How to hide a large sump pump in the backyard
Burying the pipe is the correct fix, but you can also use creative landscaping to blend the eyesore into new turf or retaining walls. The main difficulty is that these large pumps sit right in the middle of the yard, which ruins the aesthetics for new property designs or upcoming events like weddings. Any concealment must hide the equipment without compromising its ability to handle heavy downfalls of rain.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Covering it with a stone slab table, fire pit, or small deck extension
- 2Placing large decorative rocks, river stones, or a rock garden over the grate
- 3Surrounding it with a birdbath, garden pots, water feature, or potted plants with hanging vines
- 4Temporarily disconnecting and removing the pipe for the duration of the event
- 5Painting the visible downspout or pipe to blend in with the surrounding wall
- 6Covering the area with seasonal decorations like hay bales or pumpkins
- 7Rerouting the pipe behind trees, wood stacks, or other structures
- 8Having a photographer edit the pipe out of event photos later
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m hosting a small wedding in my backyard this Saturday and was looking for some creative ways to hide this drainage pipe from my garage downspout.”source ↗
“I know the correct answer is to bury it but that’s just not something I have the time for before Saturday but it’s on my list!”source ↗
“We are doing landscaping on our property and the original owners installed the largest possible sump pump right in the middle of the backyard. The wife hates it but it does do the job very well especially during the heavy downfalls of rain.”source ↗
“The plan for the backyard: new retaining walls and fresh new turf but I don’t know what design I can come up with to lessen this eyesore right in the middle of the yard.”source ↗
“Has anyone had a similar scenario? Am I stuck keeping it? What can I do to ideally blend this piece of s*** into a new design without obviously compromising its purpose?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to bury downspouts in a flat yard with no slope
- 2Yard drain backing up without rain
- 4How to backfill an exterior foundation drain without trapping water
- 30How to stop water pooling against the house from sinking concrete
- 2What to do with a backyard that has hidden concrete
- 6How to stop weeds and clogs around drainage basins