Sump pump hose freezing

I am having a problem with my sump pump hose freezing up into a huge ice plug that won't allow water to pass.

My sump sump is in the basement and I have a 2" PVC pipe that vents to the outside. It extends about 6 to 8 inches outside the siding and then connects to a 18' corrugated plastic hose that lays on a slight decline to the bottom of my yard. The hose obviously lays along the ground in the ice and snow and lately it has been fairly cold here in Illinois, so it seems to be freezing up at least once a week. I can here the pump kick on, and then it cycles continuously since the water level is not dropping. I am lucky that I have been home for the last 5 or 6, but i am worried I am going to burn up the unit if I don't catch it.

I usually remedy the problem by releasing the clamp at the head of the hose to release pressure (right next to my foundation, sigh!!!) and then pour hot water down the hose until the ice plug melts. Not a fun occupation when it is 7 degrees outside!!!

Any ideas of how to remedy this situation both short and long term. By short term of course I mean until the spring thaw and long term would be anything I can do to make sure this does not happen anymore next year.

I do try to keep the hose at a good angle so the water drains properly, and I try to keep the snow and ice away from the hose by going outside every couple of days to make sure it is not buried. Probably not as often as I should, though!

One more thing, it was colder last winter, it is the same hose, and I did not have any of these problems.

Thanks for the advice. This website is amazing!

I have a similar setup with my sump pump here in Illinois. PVC pipe going out the house, then a long flexible plastic pipe to take the water away from the house. What I did was drill a lot of small holes in the flexible pipe that lies in the lawn with a drill and bit. This allows the hose to act as a sprinkler and distribute the water more evenly. When the sump pump is done the remaining water can drain out the bottom of the hose through the holes, so no water is left trapped in the hose. It also acts as air vents in the hose, so the water can drain without suction (or else the hose can stay filled with water towards the house, if no air can get in). I have had no freezing problems with this setup.

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago (I live in Iowa) and someone told me to use a bale of hay or straw and break it up over the length of the pipe, I did this and it worked just fine. Another thing to think about is getting a dialer that will give you heads up(calls you at work or cell phone) if the water is rising past the point it should, useful not just in winter time but also if you main pump fails for some other reason.

A back up sump pump will work wonders. If you have a finished basement there is only 1 that is worth using in my NSHO. The Zoeller Aquanot 2.

I had a backup pump with a separte line out of the house, both the main and backup lines froze, I dont see how having a backup covers you in this situation? Getting notfication that the water is rising by having a dialer or siren brings attention to the problem.

A temporary solution if you are not on a septic tank would be to pump it to your DWV system until the freezing line problem can be permantly corrected, then switch it back.