- 1). Dig down to the footings of your foundation with a mini excavator from an equipment or implement dealer or rental center. The trench around the house should be at least 3 feet from the foundation and taper back slightly toward the top to avoid soil collapse.
- 2). Using your spade shovel, clear away a trench next to your foundation footing about 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Fill the trench with 3/4-inch clear gravel. Lay the 6-inch drain tile on the top of the gravel trench along the footing. Attach each end of the drain tile with a 6-inch T connector where you are going to connect into the sump pit in side the house.
- 3). Dig down under the footing with your spade shovel to where you are going to be attaching your sump pit. The hole needs to be wide enough to insert a piece of 6-inch drain tile.
- 4
Guy cutting concretecarpenter tool belt image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
Using the concrete saw, cut a square hole slightly larger than the diameter of the sump pit in the corner of the basement floor where the drain tile enters. Have a friend pour water across the blade while cutting to reduce dust. Hit the area you cut with a sledge hammer to break the concrete. Remove the concrete and dig down about 3 feet to allow the sump pit to slip into place. Make sure that you have located the entry drain tile hole from the exterior and that the hole has a downward pitch from the outside in. - 5). Insert the sump pit in the hole and position one of the knock-outs toward the opening for the drain tile attachment. The sump pit should be slightly lower than the concrete. Cut out one of the knockouts with a utility knife. Push a piece of 6-inch drain tile through the hole from the outside and attach it to the sump pit by pushing it through the hole you knocked out. Then cut the drain tile with the utility knife and insert it into the 6-inch T fitting.
- 6). Back fill the trench around the house with 3/4-inch clear gravel, leaving the top 8 inches for regular soil. Use some of the old soil to fill over the stone and haul the rest away to the dump. Use the excavator bucket to level out the soil making sure that there is a slight pitch away from the house. Use a stone rake for fine grading and to get the rocks out of the soil.
- 7
Concrete workercement finisher image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
Mix concrete in a 5-gallon bucket with water until the consistency is like peanut butter. Spread the concrete in the corners around the sump pit. Use a trowel to smooth the concrete and blend it into the existing concrete.
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