Sump pumps and water issues

This article is a combination of a post I made on 12/28/13 and an article I wrote in The Highland Park Newsletter.

This is a picture of my sump pump that is located within my homes foundation and drains my wine cellar and property. It's about a 20 ft drop down to the bottom  and is about 4 ft round. The drainage that comes into the cistern is pumped up the black pipe [lower right side of picture] and into the side sewer, the same that drains the down spouts from  your gutters.  The short white pipe is from  the floor drain in the wine cellar and the power cord is next to the black pipe going down to the pump

Others in the neighborhood have sumps like this buried in the yard. As stated in the article, you would know if  your electrical panel has a spot for a "sump". If you can get into the crawl space of your house, look for the power cord leading out your foundation. If you have the plans for your house it should be in those. 

The following is my article in the Highland Park News;

Of interest, and the reason I thought I would write, is that several of our lots are affected by the high water table on this property. So abundant, in fact, several homes along SE 48th St [McBride, Hawley and others] have wells, for some of their water needs. During the wet months the water table rises and you all know the soggy nature of backyard lawns and gardens especially in winter.


Down the back lot lines of #70 and 71 bordered by #63 and 90 and down through 72, 73, 75, 76, 77 and opposed by 89, 88, 86, 85 [that’s me], 84, 83 used to run a seasonal brook [best description I can come up with]. This was a problem for developing a residential site. What to do…bury it. Paul Taylor [the site supervisor] directed the water flow underground and installed a 12 inch thick plastic pipe, hooking into this pipe was perforated pipe collecting springs and other “up-welling” from all the properties and routing that to the main pipe that runs maybe 500- 700 feet down these lot lines. The pipe terminates in a catch basin at the street SE 46th pl. between lots 80 and 81. If you go to that street catch basin on a day after lots of rain [but not raining at the time] you can hear the run-off. It’s huge… We called this engineering job, Taylor Creek, named after the Buchan supervisor.

Another common fix Buchan used was sump pumps. These are used to collect the rising ground water and direct it towards a catch basin, which was a 4 ft stainless steel drain pipe, turned on end with a sump pump in the bottom. The sump turns on when the water level gets high enough to trigger the pump and directs the water to the side sewer [same line your down spouts drain too]. The sump runs off your panel service. To see if you have a sump just look at your electrical panel for “Sump”. Chances are if you see water under your house and you have a sump…your pump is toast. The Bennett’s [#92] have changed one, Browns [#86] and Me [#85]. We are on our 3rd one in the 25 years.

The trick might be finding the sump. The Brown’s was buried in the front flower bed and easy to find because I saw it when the house was built. It was buried about 2 feet down covered with a metal plate. I have a wine cellar and it’s easy to get to from my crawl space.

If water stands for a good length of time under your house it can erode your foundation, communicate somehow with the wood of your house and cause dry rot. The foundation could settle and crack inside walls. All in all it’s worth checking out.

Again, I would guess that the before mentioned lots, or those adjacent to them  likely have some form  of  water drainage including a sump. Check it out and  it might solve some problems you have had or are about to have. Good luck.

Bear's in Highland Park, OH MY!

I want to start this posting out with a quote from an Officer of the Wa. State Department of Fish and Wildlife. "A fed bear is a dead bear".

Recently, many reports have come in about bears in our neighborhood. Although they have always been around they are becoming more of a presence in our streets, backyards and casing our garbage containers and bird feeders. Harmless? Yes for the most part but caution should be heeded as these are wild animals and subject to primitive reactions that they are hard-wired to perform. Such as...getting between a Sow bear and her cubs and/or walking up and surprising them especially around food and or a feeding bear. These situations can be avoided. Here are some general points to follow, taken from a website about Yellowstone National Park.

Bear-Proofing Your Property

• In northern states like Montana, take down, clean and put away bird feeders by April 1. Store the bird feeder until early winter. (Birds will do just fine with the natural foods available.) Bear damage due to bird feeders is a very common and growing complaint. Do not begin feeding birds again, until mid-November when most bears have gone into hibernation.
  
  
• Clean up spilled seed below feeder stations.
  
