If you recently heard about a household appliance known as a sump pump, you may be wondering how a sump pump works and what it is needed for.
Sump pumps are needed to help protect foundations from flooding. Since the basement of a house is underground, when the ground floor becomes saturated with rainwater, that water can seep into the basement. And a base leak can cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Sump pumps are most necessary in areas that have a lot of flooding or when the house is below the water table line. However, they are useful as a precaution in any house that has a basement, since that basement is always at least partially underground.
A sump pump is a machine that sits in or above a small hole in the basement floor. The hole is known as the sump hole or sump pit, and is designed to collect any water that may enter the basement of a home.
As water fills the hole in the sump well, the sump pump kicks in and begins pumping it through several connected pipes. Sump pumps can drain into the home’s main water drainage system or drain directly outside away from the home’s foundation. This prevents the basement from flooding, because the water is diverted into the hole and then the sump pump takes it out.
Sump pumps typically have a float that triggers them to turn on and off. When the water rises in the sump pit, the sump pump float also rises. When that float reaches a certain height, the sump pump automatically turns on and begins pumping out excess water.
Sump pumps are usually connected to a home’s main electrical system, but it’s also critical that they have some form of power backup. Many sump pumps use car-style batteries for power backup, but if you don’t like the idea of having a battery in your basement, you can sometimes get a sump pump that works with the water pressure in your home.
Regardless of the type of backup power system you choose for your sump pump, you need to make sure there really is a backup. Sump pumps are most needed during storms and floods, and these are common times when power goes out as well. If the power goes out and your sump pump doesn’t have a backup power source, you won’t be able to prevent flooding in your basement.
Some people use a five gallon bucket for their sump pit, and this can cause problems in the long run because there isn’t enough room for the sump pump to work properly. When the sump pit is not large enough, the sump pump float can get stuck in position because the pump is holding it against the side of the pump. Making sure your sump pit is at least 18 inches wide and 22 inches or more deep can prevent this problem from occurring.