# Exterior sump pump drainage in Irving, TX > Exterior sump pumps for Irving yards with no lower outlet: when a pump is the honest answer, how the basin and discharge are built, and what upkeep it needs. URL: https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/sump-pump-drainage/ Service Gravity is the cheapest way to move water. When a yard's low point sits below every outlet it could reach, a sump collects the water and a pump lifts it out. Most drainage depends on gravity: water collected at a low point flows downhill in a pipe to an outlet. Some Irving yards do not have that option. The wet area is the lowest ground on the lot, the street curb is higher, there is no alley, and the neighbors sit level or above. For those yards, [Rein Irving Drainage Company](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/) installs an exterior sump: a basin buried at the low point that collects the water, and a pump that lifts it to an outlet. ## When a pump is the honest answer A pump is never the first choice. It costs more than a gravity line, needs power and needs maintenance. It is the right choice when: - **The low point is below every outlet.** A back yard that dips below the front curb, with no alley behind it. - **A long gravity line would be impractical.** Reaching an outlet by gravity would mean a very deep trench across the whole lot, or under a driveway and walk. - **The ground near the creeks sits low.** In Irving’s creek bottoms and near the Trinity, the USDA soil survey maps frequently flooded clays, and outlets there can sit higher than the yard. - **A crawlspace or window well** needs water lifted out because it sits below the surrounding grade. If gravity can work, even with a deeper trench, it usually should. The plan starts by shooting elevations from the low spot to every possible outlet. ## How an exterior sump is built - **The basin** is a buried plastic or concrete pit, typically with a lid set flush in the lawn. It sits at the low point, below the inlets that feed it. - **The inlets** are whatever collects the water: a [catch basin](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/), a [French drain](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/) section, [buried downspouts](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/) or a combination. - **The pump** is a submersible unit with a float switch. When water in the basin reaches a set level, the pump starts and empties it. - **The discharge line** is solid pipe from the pump to the outlet, with a check valve so water in the line does not run back into the basin when the pump stops. - **Power** comes from a dedicated GFCI-protected outdoor circuit, installed by a licensed electrician. - **Backup options** include a high-water alarm or a battery backup pump where an outage during a storm would cause damage. ## Sizing for Irving storms A pump has to keep up with what flows into it during a burst storm, not an average rain. NOAA’s Atlas 14 puts Irving’s 2-year storm at 1.77 inches in one hour and its 10-year storm at 2.52 inches. Each inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof is about 620 gallons. A sump fed by a large roof and lawn area needs a pump, basin and discharge line sized for that hour, and an overflow path for the storm that exceeds it. Keeping roof water out of the sump where a gravity route exists for it makes everything smaller. ## Where the pump discharges The discharge point is the same decision as any other outlet, and the same rules apply. Typical choices are a curb core through the street curb, the alley line, a swale toward the street, or a pop-up emitter on ground that keeps falling away. University Park requires roof drainage to be piped through the curb or to the alley line. Coppell has issued residential curb cores for yard drains as engineering permits. Grand Prairie bars concentrating runoff onto a neighboring lot. Texas Water Code section 11.086 makes it unlawful to divert surface water in a way that damages another property. For Irving addresses we confirm the rule before work starts. See [where to discharge a sump pump](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-to-discharge-a-sump-pump/). ## Pump or dry well? A dry well, a buried chamber that lets water soak into the ground, looks like a way to avoid a pump. In Irving clay it usually is not. The Ferris and Heiden clays of Las Colinas absorb water extremely slowly, so a dry well fills and stays full. On sandy ground over clay, the water perches on the clay and has nowhere to go. The [dry wells in clay](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/do-dry-wells-work-in-clay/) guide explains when one might work. ## Floodplain water is different A sump moves rain that collects on a lot. It cannot hold back a creek or the Trinity rising over its banks. If water arrives from a channel rather than falling on the yard, that is a floodplain question first; see [floodplain or drainage problem](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/floodplain-or-drainage-problem/). ## How the work runs 1. **811 locate** before digging. 2. **Elevations** from the low spot to every possible outlet, to confirm a pump is needed and choose the discharge. 3. **Set the basin** at the low point and connect the inlets. 4. **Install the pump**, check valve and solid discharge line; an electrician installs the circuit. 5. **Test** by filling the basin and watching the pump cycle and the outlet run. 6. **Restore** sod and crossed sprinkler lines. Rein Irving Drainage Company plans and manages each job; installation is carried out by licensed and insured drainage contractors we work with. ## Cost Exterior sumps are priced from the basin, the pump, the length of the discharge line, any backup or alarm, the electrical work, and the inlets that feed them. The inlets carry their own ranges: catch basins about $500 to $1,500 each and buried downspouts about $150 to $350 each as national budgeting ranges. The [drainage cost guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/drainage-cost-irving/) shows how a pump changes the total, and the [cost tool](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/tools/drainage-cost-estimator/) gives a quick range. ## Upkeep Before spring storms and after leaf drop, lift the lid, clear debris from the basin, pour in water to confirm the float starts the pump, and check the discharge outlet. A pump that runs constantly in dry weather may be fed by a leaking sprinkler line or valve. A pump that hums but does not empty the basin may be clogged or failing; [drainage repair](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/drainage-repair/) covers the fix. ## What this work looks like ## Questions people ask ### When does a yard need a sump pump instead of a gravity drain? When the place water collects is lower than every outlet it could legally reach, such as a back yard with no alley that sits below the street curb. If the pipe would have to run uphill, a pump is needed. ### Where can an exterior sump pump discharge? To an outlet that carries the water away without sending it onto a neighbor, such as a curb core, the alley line, a swale or a pop-up emitter on ground that falls away. Each city sets its own rules on curb connections, so the discharge point is confirmed before installation. ### What happens to a sump if the power goes out? The pump stops. In the storms that matter most, power can fail, so systems where flooding would cause damage can include a battery backup pump or a high-water alarm. ### How often should an exterior sump be serviced? Check it before the spring storm season and after leaf drop: clear the basin, pour in water to confirm the float starts the pump, and check the discharge outlet is clear. ### Can a dry well replace a sump pump? Rarely in Irving. A dry well relies on water soaking into the soil, and Irving's clay absorbs very slowly, so the well often stays full. A pump to a real outlet is more reliable on most lots. ## Get an estimate Tell us where the water stands and send a photo. After a site visit, you get a written price. [(469) 680-8773](tel:+14696808773) ## Related services - [Yard drainage systems](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/) - [Catch basin installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/) - [French drain installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/) - [Foundation drainage](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/foundation-drainage/) ## Guides - [Where to discharge a sump pump](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-to-discharge-a-sump-pump/) - [Floodplain or drainage problem](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/floodplain-or-drainage-problem/) - [Dry wells in clay](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/do-dry-wells-work-in-clay/) - [Where a French drain drains](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-does-a-french-drain-drain/) ## Low corner with nowhere to drain? Send a photo of the low spot and tell us where the street, alley and neighbors sit.