surface stinks like hell!!! Like a cross between sewage and a really funny organic compost pile. like the slimy funk of leaves that gets pulled from a rain gutter. We noticed the smell when we moved in about 5 years ago and our new neighbors, some of whom had been there since the neighborhood was developed in the 50's, said that it had always smelled that way. One of our neighbors had the water checked for fecal colifum when they moved in 25 years earlier and it the test showed that it was clean. When we moved in we had the county check it and they did twice and they told us it was perfectly clean. But it stinks and when it's flowing, people walking by give the water funny looks and stare at it like "what the hell?". It is really obnoxious. harmless, apparently, but obnoxious.
QUESTION:
Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell, or at least minimize it? A chemical dispersed throguh a drip system or something? The hole in the backyard sometimes stinks. I have cleaned it out, not with chemicals, but to where the water is perfectly clear; but it still stinks a day later. I have, in desperation, added a 1/4 cup of pine sol in the hole and that works for about a day.
I recently repaired the pump which was clogged and I noticed that when I disconnected the pump, the water that flowed back in the hole from the 100' PVC pipe had slimy "chunks" in it. Could that be part of it? I just don't know anything about this type of work and plumbers who I talk with do seem to know much about this type of configuration or have any advice for me.
thanks!