My attention has been focused on lowering the basement of a townhome that I purchased.  This has been a complicated process that has involved many steps.

The concrete floor was removed and both the sump system and the waste water ejector system had to be disconnected during this process.  The removal of these systems made construction sense, but not Mother Nature sense.  Rain was turning the basement into a sticky, muddy mess.

It was clear that I had to return these water removal systems to the basement as more rain was predicted, including a thunderstorm.  I needed a temporary, but effective method of reconnecting the sump pump and diverting the water that was accumulating in the ejector pit to the sump system. Since this system was temporary it had to be cost effective.

I modified some 5 gallon construction buckets by drilling large holes into them.  These buckets were just large enough to protect the sump pumps that I had on hand. I then submerged these temporary pumps in both the sump pit and the ejector pump pit.  It should be noted that the ejector pit was only collecting ground water from the basement at this time.

I didn’t want to connect the ejector pit’s ground water to the city sewer system, so I temporarily ran some PVC from the ejector pit to the sump pit.  Any water collected from that side of the basement would be ejected along with water collected in the sump pit.

I had some spare aluminum cladding and I used a break to formed sheets of the cladding into temporary gutters. These were used to shuttle water from the existing exterior drain tiles to the sump system.

I secured the  temporary PVC pipe with some extra Rebar that I had.  I didn’t want my temporary pipes to break apart due to pump vibration.

In the end my temporary system looked more like a Rube Goldberg Machine rather than an elegant plumbing installation.  However, my contraption worked and helped control the water entering the basement.  Naturally, it will be replaced by a real system as soon as feasible.

Five gallon buckets with holes served as my temporary sump pits.
Ground water collecting in the former ejector pit.
One of the two temporary sump pump systems that I used.
Submerging a sump pump into the former ejector pit.
The sump pit complete with pump. You can see the temporary PVC piping from the ejector pit in the photo.
Using a break to form cladding into temporary gutters.
A temporary gutter ready to go.
I extended the discharge tube to make sure that no water would return to the basement.