Sump pump water?

[MGTT]

The Mirai water discussion had a couple posts about rain water. While I’ve a long term plan to collect rainwater, I’m in an area where the houses have sump pits in the basement to collect/remove water from around the foundation of the house. I did a quick search on this site, but didn’t readily see any posts on this - I’m guessing I could use this as a water source, but curious if anyone has any experience/thoughts.

 

[Gabler]

…I’ve a long term plan to collect rainwater…

I’m not used to seeing “I have” contracted to “I’ve” when “have” is functioning as an action verb. It threw me off for a second. Is that a normal part of the dialect in your part of Michigan? To my ear, it sounds like it’s breaking an unspoken grammar rule, but it might be normal elsewhere. My anthropology degree is itching. I must know more.

Anyway, to answer your question, it depends on where the sump water is coming from. If it’s groundwater intrusion into your basement, then it’s effectively well water. If it’s from storm runoff, then it’s rainwater. If you‘re reasonably certain there’s no contamination from either source, then try it on one of your trees and see how it compares to tap water.

 

[Tieball]

I use well water all the time. It’s the water I have available. I imagine the sump pump water would be fine. The only nagging thought my mind could come up with is whether you use excessive chemical additions to your lawn. Most lawn applied chemicals would be significantly weakened with the draining travel path through your soil to your sumo pump. In my mind the sump pump water is fundamentally rain water. Well water is from far deeper (mine is at a 300 foot depth (91.44 meters). Well water usually collects more minerals. And with that well water flow my mind imagines the movie “Journey to the Center of the Earth” with the underground rivers.

 

[Gabler]

I use well water all the time. It’s the water I have available. I imagine the sump pump water would be fine. The only nagging thought my mind could come up with is whether you use excessive chemical additions to your lawn. Most lawn applied chemicals would be significantly weakened with the draining travel path through your soil to your sumo pump. In my mind the sump pump water is fundamentally rain water. Well water is from far deeper (mine is at a 300 foot depth (91.44 meters). Well water usually collects more minerals. And with that well water flow my mind imagines the movie “Journey to the Center of the Earth” with the underground rivers.

I don’t have a well presently, but my parents have a well in the house where I grew up. The water table there is about four feet deep. Their well is thirty feet deep. As far as I’m concerned, basement water is closer to groundwater than to rain water. Once it soaks into the ground, it’s no longer rainwater. It’s groundwater.