EcoSump?

06-27-12, 03:35 PM

I'm digging a root cellar and the surrounding waterflow is nearly non-existant and even if we do finally get a monsoon season again, the paths are completely controlled, plus the walls of the root cellar will be higher than the surrounding groundlevel and finally it'll have a sunroom perched on top.

So, I don't expect much water to get in there. But, I was thinking I'd make some sort of sump pit or trench at the lowest point and fill it with gravel or something and cover it with a drain, just in case.

Can anyone tell me what dimensions some kind of sump like that would be? Maybe two feet across and three feet down?

It would not be a sump pump in this case, just the sump, because the water wouldn't be blackwater or even greywater and just needs to be collected if need be, so it can slowly drain into the surrounding soil.

So, it would be a sort of eco-friendly sump, and just in case for some reason I ever get a little water down there it'll have somewhere to go.

Or, is this whole "pump to daylight" a rule of thumb? Do I really need to store a pump down there just in case?

Thanks!

06-27-12, 03:39 PM

Oh, I almost forgot the earth tubes I wanted to install. I suppose this drain/sump is mostly intended to catch the tiny amount of condensation that might happen in the tubes.

herlichka · 06-27-12, 05:20 PM

If you don't expect much water down there, and the soil can absorb moderate amounts of water, why not just put a 2-3" layer of clear 3/4" stone on the floor to provide a "dry" layer to walk on? You could then put a floor of 1x6" cedar on sleepers, letting it float on the stone.

Ryland · 06-27-12, 10:50 PM

A post hole should be plenty large, some landscaping cloth in there then fill it with clean course rock or a few feet of drain tile it keep it from caving in on it's self, otherwise if you are doing a cement floor then a vapor barrier under the cement should be plenty and again a post hole drain with either rock or drain tile stuck in it.

07-22-12, 05:14 AM

Thanks guys that's actually good input. I am not sure if I want to do the concrete floor/concrete block and rebar walls or maybe install the deck/floor as if it's about 8' off the ground.

One way I'd have posts and a woodenfloating cellar floor and the other it would all be concrete and agregate.

Hmmm.

06-27-12, 03:35 PM	#1
DirtFlinger Guest Posts: n/a	EcoSump? I'm digging a root cellar and the surrounding waterflow is nearly non-existant and even if we do finally get a monsoon season again, the paths are completely controlled, plus the walls of the root cellar will be higher than the surrounding groundlevel and finally it'll have a sunroom perched on top. So, I don't expect much water to get in there. But, I was thinking I'd make some sort of sump pit or trench at the lowest point and fill it with gravel or something and cover it with a drain, just in case. Can anyone tell me what dimensions some kind of sump like that would be? Maybe two feet across and three feet down? It would not be a sump pump in this case, just the sump, because the water wouldn't be blackwater or even greywater and just needs to be collected if need be, so it can slowly drain into the surrounding soil. So, it would be a sort of eco-friendly sump, and just in case for some reason I ever get a little water down there it'll have somewhere to go. Or, is this whole "pump to daylight" a rule of thumb? Do I really need to store a pump down there just in case? Thanks!

06-27-12, 03:39 PM	#2
DirtFlinger Guest Posts: n/a	Oh, I almost forgot the earth tubes I wanted to install. I suppose this drain/sump is mostly intended to catch the tiny amount of condensation that might happen in the tubes.

06-27-12, 05:20 PM	#3
herlichka Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada Posts: 102 Thanks: 11 Thanked 15 Times in 10 Posts	If you don't expect much water down there, and the soil can absorb moderate amounts of water, why not just put a 2-3" layer of clear 3/4" stone on the floor to provide a "dry" layer to walk on? You could then put a floor of 1x6" cedar on sleepers, letting it float on the stone.

06-27-12, 10:50 PM	#4
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	A post hole should be plenty large, some landscaping cloth in there then fill it with clean course rock or a few feet of drain tile it keep it from caving in on it's self, otherwise if you are doing a cement floor then a vapor barrier under the cement should be plenty and again a post hole drain with either rock or drain tile stuck in it.

07-22-12, 05:14 AM	#5
DirtFlinger Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks guys that's actually good input. I am not sure if I want to do the concrete floor/concrete block and rebar walls or maybe install the deck/floor as if it's about 8' off the ground. One way I'd have posts and a woodenfloating cellar floor and the other it would all be concrete and agregate. Hmmm.