Takoma Park's median home was built in 1954, and its historic district holds much older houses, so many basements here had a sump pump added long after construction or still have none. When a pump fails, the cause is usually power, the float, the check valve or a discharge line that dumps water too close to the house. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Takoma Park.
Can an old Takoma Park basement get a sump pump?
Usually. Takoma Park began in 1883 as a planned commuter suburb on the District line, and its large historic district is full of houses with fieldstone, brick or block foundations that predate modern waterproofing. A plumber can cut the slab at a low corner, set a lined basin and pump and route a discharge outdoors. In some homes the floor is thin or uneven, and the job includes patching around the new pit. If water enters along all the walls, an interior drain tile that feeds the pit may be part of the plan.
Where should the water go?
Outside, on your lot, away from the foundation. Takoma Park lots are often small and close together, so the discharge needs to end where it soaks in or drains toward the street rather than onto the house next door. Older pumps in town are sometimes piped into a laundry sink or floor drain. That sends groundwater into WSSC Water's sanitary sewer, which is built for household wastewater, so a plumber should move it outdoors. Heavy tree canopy also means leaves and roots can block a buried discharge line.
What if sewage is coming up instead?
Then it is not a sump issue. Older clay or cast iron sewer laterals under houses of this age can crack, sag or fill with roots, and a basement floor drain is often the first place a backup appears. If the public line is the problem, WSSC Water's emergency number for water and sewer issues is 301-206-4002. If only your house is affected, a plumber can clear and camera-inspect your lateral. Plumbing permits for new drain work go through WSSC Water Permit Services.
Local note
Many Takoma Park basements also hold an older water heater or furnace sitting close to the floor. Even a few inches of water can reach burners and controls, so keep the pump healthy before storm season and consider a high-water alarm. A battery backup is worth a look too: older neighborhoods under big trees tend to lose power when limbs come down in summer storms, which is exactly when the pit fills fastest.
Sump Pumps questions in Takoma Park
Can my sump pump drain into the sewer, a floor drain or the laundry sink?
Why does the sump pit smell?
My basement gets wet but has no sump pit. Can one be added?
Water is coming from a broken pipe, not the ground. Will the sump pump handle it?
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