Sump Pump Repair Joliet, IL | Footing Tile and Older Homes

Joliet, Will County

Footing tile on the sewer in pre-1970 houses

Joliet's housing runs older than the suburbs to its north. Census estimates put 38.9% of the city's homes before 1970, and in ZIP 60433 it's 71.4%. Sump Pump Naperville books sump pump repair, ejector work and footing tile reroutes across the Will County seat, on both sides of the Des Plaines River.

That age shows up underground. The City of Joliet says homes built before 1970 "sometimes have footing tiles connected to the sanitary sewer system and not to a sump pit," and that current City codes "specifically prohibit" that connection. In a storm, groundwater from the tile goes straight into a sewer that's already full, and it comes back out at the lowest drain in the neighborhood.

The City's own description of the fix is specific: the tile gets disconnected from the sewer and sent to a sump pit outside the house, with the pump discharging about five feet out, plus an outside cleanout and a dedicated electric circuit. That's the job a plumber does here, and the footing drain page covers how it goes.

An old basement with limestone foundation walls and damp spots on the stone

Which Joliet ZIPs run oldest

Median year built by ZIP, from Census ACS 2020-2024 estimates. The older the house, the more likely the pit, the tile and the discharge were added or changed over the years.

ZIP	Median year built	Share built before 1970
60433	1957	71.4%
60436	1960	61.5%
60435	1962	63.1%
60432	1966	55.4%
60431	2000	6.7%

60431, on the west side toward Shorewood, is the exception: about half its homes were built after 2000, with builder-set pits that have been through a couple of decades of storms.

Sewer water at the floor drain on the east side

Joliet's East Side treatment plant serves a 14-square-mile area on both sides of the river, and the City's sewer plan describes it as having the oldest collection system, parts of it combined, carrying rain and sewage in the same pipe. Some old overflow points have been closed, but in a hard storm the lowest drain in an older basement can still take water back from the sewer.

A sump pump can't stop that. The fixes are on the sewer side: an overhead sewer that sends basement fixtures to a sealed ejector pit, a backflow device, and footing tile taken off the sewer.

An old cast-iron floor drain in a cracked basement floor

Downtown and the 2019 flood maps

FEMA flood maps that took effect on February 15, 2019 added properties to the floodplain in the area the City describes as between the Des Plaines River and Eastern Avenue, from Ruby Street south to Hickory Creek. If your house is in that area, its mapped flood risk is higher than it was before 2019. The cost guide covers how flood insurance treats a sump pump.

A river running high past old brick buildings on a gray day

Three to five days of pumping after a big rain

Joliet's FAQ tells residents that most sump pumps run for 3 to 5 days after a heavy rain. Over August 16-19, 2025, a station west-northwest of town logged 6.09 inches, and the Weather Service had reports of standing or flowing water on many Joliet streets. Days of steady pumping, on ComEd power that can drop in the same storm, is the case a backup pump is built for. Every Joliet ZIP is on the list, along with Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport, New Lenox and Romeoville, and Plainfield and Bolingbrook are close by.

Joliet sump pump questions

My older Joliet house has no sump pit. Is that a problem?

Not by itself, but it's worth knowing where the footing tile goes. The City says homes built before 1970 sometimes have it connected to the sanitary sewer, which current City code prohibits. A camera run through the floor drain or cleanout shows it.

How long should my pump keep running after a storm?

The City of Joliet's FAQ says most sump pumps run for 3 to 5 days after a heavy rain. Running in a dry stretch, short cycling, or running with the pit already empty points to a problem with the pump, the float or the check valve.

Do you cover Joliet ZIPs that reach into New Lenox, Shorewood or Crest Hill?

Yes. All five Joliet ZIPs (60431, 60432, 60433, 60435 and 60436) are on the list, and so are Crest Hill, Shorewood, Lockport and New Lenox.

Joliet Sump Pump Repair and Footing Tile Reroutes