What does a sump pump do? Maybe your idea of a sump pump is a dirty, smelly pit and the only time you really see it is when it fails and your basement or crawl space is full of water. Many times sump pumps are installed by do-it-yourself homeowners or contractors who are not full-time waterproofers. Either scenario can leave you with a sump pump that isn’t as good as it could be.

Sump pumps are made so when water reaches a certain level, a lever is tripped which turns the pump on. The pump takes the water and moves it out of the basement or crawl space via a discharge line. This line goes outside the home and brings the water away from the house.

A common issue with sump pumps is that the water they carry comes from within the ground. So that means the water has dirt in it which can clog pipes and pumps over years of use. The worst part is, this could happen any time of the day and odds are you won’t be in your basement or crawl space to hear it or see it. That means the pump would stop working and water would back up into your home, potentially causing water damage.

This scenario can be avoided with two tools. Some sump pumps on the market have a secondary sump pump in the same basin – if the first pump does not turn on for any reason, the second one will kick on and start pumping water. Also, during periods of heavy rainfall, having a secondary sump pump gets water out of the basement at a faster rate.

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by John Smith

Tags: Back up sump pump, plumbing, sump pump

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 2:08 pm under Plumbing Tips. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.