Interior Weeping System: Day 4 - Plumbing the sump and taping the Delta MS

Day 4 (roughly, it was 2 short evenings and a mostly full day) included:

• Coring a 2" hole through the wall
• Finishing the sump plumbing
• Getting the site ready for concrete pour by taping the membrane, finishing up with granular and tamping it down for a nice compressed sub base
• Doing a water test to make sure the system actually works!

If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about the first three days of work (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!
Day 6 - Membrane and lower shelf
Day 7 - Final shelf and panelling

Disclaimer

The usual disclaimers apply -- I'm not a professional and this is total Do It Yourself (DIY) project.  Seek professional input prior to attempting this project.  It is NOT an easy project and requires a significant amount of work, knowledge and capability.  Make sure you fully understand all relevant design, structural, and geotechnical aspects, including the building code and applicable bylaws prior to starting.  Any doubts, hire someone qualified :)  We've had good success (so far), but that isn't a prediction of success at other sites.

Coring the 2" hole

I needed a new hole through the foundation for the sump drain.  I have an SDS Max drill I can use, but the rental place didn't have a 2" core bit so they gave me a deal on a diamond core drill and bit.  If you leave in Ottawa, are doing projects and need gear, check out Robertson Rent-all.  Super nice guys, they know their stuff, and have great prices.  You can pick up gear on Friday before they close, return it on Monday and only pay for 1.5 days.  I can't recommend them enough.

Here is a picture of the drill.

I made the huge mistake of coring from the inside.  It was laziness combined with a crying 3.5 year old upstairs and rushing the job.  Basically I couldn't hold the drill 90 degrees and got an awful slope on the hole.  I ended up re-drilling it perpendicular the next morning from the outside, where I could keep the drill at waist height and was much happier.  From the outside, you only see one hole, from the inside,  there is a little patching to do.  Here a video of how not to drill.




Finishing the sump

Once I had a core hole for the 1.5" ABS pipe, I connected it all up.

The sump lid needed to a few holes cut in it for the pipe and wires.  I first placed the pump to see where the discharge hose would run up, then I used a plumb bob to find the middle of the pipe.  After that I removed the pump/pipe and placed the lid.  Dropped the plumb bob and found the exact location of the hole needed as shown in the next two photos.

A photo of the mostly final sump setup.

Finishing the membrane and granular 

I tucked the membrane behind the Waterguard flange.  This step sucked and I *really* should have placed the membrane before the Waterguard.  I taped it down to limit moisture / vapours.  The manufacturer doesn't have any instructions on the product besides email support and doesn't say if this step is needed, but I figure all this effort, a little moisture vapour sealing and I'll have a nicer basement in the end.  The top of the membrane has some finishing strips to help seal it as well (later photos).

The photo below shows the nicely tamped granular waiting for a new concrete floor.  I brought in another 260 kg of 19mm clear stone.  All told then, I had to bring in 380 kg of clear stone. 

The photo below shows the black finishing strip I bought a Rona.  I used acoustic sealant to seal the membrane to the wall.  Probably overkill and using the stuff sucks, but I'll know shortly how much drier my basement will feel!

Water Test
I also checked the whole system to make sure water drained....  I had a garden hose wide open for 20 mins, pouring into various locations of the system.  I worked perfect, and managed all the water. Very happy!

And a small video, listen to the beautiful sound of water pouring into the sump.




If you haven't already, catch up with this project by reading about the first three days of work (clicking will open the link in a new window):
Day 1 -  Chipping out a the sump
Day 2 - Chipping out the perimeter trenches
Day 3 - Installing the Waterguard and Membrane
Day 4 - Plumbing the sump
Day 5 - Concrete pour!