Sump Pumps

What Are Sump Pumps?
A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in a sump pit. A sump pit, commonly found in the home basement, is simply a hole to collect water. The water may be collected by a basement waterproofing system, where it's funneled into the pit, or may collect because of rain or natural ground water, especially if the basement is below the water table level.

In some cases, a sump pump is used when a lower floor is below the municipal sewer lines, to pump greywater or blackwater waste from that floor to the sewer lines. Where this is locally prohibited, in order to prevent overload to those sewage systems, it may pump into a municipal water drainage system.

More modern houses in Virginia and North Carolina homes have 2 kinds of sump pumps: a storm water pump engineered to remove the groundwater that accumulates around the foundation and an ejector pump that pumps sanitary water from any downstairs plumbing (floor drains, bathrooms & laundry) into the sanitary sewage system. Some older houses might have just one combined (grey water) sump basin that expels both water sources into the sanitary system. Other homes may have no sump pump and were built without any footing drain tile arrangements or having tile systems that only gravity fed into the street’s sewer system.

If Your Basement Pump Fails
You'll find that your ejector pump has failed where you discover your floor drain or downstairs plumbing system congesting. At once: stop use of all downstairs plumbing installations and get hold of a plumber for service on this type of pump.

Your Storm Water Pump
The storm water pump is the “core” of your basement’s waterproofing organization i.e. if it fails, you'll take in water, often lots of water. We strongly advocate that you purchase just the best pumps; a cheap price does not appear like a good deal of a bargain when inches of water are ruining your basement furniture, walls, and flooring.  From our own intensive research, as well as our own long record of successfully solving wet basement problems, we have found the Goulds Pumps to be the most dependable and best value.

These pumps are made from all metal components of stainless steel running in a protected oil chamber and have heavy duty ball bearing construction.  Designed for basement waterproofing, these pumps can pump up to 110 Gallon Per Minute and up to 66 ft up (head) depending on the models.

The Need for a Battery Back Up Pump
Even the most dependable of pumps will finally break down, and probably before then, you can go through a power failure when ALL electrical pumps are inoperative. Just for this reason, we always recommend a Battery Operated Sump System to anybody who has a storm water pump. Again, that rule of thumb applies: cheaper is not better. You need to be certain that your backup system is enough for your requirements and that the battery and battery charger are well-matched and also reliable.

What You Can Do Next
The recommended plan of attack is to have your pumping equipment and demands checked over by an proven professional. To get your own complimentary review and analysis, Contact Us.