Is a Sump Pump by any other name still a Sump Pump?

Central Iowa

January 31, 2013

Over the last several months we have had the worst drought in dighty plus year of recorded weather history.  Those of us who have had leaky basements most likely didn't have a leaky basement this past year.  Unfortunately a leaky basement does not fix itself, and it will leak again.  Is a sump pump the answer?  It certainly is a start or beginning to the solution.

A sump pump installed in the basement is only going to draw or be fed by an area somewhere in a radius two to five feet from the sump pit.  It will collect and pump this water out, but what about the water on the opposite side of the basement?  Where is this water going?  Will it ever reach the sump pump on the other side of the basement?  Most likely the water, as the hydrostactic pressure builds up, with look for a place to go that has the least amount of resistance.  Where is that you ask, usually, either up through floor cracks or the floor joint and into your basement.  The underground water doesn't travel far enough through through the soil to get the sump and pump on the opposite side of the basement.

Are all sump pumps the same?  Actually they are not.  So let's highlight the best features you should be looking for.  Before we start what are the three most common pump problems.  There are three:  1) pump failure, 2) single pump can't keep up with the volume of water from a hard rain, 3) power failure.  Add them together and it equals big problems in your basement.

So make sure your pumping system has or does the following:

- an air tight lid

- more than one pump

- a back up system

- a battery back up

- water watch pump alarm

-  a large sump pit 

Simply a system that operates in this fashion;  first, the first pump does most of the pumping most of the time. It should be
 a reliable efficient, smooth running, third horse power cast iron pump, two; the mechanism that switches on and off addition pumps should be automatic, three; a second pump to handle additional and large water flows during hard rains or should the first pump fail.  This pump should be at least one half horse power.  When operating in tandem they should move more that 6000 gallons of water per hour out of your basement.  The second pump is bigger giving you a bigger boost when you need it, three; the battery back up pump which is a direct current operating pump, operates if your breaker disengage or the power is out in your neighborhood.  This pump completes your protection.

This is three pumps!  Yes it is, and they all fit together into one system.