6 Things Sump Pump Owners NEED to Know
6 Things Sump Pump Owners NEED to Know
Learn the top 6 must-know tips and tricks for your sump pump system!
Battery Backup Pump Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3YmgTr-_0g&t=176s
Purchase Equipment for your System: https://www.rcworst.com/
Tips For Sump Pumps
1. Test your sump pump regularly. How? Pour a sufficient supply water into the sump pit to engage the pump. The pump should turn on, remove the water from the pit and shut itself off in a matter of seconds. Ensure that the float and the check valve move freely.
2. While you are at it be sure to remove any other material left behind such as grease or other solid material. A wet/dry shop vac works well for this.
3. Give it a once over. Clean your sump pit, remove any dirt, sand, gravel and other debris to increase the pump’s efficiency and prolong its life. Ensure that the discharge line opening is free of obstructions so that water can be pumped through the line and out of your basement or crawlspace.
4. Back it up. If your home experiences a power outage for an extended period, frequent power outages or if your primary sump pump fails, it’s good to have a battery backup. There are a couple of different kinds. One uses a marine-grade battery that can power it for up to 12 hours. Another uses water pressure from your home’s water supply lines to force flood water out of your sump pit. Give us a call, chat or email and we’ll explain the different backup options. Don’t forget to check your battery often.
Realize that nothing lasts forever. Like any equipment with moving parts, sump pumps will wear out over time and will need to be replaced. Be prepared. The more critical the more prepared you need to be.
5. Be proactive with ownership of your system, ask questions and learn how it works, know who you are going to call when things are not working as they should ahead of time. Knowing your system inside and out will help you save money and stay away from “Emergency Situations”.
6. Installing a battery backup alarm system will alert you when the pump stops working even during a power outage.
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We are a distributor of pumps, packaged pumping systems, on-site wastewater treatment equipment, on-site wastewater treatment systems, and custom electrical control panels for water and wastewater applications, water well supplies, drilling supplies, and water treatment equipment.
Here’s one for ya. Installed new submersable pump with a check valve at the pump in my farmhouse like what you show here. Worked great the first time. Next time it was running but not pumping. It was air locked because most of the time the sump is dry. As water filled the sump air could not escape out of the pump itself and there’s 7 foot of water inside the pipe above the checkvalve as well. Took a few tries to realize it was airlocking,,, just didn’t seem possible. I drilled a 1/16 " hole in the checkvalve threads, below the valve which allows the air to escape. Problem solved for 2 yrs. now.
I found a turd in my sump pump
How many people growing up calling them sub pumps
Very good video providing excellent advise except for the backup system. In reviewing backup systems I found the water powered backup sump pump was more reliable because you are not concerned about power being out for several days and the battery runs dry. The water powered sump pump saved me more than once when the switch on the electric pump failed.
How much water is supposed to be in the pit? Or should it be completely empty?
Thank you so much!
I’ve been in my apartment 15 years once and a while we get heavy rain I’ve never heard it turn on but it’s plugged in is it possible it no longer works the hole it sits in has water in it but not enough to be concerned about though
First keep gutters clean on a regular basis not once or twice a year ,you need to keep trees cut way back if not clean gutters every month or 2 weeks during fall. haul in dirt around house grade dirt to basement .Extend gutters 10ft from house or more depends on the grade of the yard .If you still have water then install a sump pump .
I’m a mechanic and more often then not I think I know it all, My first house was so high and dry the sump was bone dry and never was needed.
My SECOND house has ten years worth of sludge in the sump pit because the know it all didn’t know you need to clean it. Ha ha.
Thank you very much for the information very usable
Check valves
I need some advice. The house that’s on the market uses sump pumps and that same house was under contract but this week it became active again. The owner disclosure "seepage on basement…., should we still want that home? I like everything but worry the cost to fix the water issues will be super expensive. Thanks for sharing.
Great informal video. Thanks for sharing! Liked and subscribed.
Please come help me with my sump I need to re route the lines and have zero experience?!
What about a small problem that coming out of the pump water drain. And you make a video on how to get rid of it
Tip #7, Never buy a house with basement if water table is high.
When sump is dried, can it be possible that something blocked the water from getting into the sum area?
For battery backup, you might consider a Powerwall, or comparable "house battery" (LG, and Generac are two others). People laughed at us when we first got ours; then PG&E started browning us out… guess who’s laughing now! That audible alarm thing is yesterday’s news. We need the thing that alerts you on your phone! 😉
Thank-you soooo much. Love
I just purchased another sump pump. First, two were professionally instaled, Found it was easy enough to do myself. So in case of shortages due to the virus, I will have. Also purchased a hand pump in case there is a long term power outage in which I can no longer recharge te battery.
Tip #7 purchase! a submersible pump with some hose and keep it on hand in case of emergency. Your sump pump will fail and when it does nothing will be open and your battery backup will not be enough to keep you dry.
My pump makes alot of noise, is that common?
will soapy water from washing a car cause issues with a sump pump?
