Service
Sump pump installation and battery backup
A sump pump is the one moving part in a waterproofing system. Everything else is pipe and stone. So it is the part to choose carefully, and the part to back up.
How it works, in four sentences
A basin is set into the floor at the low corner of the basement or crawl space. Drain pipes, or the gravel under the slab, feed water into it. When the level lifts a float, the pump switches on and pushes the water up a pipe and out through the wall. A one-way valve on that pipe stops it from running back when the pump shuts off.
The parts, and what to ask about each
Basin
Bigger basins let the pump run longer and less often, which is easier on the motor. A lid that seals keeps damp air, smells and dropped toys out. Ask whether the lid can be opened for service without cutting anything.
Pump and switch
A submersible pump sits in the water and runs quieter. Cast iron bodies shed heat better than plastic ones. The switch fails more often than the motor: a float that rides up and down a fixed rod is less likely to snag on the basin wall than one that swings on a cord.
Outlet pipe
The pipe should leave the house, slope down and end on ground that carries the water away, well clear of the foundation. If it ends at the wall, the pump recycles the same water all night. It must not empty onto a neighbor's lot or into the house drains.
Alarm
A high-water alarm costs little and tells you the pump has stopped before the floor does. Some send a message to a phone. If the basement is finished, treat it as required.
Why the backup matters
The pump runs on house current. Thunderstorms that fill the basin are the same ones that knock out power, and a pump without electricity is a hole in the floor.
A battery backup is a second, smaller pump in the same basin with its own float, wired to a battery and charger. It takes over when the power drops or the main pump fails. How long it lasts depends on the battery and on how often the pump has to cycle, so ask for that in writing for the model offered. Batteries wear out and need replacing every few years; ask who checks it.
Two alternatives: a water-powered backup, which runs off city water pressure and needs no battery, and a generator, which also keeps the refrigerator going.
What fitting one involves
Where there is already a basin, replacing the pump is a short job. A first-time installation means breaking out a piece of the slab, digging the pit, setting the basin in gravel, drilling through the outside wall for the pipe and patching the concrete. In a crawl space the basin is dug into the soil at the low end.
The pump needs its own grounded outlet close by, not an extension cord. If there is none, an electrician adds one. Ask whether that is in the price.
Signs the old pump is on its way out
- It runs for minutes at a time, or switches on and off every few seconds.
- It hums but the water level does not drop.
- It has become much louder, or rattles when it starts.
- There is rust on the body or scale on the float.
- You cannot remember when it was fitted.
Test it twice a year: pour a bucket of water into the basin and watch the pump start, empty the basin and stop.
Sump pump questions
Where is the outlet pipe allowed to empty in Montgomery?
Onto your own ground, where it can soak in or run off without crossing a neighbor's lot or a sidewalk, is the safe answer anywhere. For anything that would connect to a curb, a ditch or a street inlet, have the company check with the city's Engineering office (334-625-2690) before the pipe goes in.
How long should a pump last?
Makers quote different figures and it depends mostly on how hard the pump works. One that runs a few times a year outlives one that cycles daily. Go by behavior, using the signs above, not by the calendar.
I have never had water. Do I need one?
Not for its own sake. A pump is there to empty a drain or a low spot that collects water. If nothing collects, there is nothing to pump.
Montgomery and nearby towns
Ready to have someone look at it?
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