Short answer
Ingalls has the newest housing in the Anderson area, with a median year built of 2000 and only 30% of homes built before 1980 (Census ACS). Its ground is wet: the soil survey estimates a seasonal water table within about a foot under 60% of sampled land, and 72% is rated very limited for basements (USDA NRCS). Newer basements here rely on drains, a sump and a good discharge.
A newer house in Ingalls was almost certainly built with a footing drain and a sump. That’s the right design for this ground. Most basement trouble here comes from parts of that system that wear out or were never quite right: a pump at the end of its life, a discharge line ending too close to the house, or a yard that settled toward the foundation.
Ingalls in numbers
- 2000: median year homes were built (7% before 1940, 30% before 1980)
- 72% of sampled land rated very limited for basements
- 60% somewhat poorly to very poorly drained
- 60% with an estimated seasonal water table within about a foot, 72% within 3 feet
- 42.1 inches of precipitation a year at the nearest NOAA station
| Main soils in our sample | Share of points |
|---|---|
| Crosby silt loam, fine-loamy subsoil, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 28% |
| Westland silty clay loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 12% |
| Cyclone silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 10% |
| Fox silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 6% |
| Ockley silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes | 6% |
Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Soil figures are USDA NRCS soil-survey estimates for 50 random points inside Ingalls’s Census boundary; they describe mapped areas, not any single lot, and “very limited” is a building-suitability rating, not proof that basements leak. Rainfall: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Lapel 4 S station, about 3 miles away. Methods: data and methods.
The ground
Crosby silt loam is the most common soil (28% of sampled points), with wetter Westland and Cyclone soils adding more poorly drained ground, and well-drained Fox silt loam outwash in places. Overall 60% of sampled land falls in the poorly drained classes, about 26% is well drained, and the soil survey estimates a seasonal water table within about a foot at 60% of points.
The houses
The median Ingalls home was built in 2000; about 70% were built in 1980 or later (Census ACS). About 76% are owner-occupied, among the highest shares in the area. Most basements are poured concrete with plastic perimeter drains and a sump.
What tends to go wrong
- First-generation sump pumps reaching the end of their life. See sump pump replacement.
- Discharge lines that end at the foundation or freeze in winter. See discharge and freezing.
- Settled backfill around the foundation that now slopes toward the house. See yard drainage.
- Shrinkage cracks in poured walls.
The local angle
Many Ingalls homes are now 20 to 25 years old, which is about two to three sump pump lifetimes. If your pump is original or you don’t know its age, replace it on your schedule rather than the storm’s, and add a backup at the same time. Then walk the outside: backfill around newer foundations often settles in the first decade, leaving a shallow trough that collects roof water right where you don’t want it.
What usually fixes it
Pump replacement and a backup, a discharge that ends 10 feet out on ground sloping away, and regrading where backfill has settled. If water still comes in at the walls, have the perimeter drain checked before considering a new system.
Guides to each fix: interior drain tile, sump pumps, battery backups, crack repair, bowing walls, exterior waterproofing, yard drainage. Prices are on the cost page.
Compare nearby
Anderson, Pendleton, Fortville, Lapel. For the bigger picture, read why Anderson basements leak.
See what you’re seeing and typical costs.