Sump pump questions
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Alright, as a new homeowner... we have a sump pump that works well. Is there a way to tell if it has a battery backup without the old "unplug and dump water into the hole" routine?
Also, curious....if you have a sump pump, do you also have a backup plan if it fails and the basement starts to flood? I'm thinking of getting a shop vac in case, but of course that plan doesn't work if the power goes out.
Yes @Jolly I know this thread has your name all over it and before you judge me, I do not have a gas powered generator (yet).
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You would see the battery backup if there is one. It's about the size of a car battery and will usually have some kind of light on it to indicate it is getting power. If you don't have one, make sure to get one. Also make sure the pipe coming up from it has a check valve. Otherwise your pump will work harder and less efficiently.
Picture would help.
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Separate from a battery backup, this product looks pretty cool. WiFi-based device that measures both the pump cycles as well as water level... of course presuming you have power: https://www.amazon.com/PumpSpy-PSO1000-Wi-Fi-Smart-Outlet/dp/B01N9TGY68
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Interesting that they did not cover the sump pump and line when they finished the basement. I covered mine with the bar. It's open but you have to be behind the bar to see it. I assume that is vinyl flooring? Might want to pop the cover off and see what you have. Looks like you might have a secondary pump, but both are dependent on power.
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Interesting that they did not cover the sump pump and line when they finished the basement. I covered mine with the bar. It's open but you have to be behind the bar to see it. I assume that is vinyl flooring? Might want to pop the cover off and see what you have. Looks like you might have a secondary pump, but both are dependent on power.
@mik Yeah I'll pop off the cover in a bit and check it out. Either way I'll be purchasing a battery backup to sit next to the pump. The floor I thought was vinyl/laminate but the inspector said it's engineered hardwood (aka the top is a very thin layer of semi-real wood).
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Wow..if it's wood or laminate you really need a great sump pump setup. Is your house sited high? In other words will rain water naturally flow away from your foundation?
“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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The sump pump is located in a basement closet btw. And there is a screw that keeps the cover locked (from kids). Anyway, above is a pic of the inside... my thoughts are:
- Get a battery backup, and plug the pump into it (instead of just the wall outlet)
- Get a backup pump? In case I ever need to install a new one while all stores are closed. The current one looks quite old.
- Get a shop vac? Those are relatively inexpensive and can help pump out or relocate water in the event of some minor flooding?
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OK, you have a single sump pump with no backup. The extra power cord goes to the float switch which turns the pump on.
Have you heard it running during heavy rains or the couple days after? If not you might want to pour a couple buckets of water in there to test it.
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Wow..if it's wood or laminate you really need a great sump pump setup. Is your house sited high? In other words will rain water naturally flow away from your foundation?
@mik said in Sump pump questions:
Wow..if it's wood or laminate you really need a great sump pump setup. Is your house sited high? In other words will rain water naturally flow away from your foundation?
The house is sited relatively high. Most of the foundation around the house drains away, which is nice, but the pump does run during a heavy rain or during snowmelt.
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OK that's good. How old is the house? That's likely how old the sump pump is. They can look awful and still be fairly new. They exist in an environment of muddy water.
I'd definitely get a batter backup. Not sure I'd bother with the others if your house is fairly new.
It doesn't look like you've had any flooding, and I suspect you have a dry basement. Only an idiot would put down engineered hardwood in a basement that gets wet.
That said, there are plenty of idiots out there....
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OK that's good. How old is the house? That's likely how old the sump pump is. They can look awful and still be fairly new. They exist in an environment of muddy water.
I'd definitely get a batter backup. Not sure I'd bother with the others if your house is fairly new.
It doesn't look like you've had any flooding, and I suspect you have a dry basement. Only an idiot would put down engineered hardwood in a basement that gets wet.
That said, there are plenty of idiots out there....
@mik said in Sump pump questions:
The house is 2005, agreed that's probably how old the pump is. There has been no flooding in the basement AFAIK.
I guess even if I had a spare pump on standby, it would be awfully difficult to install it with a flooded sump hole, lol! I think I'll just test the pump twice a year, get the battery backup, and (eventually) look at installing a new pump just because of age.
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What I have always had is a portable submersible pump for emergencies, etc. Comes in handy for little kid swimming pools, etc. But you have to have a long enough hose to run the output into a laundry sink or something. Not sure if you have something like that. You don't want to run it out a window since it would just end up back in your sump pit. Needs to run to the sewer.
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What I have always had is a portable submersible pump for emergencies, etc. Comes in handy for little kid swimming pools, etc. But you have to have a long enough hose to run the output into a laundry sink or something. Not sure if you have something like that. You don't want to run it out a window since it would just end up back in your sump pit. Needs to run to the sewer.
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Alright so I have a few items coming from Amazon. Bezos wants to fly again, right? He needs funds!
Got a battery, box, and a power inverter I can mount on the wall. The sump pump plugs into the inverter, which is connected to both the wall outlet as well as the battery for backup power purposes.
Also picked up a portable pump. That was cheap enough and would work well in an emergency (aka all power is out and/or sump pump is broken). Thanks again @Mik , sincerely.
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UPDATE - Everything is installed and has passed tests.
See picture below.
- On the wall: Power Inverter (Pump Sentry)
- Lower left: Marine Battery (in a Snap-top vented battery box)
- Install sentry to wall
- Connect sentry to battery terminals (red/black cables)
- Don't kill yourself
- Place/close the battery box in desired location
- PLUG sump pump to sentry (the white/gray cables)
- PLUG sentry to wall (the black cable)
- Turn on
