Vital Information about Your Sump Pump

This letter is written to Shadow Woods residents to raise awareness about your sump pump and its associated piping, and to assist homeowners in avoiding future problems.  If the sump pump or piping has a problem, it could flood your basement.  The important thing is to determine if the problem is the responsibility of the homeowner, Shadow Woods Association, or the City of Rochester Hills.  This document should help you make that determination.

Sump pumps are in your basement and need to be checked regularly. A sump pump is used to remove water that has accumulated in the basement sump basin. This water drains into the basin from around the home’s foundation. The sump pump removes the water from the basin, moves it up and out of your home and sends it into the storm sewers.  Some homes connect to the Shadow Woods storm sewer, and some to the City’s street storm drains.  A call to the City engineer can tell you which line you connect to.  (248-656-4685)

Each homeowner is responsible for his/her sump pump and for the sump pipe that runs from their home to the storm sewer line.

One possible problem might be the backflow preventer or “check valve” in the line that goes from your sump pump to the outside of your home. This is something that should be checked if your sump pump runs all the time. This check valve keeps the water from running back down into your sump basin. This is an easy fix and a replacement can be purchased for about $12 from Home Depot or a hardware store (if replacing this valve, unplug sump pump before replacing and then plug back in after replacing).

Another possible problem is a plugged pipe which your pump is trying to empty into. You should check outside directly above your sump pump and you’ll see a pipe coming out of your home. The pipe goes back down into the ground, but usually has a smaller bypass pipe coming out of it.   If water comes out of the bypass pipe, or if water is visible on the ground around the pipe when your sump pump is running, there is a problem with your sump line going from your home to the Shadow Woods or City’s storm sewer system.

If this happens, your basement is in danger of flooding and you need to call a plumber. The plumber may snake your sump line out or take a camera and check your sump line to see if it’s blocked.  If it’s blocked you may need to have the line dug up and replaced. This is probably a $2,000 to $3,000 expense.

If the plumber says your line is clear, then the problem may be in the sewer line your sump pipe connects to.  If it is the Shadow Woods system, call a Board member or send an email to shadowwoodsrh@gmail.com.  The Board, at this time, is checking our storm sewers to see if we have any problems.  So far we have found three 8” storm sewers (of 53) that had to be repaired due to blockage from calcium deposits or tree roots.  In addition, we had Consumers Energy out to repair two of our 8” storm sewers that had gas lines penetrating them. The full list of 8" drains and their status can be found here.

As a reminder, homeowners are responsible for everything in their home and the sump pipe that connects their home to the storm sewers.  The system your sump pipe connects to may be owned by either the Sub Association, or the City of Rochester Hills.  If a plumber determines that the blockage is not in your sump pipe, then contact the City or the Association to determine which is responsible for repairs.

Thanks for your cooperation.