PSA: Check that Sump-Pump! Plus Irony and a Question.

[HenryD]

Very cool!

What is the unit on the vertical axis?

Centimeters. I can dust off the code if you're interested. Just Python running on a RaspberryPi Zero with a wifi dongle and ultrasonic distance sensor. The return time was too fast for the senor at less than 13-14 cm. The signal got a bit messier when I added the clutter of the backup 12v pump.

 

[Telly]

....I've also *never* heard a native refer to Chicago as "ChiTown"! I've heard the reference, but never used by a native. Speaking of natives, it is an Indian word for something like "stinky weed", for a garlic like plant that grew in the swampy areas near the lake (or the Michigan Ocean as we sometimes call it). One source says this is from the Miami language, but wiki says:
So maybe the Algonquin language. Algonquin is also a town in N IL.
-ERD50

Totally off-topic... "Chi-Town" was a common saying in the early 1970s. I used it, as did many younger people I was working or going to school with at the time. Maybe you weren't with hip-enough people I had always heard that the name Chicago was the local indian word for "land of stinking waters" due to the swamp nature of a lot of the area back then. When the canal was dug and the Chicago River reversed flow, all the nasty drained southwestward away from the lake. And some areas were raised up. My mom had a relative who lived in part of the city that was raised with the vaults, and they had access to one through their basement(s). I never saw it, the person died before I was around. I could have made a TV show of it, and beat whats-his-name to it! I can picture the guy, but can't remember his name. After all the hype, only old whiskey bottles were found.

 

[NW-Bound]

Centimeters. I can dust off the code if you're interested. Just Python running on a RaspberryPi Zero with a wifi dongle and ultrasonic distance sensor. The return time was too fast for the senor at less than 13-14 cm. The signal got a bit messier when I added the clutter of the backup 12v pump.

Thanks. I don't have a basement, but so many others here do, and can use your design as is.

 

[njhowie]

Speaking from experience here, so some points that may be helpful to you in the future.

We've been in our home 20 years. We have two holes, with one pump in each, and additionally the Watchdog in one of them. I test the two primary pumps a couple times each year.

1. Test that your Watchdog actually works and can lift the water as high as it needs to go. In my experience, it's an overpriced toy not up to the job it is meant to do. In my view, it gives a false sense of security and in a situation where it's needed, it will likely disappoint. Ours is nothing more than a fixture at this point. I've disconnected the battery and power to it.

2. Spend the roughly $100 and purchase a spare pump to keep packed away in the basement. Depending where you live and how high the water table is, over time, your current pump will likely fail/die...and the time you'll notice it died is when there's a storm and you need it. Ideally, you'll want the spare to be the same as what you have, because it's simple to just pull the one out, and reconnect the new one - the PVC will not need to be cut or need to be longer. Over time, having had various pumps, some supposedly higher end and more expensive, others more commodity type, the one I've found to be the best is the "Little Giant" (1/3 HP - with diaphragm not a float). There are a couple vendors on Ebay that sell them for good prices.

3. Consider getting a generator - even if it's a smaller, low end one. If the power goes out for an extended period, which will typically happen during hurricanes and heavy storms, your Watchdog will potentially not be able to keep up with the amount of water that needs to be pumped and/or it may drain the battery completely before power is restored. When our power goes out, if it's over 30 minutes, I fire up our generator, plug in to the transfer switch, and then a good portion of the house (all essentials) have power - the sump pumps included.

 

[NW-Bound]

Seeing so many posters having a problem with water in the basement, while out here in the West we don't have basements nor even rain to contend with, I went on Youtube to watch some videos that are very informative for a landlubber like me.

I guess it should not be surprising that many home owners face this problem. About 60% of the US population live east of the Mississipi. And even some places in the West may also have enough rainfall and ground moisture to have this issue.

 

[Al in Ohio]

This is how it was in my previous house. I always had a spare pump. I had a generator and I had an alarm. I was good to go as long as nothing happened while I was away. Things got better when I got a whole house generator. Before that, I had to run a small generator and an extension cord to the sump.



One word of caution on the backup pumps that run off your water supply. A guy I worked with, his daughter had theirs fail and it flooded their basement. They also don’t pump as much water per minute as a good pump. Plus, you better have someplace for all that water to go. It certainly wasn’t practical in my situation.

I have pretty much kept a spare pump on a shelf ready to go. I have priced out duplex pump systems with an electronic pump alternator ( the ultimate system IMO). I would not want a water jet pump for fear of a worse scenario. I am not worried about power outages since in 32 years I’ve had one that lasted more than 1-2 hours max and it lasted 7 during the winter. Neither event caused more than some wet spots as the water table rose to just under the top of the slab. Our electric division is very responsive.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Speaking of natives, it is an Indian word for something like "stinky weed", for a garlic like plant that grew in the swampy areas near the lake (or the Michigan Ocean as we sometimes call it). One source says this is from the Miami language, but wiki says:

So maybe the Algonquin language. Algonquin is also a town in N IL.