Great steps. Thanks for the video
Ok at 2:27 it looks like you are sitting in the basin! Thanks for the tips though.
I have two sump pumps. One usually engages when the main one can’t keep up with incoming flow. I don’t live in a flood area but this week we have gotten non stop rain for several days and it got to the point where both sump pumps remained on for over 24 hours and eventually couldn’t keep up. Thankfully I have a pool “water bug” pump which helped pump out water to maintain the water levels from going up in my basement. I recently ordered a $400 trash pump with a 2” outlet water hose and should pump 79 gallons per minute. It’s frustrating that I had to make the additional purchase and I may never have to use it but at least it’s there and it could possibly save me thousands of dollars in the future.
What size would you recommend for sump pump size. Its going to be just an emergency pump. Not rain. Just if the water main breaks or leaks?
Should you go full boar to cover maybe 30gpm water main? Or not likely.
What brands are top or bang for the buck?
Nice Job! Learned a lot!
I install a new pump every 5 years, cheap insurance. Then I keep the old pump as a spare. My 1 1/2′ PVC riser is connected with a PVC union, its 62" from the bottom of the pump to the top of the bottom flat of the union, swap out would take about 15 seconds………..never had to use it. Been in my house for 18 years. My ideal situation would be to have my next house near a drop off deeper than my basement floor, then using a backhoe trench out from the bottom of the foundation with a 4" PVC pipe so it drains all the time there is groundwater pressure……no need for a pump anymore.
My pump kicks on but does not discharge water out. I have no check valve so I can hear the water run back down after turning off the pump…Can it be fixed?…Also, I have drained and cleaned and filled it 2 times. I can see the water vortexing in the basin.
Our sump pump pvc pipe. That goes outside only had a vented cover not mesh. And it appears something got in and died… how the fuck do we get it out.
Tip # 3 get gloves , towel
Great video. I have a sump system in my home. What seems to happens for me is that the float seems to get clogged up with a white waxy substance and then prevents the float to operate. I was told that it may be a combination of soap (laundry, dish, shower) and grease. Is there something I can pour in on a regular basis to dissolve that gunk. Draino, etc ?
Throw No Lie when you said you had six simple things people can do is 8 minutes long I knew you were going to drag it on then I have to literally Speed the video up 1.5 and then in the end I realized holy crap showing his last tip I haven’t heard anything yet it seems like it’ll really help me maintain that unit or necessarily save money and then I realized you might have to cover things that were important but not necessarily what your title suggested feel like I wasted my last 8 minutes cuz I already knew all that stuff bro
That gravel bed is a problem, get a patio block that’s 3” or so smaller than your pit and install it on the gravel bed (you can use a square patio block, a little larger than your pit and break off the corners). If pump is too high remove some of your gravel. This will keep the gravel out of your pump if it’s a bottom intake. Jim
Nice earrings. Are you a pirate?
That’s the worst name for a company.🤣
Excellent suggestions
We have a very small pit for our pump, no way to add an additional fixture for a battery unit or an alarm. One thing we have done…Amazon sells battery powered water alarms. We bought a set of 4 of them, scattered them around the basement, and put one right next to the sump pit. If the pump fails and water seeps over the top, it hits the alarm and puts out a tone, similar to what a smoke alarm does. We haven’t had the one at the pump trigger yet, but a couple of the other alarms in the basement have been hit by seepage, and let us know it. They were a good $30 purchase.
you can get loud water alarms off ebay that are battery operated for about $25 to $30. they work fine. hang it in your pit on a wire. let a second sit on top your lowest drain just in case
Is it okay for washer to drain into sump basin? My only alternative is to drain it into the laundry tub, then that pump will have to work extra hard. I guess I trust the sump pump to work properly more than I do the sink pump.
you are so helpful, thank you. new old home with a sump pump…..eeeks…but i am quite relieved when i watch your vids thank you!
Curious if anyone knows, but my power went out last night and I didn’t even think of the pump until a day later went down and checked it out and the battery for the backup was bad I’m assuming since it didn’t kick on. I borrowed a generator and got the pump going and it was filled with water to top of hole and continued to pour water in for hours. Is this or did this cause damage to my basement? It has drywall up so I can’t see the concrete. Thank You
I have a goulds gwp1131 that is not draining, and causes flooding. If I unscrew the top and slightly lift the lid it instantly drains like flushing a toilet. Any suggestions?
dont all houses need sump pumps?
Hello, really enjoying your YouTube channel! I’ve been looking for an answer to this without success and hoping you can advise… Can the water from a sump pump be used to help fill a cistern?
Wht is the lifetime of a sump pump?
Tip #1 get a small boat so you’re ready for your first flood without your sump pump.
I have some sort of plant growth around the inlet pipe. Besides pulling the growth out of the pit, what else should I do to keep it from coming back? Could this cause additional problems?
How much sump could a sump pump pump if a sump pump could pump sump?