  
• Keep garbage in airtight containers inside your garage or storage area until day of pickup. Double bagging and the use of ammonia will reduce odors that attract bears. Freeze food scraps before discarding into the garbage can.
  
  
• Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before.
  
  
• A plastic garbage bag alone does not provide enough security. Always place bagged garbage in a secondary container.
  
  
• Do not place meat or sweet food scraps in your compost pile.
  
  
• Do not leave pet food or dishes outdoors at night.
  
  
• Clean up and/or store outdoor grills after use.
  
  
• Use a bear-proof dumpster, can, or store all garbage in a secure storage area without windows until day of pickup.
  
  
• Erect portable solar powered electric fences around fruit trees and gardens. Do not allow fruit or vegetables to rot on the ground.
  
  
• Compost Piles, if you must have a compost pile, enclose it with electric fencing. Don’t put meat, fish,melon rinds and other pungent scraps in the pile. Keep it aerated and properly turned. Add lime to promote decomposition and reduce odor.
  
  
• Never intentionally feed bears to attract them to your yard for viewing.

We don't have Grizzly bears in our area but just to add that bear bells are effective. I think it's a good idea to use these, especially on our kids getting out to bus stops in the darkness of the morning. Put one on the back pack so they warn a bear [if present] that they are approaching.

If you store your garbage container outside then it is recommended that you switch to a bear proof container. Here is a link to that information. Some additional information needs to come from Allied Waste as they would need to recommend or provide a Bear proof container that will work with their equipment. Their phone number is: 206-682-3037.

http://www.bearicuda.com/enclosures/garbage_can_storage.php --BEAR PROOF CONTAINER

Just to add, I have seen these bears and they are big. The Sow is about 250-300 lbs and the cubs are now about 100-120 lbs apiece. They will lay down in awhile for winter but are still very active feeding for the long sleep right now. On Oct 28th, about 10 pm I had to stop and wait for the 2 cubs to cross the road in front of my car on Iss-Fall City Rd intersection with Iss-Pine Lake Rd. The green belt along the entire perimeter of Highland Park is their corridors of travel. They are part of our environment and are here to stay. Just take caution, be aware and be pro-active in not attracting them for the wrong reasons. Be safe out there!

Wood Decks; repair, replacement, maintenance and installation:

While many in HP have no deck what so ever, many do. Some homes have 3 levels of decks and accessories to boot [hot tub, BBQ and heaters]. Open for discussion and hearing about your experiences.

Window Replacement

Window Replacement:

[copied and pasted from www.reliableremodeler.com]

When is the Best Time of Year to Consider Buying Replacement Windows?

Buying replacement windows can be a big project. Here are some tips to get you started on the right track to a successful window replacement.

The best time of year to consider buying replacement windows is around spring or fall. Buying replacement windows and having them installed will leave your home open to the elements for a day or so. You want to avoid hot, cold and rainy times of the year if possible.

You need to know which windows, if not all, have to be replaced. Look at the type of window and decide on whether you want to replace it with a new style or use a style just like your old ones. This is especially true with the Highland Park CC&R's. Consult that first. You'll need to evaluate how your original windows were installed as well as note any potential problems with tear-out and preparation for the new windows.

Let's start this discussion as many have done replacement and we all need to hear what they have experienced and learned.

Recommended Contractors of Highland Park

Over the last several issues of the Highland Park Newsletter, many have commented on Contractors that they recommend for services to the neighborhood. In an attempt to keep that information around longer than the eventual recycling of the newsletter, this entry gives you the chance to post that recommendation. Others can add on comments after that of course but never the less your experiences are needing to be shared.
Please include the basics of who they are, phone numbers, names of those you dealt with and perhaps in general some costs, perhaps in relation to other bids you found from others. Have at it
1

Back-flow valves? Do we have a stinking back-flow valve?