-ERD50

Of course, you have it on "good authority" that "Milwaukee" means "the good land" in Algonquin!

 

[Sunset]

Y.....

My DD had her utility pit pump switch fail. We did a video chat, and I was able to walk her through it. Fortunately, she was doing the laundry, and saw the water starting to come up the drain, so got everything off before it went further. Also fortunately, hers is set up with that separate 'piggy-back' switch/outlet. So I had her unplug the pump from the switch, and plug it in direct (turning the breaker off in between for extra safety since there was some water on the floor). The pump ran, and cleared out the water, so we knew it was the switch.

She's pretty handy, not afraid of using a screwdriver, but when I explained how the pit is connected to the sewer system, she decided to "Blow That Dough!" She's pretty frugal, so I though this was good use of the dollars she has saved, though it wasn't cheap. .....
-ERD50

We had the same issue with our waste pump. It collects from a lower bathroom that we rarely use and the A/C condensate and the washing machine.
Once I knew it was the switch. I nearly chickened out, but watched some youtube and laid out some tarps and wore my blue gloves.

When I opened the top, I was surprised (having dug outhouses before), how clean it was inside.
There was a 1/2 layer of muck on everything, but no smell.
So I replaced the switch, put the top back on and sealed it up.

I'm thinking due to the low use of the toilet and the cleaning out by the washing machine soapy discharge that effectively cleaned it.

Our place is 40 yrs old, and the pump was replaced 20 yrs ago. I might have to get to it sometime soon

 

[ERD50]

Of course, you have it on "good authority" that "Milwaukee" means "the good land" in Algonquin!

Milwaukee clearly had a better PR group working with the natives!

BTW, I've seen some interviews with Alice Cooper, and he really does seem like a very laid back and intelligent guy, so that clip might not be all that far from real life.

We had the same issue with our waste pump. It collects from a lower bathroom that we rarely use and the A/C condensate and the washing machine.
Once I knew it was the switch. I nearly chickened out, but watched some youtube and laid out some tarps and wore my blue gloves.

When I opened the top, I was surprised (having dug outhouses before), how clean it was inside.
There was a 1/2 layer of muck on everything, but no smell.
So I replaced the switch, put the top back on and sealed it up.

I'm thinking due to the low use of the toilet and the cleaning out by the washing machine soapy discharge that effectively cleaned it.

Our place is 40 yrs old, and the pump was replaced 20 yrs ago. I might have to get to it sometime soon

Good point. DD probably never uses the downstairs bath, and her washer and Water softener drain into that utility pump, so I guess it would be getting flushed out and be pretty clean.

-ERD50

 

[nap470]

I’d clear the drain - seems you did that. Then I’d look for a different pump that has a wider range so that it cycles less. But, I really wouldn’t worry about the short cycling. Those pumps are workhorses. The main thing I did when I had a basement is to have a exact duplicate spare pump on hand and an alarm in the pit. If anything happens, swapping out an exact replacement will take minutes.

I also keep a spare sump pump with an exact fit PVC pipe mounted in it, next to the sump area. My house is the lowest area on the street and my sump runs even during a drought. The extra pump saved me one night around midnight during a several day rain storm. The pump died and I was able to perform a "hot swap" in minutes. An extra pump also saves you because your pump will most likely fail during a heavy rain period when HD, Lowes and other big box hardware stores will be sold out or very short on supply.

 

[ERD50]

I also keep a spare sump pump with an exact fit PVC pipe mounted in it, next to the sump area. My house is the lowest area on the street and my sump runs even during a drought. The extra pump saved me one night around midnight during a several day rain storm. The pump died and I was able to perform a "hot swap" in minutes. An extra pump also saves you because your pump will most likely fail during a heavy rain period when HD, Lowes and other big box hardware stores will be sold out or very short on supply.

Ah-hah! I mentioned having a spare of the same make/model to make an emergency swap out easy (everything would line up), but I hadn't thought about having the PVC already screwed in and cut to length on the spare. Great idea.

While it's pretty easy to unscrew the old, and screw it into the new, having one less thing to do (and risk cracking the pipe if it was in tight) is always good in an emergency. And it's a simple/cheap thing to do ahead, so why not?

Later on, I'll condense some of these tips/ideas into a "best practices" summary post.

Thanks, that one is going on my to-do list.

-ERD50