Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:02 AM   #1
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
happy2bretired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 1,543
Sump Pumps

Can someone tell me a little about how sump pumps work? I have a hole in my basement for one but have never bought one. Does it just sit in that hole or is there some installation that must also be done? There is an electrical outlet close by so I assume it's for the sump pump. The hole in my basement has never had any water standing in it. So, I am guessing that it would only turn on and work if there was water visable in that hole?? Where does the water go if it's pumping out water?? Don't laugh at me please. :
happy2bretired is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:15 AM   #2
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,115
Re: Sump Pumps

if the perimter of the interior of the basement is already channeled out and graded to allow any water to flow towards the pit than the sump pump has to have its outlet connected to a drain
mathjak107 is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:17 AM   #3
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
tryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,594
Re: Sump Pumps

You'll need to run a PVC pipe from the pump to the outside. Usually 1 1/2" PVC. Pitch the pipe down from the top of the basement ceiling to the out side so the water does not flow back to the hole. Also should line the hole with something to keep sand/gravel from interfereing with the pump (most hold a 5 gallon spackel bucket pretty well) cut the liner flush with the floor to allow water to run into the hole.

The parts list is pretty simple for the pipe (all 1 1/2" PVC): male/female threaded adapter (connects to the pump); a 90 degree bend; XX feet of pipe (depends on how long the run is; PVC cleaner and glue. Don't glue the threaded adapter; tephlon tape them instead.

Hope this helps.
__________________
FIRE'd since 2005
tryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:18 AM   #4
Recycles dryer sheets
poboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 362
Re: Sump Pumps

I have a heavy duty sump pumb in the basement because water does collect from heavy rain. Always plugged in sitting in the sump hole. As water fills the sump, a float rises and turns the pump on then off as level goes down. Mine is connected to a discharge hose that goes out of basement and underground for about 75 feet. It does not sound as if you need a heavy duty pump and could get by with a pedestal pump if the need for one arose. Home Depot/Lowes.
__________________
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
poboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:21 AM   #5
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
tryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,594
Re: Sump Pumps

Mine (2) have been running for 2 days due to this Noreaster ... put it on a timer (15 minute cycles) to cut the run time.

Couple more days and we'll be able to dry out. :
__________________
FIRE'd since 2005
tryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:24 AM   #6
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
happy2bretired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 1,543
Re: Sump Pumps

Oh my...much more involved than I thought. I depend on plumbers, electricians, etc...I am not a DIY type. Who should I call? Plumber? Thank you all so much for the responses so far.
happy2bretired is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:49 AM   #7
Recycles dryer sheets
poboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 362
Re: Sump Pumps

If you have never had water collect you could easily get by with a "just in case" small sump pump connected to a regular water hose that you could keep in the basement and use in event of emergency. I have a smaller pump set up this way in case big boy pump fails. Simply carry end of the hose to the outside if the need arises.

http://tinyurl.com/2nkphl $67.00 small pump.

Edit: seach sump pumps. Hope this helps.

__________________
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
poboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 07:59 AM   #8
Moderator Emeritus
SteveR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,811
Re: Sump Pumps

Quote:
Originally Posted by happy2bretired
Oh my...much more involved than I thought. I depend on plumbers, electricians, etc...I am not a DIY type. Who should I call? Plumber? Thank you all so much for the responses so far.
Depends on the local "trades" in your area. Some unions won't allow each other to do work on each others stuff...plumbers are not allowed to do electical...even if it means plugging in a sump pump; likewise, electricians are not allowed to cut and join pipes.

You might try to find a Handy Man service; these guys can do it all without labor union restrictions and are usually cheaper too.

We had a sump in our house in N. Illinois where the house was very near an underground water flow so the pump ran a lot...sometimes cycled every 20 seconds during a heavy rain. I wore out 3 pumps in 10 years. I also had a backup pump I installed for power outages. It got a fair amount of use and I was very very glad I installed it. It saved our basement from flooding a number of times and I checked it every month.

Glad to be living in a area where sump pumps are not required. The soil is very sandy so the water just flows away insead of floating the house.

Good luck.
__________________
Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.
SteveR is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 08:17 AM   #9
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
tryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,594
Re: Sump Pumps

You don't need an electrician since an outlet is near by and the pumps come with a plug. Any plumber or handy man can handle this. Just make sure the long run is sloped downward and outside. One of mine is not (I didn't install it!) and the pump will run continously - if allowed - since the water in the line is enough to fill the bucket.
__________________
FIRE'd since 2005
tryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 09:41 AM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
happy2bretired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 1,543
Re: Sump Pumps

Thank you everyone. It is not easy to figure out the behind the scene workings of a house if you always depended on someone else in the past. Yeah for this forum!!
happy2bretired is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 10:11 AM   #11
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
FinanceDude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
Re: Sump Pumps

I had a submersible installed 2 years ago, which replaced the "non-submersible" that was original.........