Up until a couple of months ago I wouldn't know a Back-Flow valve from any other valve in a hardware store or Plumbers shop. In came the question from a neighbor about Back-Flow valve testing and hundreds of dollar's to test them and the City of Sammamish requiring testing yearly and on and on. What the heck?
Back-flow valves are installed between your main water line and your sprinkler system. Other BFV's are installed between the main water line and say a building's fire prevention sprinkler system. The valve prevents water that enters your sprinkler system [potentially dirty] from re-entering the general water system and contaminating the water lines throughout.
I called a local and popular Sprinkler Contractor and was informed that when Highland Park was established no back- flow valve testing was required by the County. Now that Sammamish has jurisdiction they require testing by a certified [you guessed it] Back Flow Valve Tester. This Contractor told me that it is the responsibility of the City of Sammamish to contact the homeowner about testing your back-flow valve. If you have had main water line hookup or alteration like adding a sprinkler system then they will contact you of required testing. Some published rates of BFV failure are no more than 9%.
Has anyone had Back flow valve testing done and what recommendations do you have. What contractors have you used?

Lawn and Garden

The neighborhood is awaking with the sound of mowers, chainsaws and leaf blowers. It is Spring and the lawns are growing and the trees are blooming. It is the time to get the garden stuff done.
OK, so I have to make this dis-claimer. I'm the world's worse gardener in practice but I'm better on the concept part. I can lead and direct the tasks but my back is not allowing me to keep an active golf game and do all the weed-pulling and other back cracking work. But, never the less I'm pleased to introduce this subject in order to get your feedback and input as to what works for you. In general the lawns and gardens in HP are great. Please fell free to add your comments to enhance what I'm posting here.

Lawns
All that I have learned about lawns have come from meeting several golf course Superintendents over the years. The guiding principal that they preach is drainage. In HP it is well known that drainage is a problem. We have a heavy layer of sandstone and clay all throughout the plat. When it comes to lawns, if you experience a drying out in the summer and a sogginess during the winter then drainage is your problem. The winter thing is more of a "get water off and gone" issue then the getting water and fertilizer to the roots during the summer. One method that helps this latter issue is a "punch and sand" treatment on a regular basis. This will create a hole, fill it with sand [the "wick"] and then treat the soil with gypsum and fertilizer. I'll leave the rest of the explanation on this to the experts who will post a comment. Look for a comment from the neighborhood expert and the one who cares for many of the yards in HP, Brian Kosko. He's the smartest guy I know on this stuff and is very well trained on lawn issues.

Brian Kosko

Premier Lawn Management
360-886-0440
info@premierlawnmanagement.com
www.premierlawnmanagement.com

Gardens
I know that some new to the neighborhood are new to the NW. What plants do well and which ones struggle is a good thing to know. Aside from what you find to plant from the local Home Depot and Lowe's, we have some super Nursery stores locally that have great advice.
1. Haynes Nursery
2. Squak Mt.

Look them up in the Yellow pages to see where they are located but I can't say enough for the expertice that you can find from them for plantings and care of the plants in the garden. They generally have Master Gardener's on site to trouble shoot the sick plants. They also have a good supply of healthy plantings that will live in your yard or they replace what will not survive.

The garden maintanace is another whole subject. This issue comes up kind of at the last minute, in the spring/summer when we realize that we don't have the time to do all that we need to do. I have been tempted to hire my own labor from the hords of Labor Ready groups at Home Depot in Bellevue. The problem is I don't speak spanish that well and you need to deal with their need for using access to your house for rest rooms. A friend of mine recently was reffered a couple of workers, that I'm using today They are super! They work very well and do a quality job. If you need a garden bed cleaning, shrub trimming or any other garden cleanup I can highly recommend them to you.

Quality Garden Workers
Lupillo 253-394-6725

Please tell him I sent you. He is a very proud guy on the work that he provides. He works the entire day with his helper. They clean all the beds they can in 1 full working day, the 2 of them, getting all that they can do during that time. They do it all. Get some extra green bids for the stuff they will remove. Lipillo works, during most of the week, for a reputable Landscape company. Due to slowdown in the economy, he finds himself with some extra time to do this, on the side. I was very pleased with his job and service.

That's it for now. The rest is up to you. Post a comment to add information and knowledge for all to learn. Do you use someone else or company that has worked well for you. Become a follower to see all the new postings and comments as the come our way. As a follower any new posting comes to your email as well as posted comments. Thanks for participating. This seems to be working out well.


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