DEAR TIM: My crawl space and basement is prone to flooding
during periods of heavy rain. The sump pump sometimes vibrates and fails to
work. When it does work it often does not keep up with the incoming water. What
might be wrong? Is there a backup system available? What sized pump should work
well for an average house? Shelly T., Grosse Point, MI
DEAR SHELLY: Sump pump failures are the bane of many a
homeowner. I have seen thousands of dollars worth of damage caused by just 2 to
3 inches of water in a basement. Often the failure of the pump can be traced to
simple installation mistakes. High quality sump pumps can operate for years
without a major malfunction. I know as I have installed hundreds of them.
The leading cause of failure in most sump pumps tends to be a switching
problem. The switch of a sump will often fail to turn on because the pump has
shifted inside the sump basin. The float that operates the switch can lodge
against the side of the sump basin. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a piece
of debris to interfere with the action of the pump switch. Check to make sure
your pump switch and float arm assembly move freely.
The vibrations and inability to pump on occasions can almost always be
attributed to pump air-lock. When a sump pumps turns off, the water in the
discharge line between the pump and the check valve drains back into the sump.
If the pipe between the pump and the check valve is solid, the air in the line
will compress the next time the pump tries to empty the sump basin. This
compressed air can prevent water from leaving the pump. A 3/16 inch vent hole in
the side of the discharge pipe inside the sump solves this problem. Check to see
if your discharge line inside the pit has this hole. If it does, make sure it is
not clogged.
Your sump basin may be too small. All too often people use a simple 5 gallon
bucket as an inexpensive sump basin. This is inadequate. A residential sump
basin should have a minimum inner diameter of 18 inches. It should be at least
22 inches deep. Small and narrow sump basins cause switching failures and more
frequent pumping cycles.
A sump pump backup system might be a good idea. Often flooding occurs when
sump pump needs are the greatest. A soil saturating rain storm may cause a
localized power outage. Water flowing into your sump activates the switch, but
there is no electricity to pump the water. Powerful battery operated sump pumps
solve this problem. These pumps get their power from standard high performance
automotive batteries. They come with alarms that tell you if the battery is low
or partially discharged.
If you don't like batteries and live where you have city water, you can get a
backup pump that operates on regular water pressure. These pumps will usually
get you through the emergency until regular power is restored. You may use less
than $1.00 worth of water to save thousands of dollars in damage to your
belongings.
If your current pump has a 1/3 or one half horsepower rating, you should be
OK. Higher horsepower pumps will pump more water. Look for pumps that have cast
iron or heavy metal housings. Cast iron can dissipate heat buildup much better
than a pump with a plastic or thin metal housing. Remember, price is usually an
excellent indicator of quality. Higher priced pumps often have better parts!
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Comments
Ray Sanders
07 Dec 2007, 17:16
There seems to be an oder in the basement. The only place that it could be
coming from is the sump pit and I keep it covered. Wheat could be the
problem?
Thanks for your help
AsktheBuilder
07 Dec 2007, 17:44
Ray,
The sump itself. There could be lots of bacteria in the water. The safest
sanitizer to use is oxygen bleach. Chlorine bleach can accelerate corrosion
of the pump and is toxic to vegetation that is watered by the sump
discharge pipe.
Shannon
18 Dec 2007, 23:42
My sump pump is acting wierd. I emptied the waterbed I had in the basement
using a siphon (pretty low rate) into the floor drain, which goes to the
sump pit. About 5 mins in, the water was backing up. I went to the sump pit
and poked the vertical float and the pump kicked in emptied the pit. So I
continued, and again the pit filled up, poke the float, starts up fine.
This goes on until the bed is about empty and I break the siphon. Carry the
waterbed over to the drain to empty the last 15 or so gallons that the
siphon wouldnt get right from bed's valve (high rate).... and then *poof*
the pump kicks in while im by the drain. I cant imagine the rate into the
pit should have anything to do with it and am thinking the pump is just
dieing of natural causes (10 yrs old). Any thoughts?
AsktheBuilder
19 Dec 2007, 07:29
Shannon,
It sounds like the pump could be getting ready to give up the ghost.
Jeff
20 Dec 2007, 08:42
Hi,
I've just installed a new submersible sump pump in my sump pit along side
the Basement Watchdog Battery Backup unit, but I can't keep the pump alarm
from activating.
The new pump is a 1HP RIDGID that utilizes solid state switching (they call
it watersense), and it is operating the way that it should.
The documentation said that no airlock hole would be rewuired because the
intake is not under the pump. I don't know what to do. Both pumps are
operating, but I just can't get the alarm to keep from coming back on.
AsktheBuilder
20 Dec 2007, 08:50
Jeff,
How about calling RIDGID to see if the pump is defective?
Tom
20 Dec 2007, 17:51
I moved into a home with an existing sump pump. After a day of rain, the
pump has been running approximately every five minutes for the last 3 days
(the last two had no rain). Is this normal? The sump is enormous, but just
to see what would happen, I unplugged the pump, and within about half an
hour, it was nearly full!
AsktheBuilder
20 Dec 2007, 21:27
Tom,
Yes. If you want to reduce your dependence on the pump, read ALL of my
Drainage category columns.
ANGELA
23 Dec 2007, 14:18
My sump pump floater does not work but the sump pump does, is it possible
to replace the floater with a new one
AsktheBuilder
23 Dec 2007, 14:55
Angela,
Usually the answer is yes.
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