Sump pumps are employed to take out water that drains into sump pit or collection pit, to keep crawlspaces or basements free of water. The water may enter via the perimeter drains of a basement waterproofing system, funneling into the pit or because of rain or natural ground water, if the basement is below the water table level.

Sump pumps are used where basement flooding happens regularly and to cure dampness where the water table is above the foundation of a home. Sump pumps can drain the water to your storm drain or to an location away from the trouble space where it will drain naturally. Pumps may be connected to the sanitary sewer in older properties. Now, this practice may be against the plumbing code or at least municipal bylaws because it can overwhelm the municipal sewage treatment system.

as a rule wired into a home’s electrical system, sump pumps should have a battery backup. The home’s pressurized water supply powers some pumps, negating the need for electricity. If a backup system is not used then the sump pump pit could overflow if the primary power system is not avaliable for a period of time.

Sump pumps come in two primary forms defined by the style of the pump: submersible or pedestal types. The pedestal pump’s motor is mounted above the pit, where it is more readily maintained but also more conspicuous. The submersible pump is entirely mounted within the pit, and is specially sealed to forestall electrical short circuits.

Components

modern sump pump components in the United States are standardized. Sump Pump systems consist of:

* A plastic or metal canister forming a sump liner, approximately 2 feet (0.6 m) across and 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 1 m) deep, 15 to 25 US gallons (60 to 100 L);

* A sump pump, either 1/3 or 1/2 H.P. (200 or 400 W), either battery or electrically powered (or both);

* A check valve allows water to flow up and out through the pipes, so when the pump turns off, the water in the pipes doesn’t flow backwards into the sump;

Backup Systems

A secondary, typically battery-powered sump pump can operate if the first pump fails. A secondary pump requires the following components in duplicate with the above others:

* A battery-driven 12 V sump pump with its own water level detector, piping, and check valve (the pipes as a rule join after the check valves to preclude reverse flow through the primary when the secondary unit is pumping);

* A conventional lead-acid battery. It may alternately be a nautical deep cycle battery, or individual long-life standby battery;

* A trickle-charge battery charger. May alternately have a specialized controller to manage, monitor and test that the battery holding a charge.

Secondary sump pumps can be powered by the house hold water pressure. These pumps are similar to backup battery-driven systems with a separate pump, float and check valves.

If the backup sump systems is rarely used, a component failure may not be noticed and the system may fail when needed. Some battery control units test the system sporadically and warn on failed electrical components.

A simple battery-powered water alarm can be hung a few inches below the top of the sump well to sound a shrill alarm should the water level rise too high.

Maintaining you Sump Pump

You must check and maintain your sump pumps. normal recommendations propose examining equipment every year.

When examining a sump pump and cleaning it, dirt, gravel, sand, and other rubble should be removed to increase efficiency and extend the life of the pump. These obstructions can also decrease the pump’s ability to drain the sump, and can allow the sump pump pit to overflow. Failing to maintain the sump pit free of debris can lead to your check valve stick.

So i had to install 2 sump pumps in my crawl space as the water was coming in from multiple locations. I think i have the flooding under control now. I also have a dehumidifier run most of the time down there and i have put down plastic. One thing i have notice though is that the ground is staying wet under the plastic where before it would at least dry out.

Well i guess its true though two sump pumps are better than 1. I’m getting really good at sump pump installation.

Basement Dehumidifiers – Choosing The Right Type Of Basement Dehumidifiers

Basement dehumidifiers can help those of us that have problems with mold and dust allergies. But picking the right basement dehumidifier can be a challenge if we don’t do our homework. Choosing the right size and type for you conditions is essential in get the most out of your new basement dehumidifier. Damp basements are ripe for the growth of molds and mildews.

So some of the important things to is how many Cubic feet of space you have in your basement. This requires a little math like this. Square footage of your basement area times the high of your ceiling. So for a 1200 foot basement with a 8 foot ceiling it would be. 1220 x 8 = 9800 cubic feet. The dehumidifiers will give you the amount of area they will cover in cubic feet. You need to insure that you have enough basement dehumidifier units to cover the area.

Your goal is to keep the humidity below 50% , because mold will grow at levels above that. I went out and bought some cheap humidity monitors for a department store for about $7.00 and they keep track of high and low humidity levels. I placed them in different locations so I would have an idea of where my problems where.

You have options of portable or fixed basement dehumidifiers sometimes called whole house dehumidifiers. The prices can get quite high for the fixed basement dehumidifiers and may require a professional to install. But if you have a really bad issue with humidity it is well worth the expense because the other option is a mold out break and I can tell you it will be expensive to fix that.

The portable units range in price from $100 to $300 dollars depending on the size and maker.  The whole house basement dehumidifiers start around $900 and go up from there.

The other thing to consider is drainage, because these units are pulling water out of the air and it has to go somewhere. With the portable units you have to options. Most have a reservoir that will hold a couple of gallons of water but then have to be emptied. They also normally have the option to hook up a drain line to let the water drain out to a pump or sink or some other method of water removal.

With the whole house basement dehumidifiers you must have a drainage method for the water. For me I bought a whole house unit and installed it in a standalone configuration and drained it into my sump pump.

Either way you go do your homework and make sure that you have enough units to cover the area.  Basement dehumidifiers are well worth the cost when you compare them to doctor visits for the nagging allergy or the cost of mold remediation.

Just on a final note the whole house dehumidifiers are designed to be tied into your heating and air ducts. Some can be used stand alone. If you are going to add it to the heating and air system then you will most likely need a professional to install it.

Good luck with your endeavor to find a basement dehumidifier.

Had to install a sump pump in my crawl space today. I was having a mold problem and i finally was at the house right after a rain. I found 6 inches of water in the crawl space. I had put a french drain across the front of the house but the water was still coming in. I determined that the bedrock flows just under my foundation and the water is following that. Nothing i can do about that enless i want to repour a foundation wall.

So i put a sump pump in where it is running into the crawl space and that should catch it all. It took about 3 hours to dig the pit and hook every thing up. I think i spent more time going to the hardware store than i did hooking it all up.

Sump pumps are not that hard to hook up and i took the opritunity to set my dehumidifier up to just drain into the sump pit. Hopefully this will end my water problem in the crawl space.

Sump pumps rule.

If your like me and have a crawlspace or a basement then one good reason for a sump pump is to prevent mold.

I just had my crawl space get very damp and had a mold out break. It cost 1800 dollars a day to have the mold removel crew come in and remove it. Not to mention the items that have to be replaced and fix after. Removeing mold from your house is expensive.

Compare that to the cost of having a good sump pump and i think you will see the cost savings.

An interesting concept is the use of water pressure from your house to drive your sump pump. This works buy connection a valve to the water line  and as the water in the sump pump pit rises it opens the vavle on the water powered sump pump. The water from the line goes out to the same drain location as the water from the pit. This has the advantage of working when your electricity has gone out.