The brand name is Ridgid, if that helps...........
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)


This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
FinanceDude is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 10:41 AM   #12
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 717
Re: Sump Pumps

Since you've never had water in the pit, I would just go buy a small sump pump that uses a garden hose as an outlet. I have one from Home Depot. I think the cost was about $60 and you wont need any plumbers or electricians to install it provided you can find a drain or hole to route the hose to the outside.
__________________
Random Reinforcement is Highly Addictive.
riskadverse is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 10:59 AM   #13
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
calmloki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Independence
Posts: 7,281
Re: Sump Pumps

Quote:
Originally Posted by tryan
You don't need an electrician since an outlet is near by and the pumps come with a plug. Any plumber or handy man can handle this. Just make sure the long run is sloped downward and outside. One of mine is not (I didn't install it!) and the pump will run continously - if allowed - since the water in the line is enough to fill the bucket.
Here in sogOregon i finally wised up and started putting in backflow preventors (just a one-way flapper valve) close to the pump. Cut way down on the running, as before the pump would run, pump out the small pit, shut off, and refill the pit as the water in the line all ran back in. Think the plastic flapper vales were like $5.
__________________
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
calmloki is online now   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 12:36 PM   #14
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
OAG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Central, Ohio, USA
Posts: 2,635
Re: Sump Pumps

Lowe's carries them and, in our area, has them assembled so that you get an idea on how they install. They all come with instructions to my knowledge. In our case we have 2 systems (sump pumps) in the same hole one runs purely off of electricity and one of them is connected to a battery backup system that runs off of electricity but switches over to battery if there is a power interruption, like a standby power source on a computer system operates. The battery is very heavy duty (the ones I saw at Lowe's were in the $100-135 range). System is run to the outside of the house and has anti-back-flow devices to prevent the constant running problems. If you are in a area that freezes you may have to put a plug on the outside run (above ground) and when it does freeze remove the plug so that any water will get discharged. If you do not the system will "choke" and the water may overflow the basement like you did not even have a sump pump. I know of two homes in which the owner's "forgot" to open the above ground plugs and had flooded basements this year. I am in Central Ohio BTW.
__________________
Vietnam Veteran, CW4 USA, Retired 1979
OAG is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 03:44 PM   #15
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
happy2bretired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 1,543
Re: Sump Pumps

I can see from the many replies that I am very fortunate not to have water problems. (knock on wood)
happy2bretired is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 04:51 PM   #16
Moderator Emeritus
SteveR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,811
Re: Sump Pumps

Quote:
Originally Posted by happy2bretired
I can see from the many replies that I am very fortunate not to have water problems. (knock on wood)
Yep!

Imagine for a moment going to the basement late at night looking for that special tool that was supposed to be in the tool box. As you decend the stairs you step in water and suddenly realize the basement is now an indoor pool. Thank the Stars this did not happen to me but did happen to my next door neighbor. He frantically asked for help as we cobbled together various pumps, generators and hoses to pump out the basement to prevent further damage. It was an all night affair but we saved stuff that was above waist level. He later stated that his sump pump was plugged....by a toad that had gotten into the sump system through a drain in a windo well. It froze up the impeller and burned out the motor. I guess the pump was very old at that point and the toad was the last straw for the old pump. Of course he had no backup system which would have cost him a couple hundred $$ instead of losing several thousand $$$ in damaged items from the flood.
__________________
Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.
SteveR is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 05:07 PM   #17
Gone but not forgotten
Khan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
Send a message via AIM to Khan
Re: Sump Pumps

What is a good backup for a sump pump?

Some sort of battery?
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
Khan is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 05:15 PM   #18
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
calmloki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Independence
Posts: 7,281
Re: Sump Pumps

We had a tenant call about standing water in the basement. Went into General Quarters mode and boogied over there with implements of disaster repair. Problem turned out to be that she had unplugged this thing that kept making a running noise every 10 minutes or so. It was pointed out to her that pumps do make a running noise when , uhhhm, running. Splashed over and plugged in the pump. Which worked well.
__________________
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
calmloki is online now   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 05:23 PM   #19
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
OAG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Central, Ohio, USA
Posts: 2,635
Re: Sump Pumps

Khan: see my post a few back about a battery backed up sump pump.
__________________
Vietnam Veteran, CW4 USA, Retired 1979
OAG is offline   Reply With Quote
Re: Sump Pumps
Old 04-16-2007, 05:25 PM   #20
Gone but not forgotten
Khan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,924
Send a message via AIM to Khan
Re: Sump Pumps

Quote:
Originally Posted by OAG
Khan: see my post a few back about a battery backed up sump pump.
Doh!
__________________
"Knowin' no one nowhere's gonna miss us when we're gone..."
Khan is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Judge Pumps Iron While Judging Daneboy Other topics 9 07-01-2006 08:05 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:30 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.