Sump Construction & Size Requirement

Constructing  sump is an important element of your house construction. A sump acts as a multipurpose water storage for both borewell water as well as for municipal corporation water and will be a great alternative if one fails.  Although it is the sump that gets constructed first, it can only happen hen the entire plane has been properly laid out. Constructing a sump based on its capacity can happily if by design you know the total capacity of occupancy for the entire project.

A few tips and ideas about sump construction are listed here.

On an average a project having on house will need a sump capacity of about 6000-7000 litres. A basic sump of about 1500 litres is used for construction purposes initially and then expanded. This will make sure there is water availability during scarce times also. Refilling happens when the volume falls below 500-1000litres. For each additional house expanding to 4000-5000litres /home is necessary. This will be quite expensive but is very much necessary.

Important points to keep in mind.

Where to locate : In most cases the area below car porch is dedicated for making the sump as this will provide ample space.it is preferable to locate the sump close to the road where water lines will run and it will be easy to create the connection.

Depth : Sump depth is usually chosen between 4.5- 5 feet ideally to make sure a man cleaning it will be able to keep his head out to avoid suffocation.

The size : The size will be calculated based on capacity. A rough estimate that 1 cubic feet can contain 28 litres of water , 6000 litres will need 215 cubic feet. Now diving this by the height 5feet you get 43 sq feet. Now this can be divided as length*breadth based on your space.

Walls: Make sure the walls of the sump are higher than the ground as this will help stray water from rain seeping into the tank.

Materials to use during construction:

Concrete Tanks : This is the most preferred material for constructing a sump. This will act as the best underground tank and you will not have to worry about water seepage and contamination of water from underground or sewage. This will last for along time and most importantly east to maintain. Sump cleaning is also easier in this case.

Readymade plastic tanks :These tanks are available in various capacities like that of overhead water tanks. The biggest advantage is how fast this can be made as no plastering or other work will be required. This is not considered as a great option to leave for a long time as this can cause contamination itself as well as can give up under pressure from the weight above.

Bricks: This type comes with the greatest risk of leakage if not constructed with proper care. Good quality plaster that is rough needs to cover the outside whereas smooth plaster needs to cover the inside. A plastering mesh helps avoid cracks. The plastering should happen at one go to avoid cracks.

Constructing : Water pressure is subjected to be higher on the corners and hence 90 degree corners need to be avoided and going to rounded corners is a good choice. This will help distribute pressure over the area and also make it easy to clean.