Installing a Sump Pump

As you may know, a sump pump is a pump that sits in the basement of your house and is designed to remove water that is collected in a sump barrel. Sump pumps do eventually wear out and fail, which can lead to basement flooding and costly repairs. When the time comes to install a new sump pump or replace an existing one, there are things that you need to keep in mind in order to ensure that everything goes well and your sump pump is up and running as it should be.

Before you install a sump pump, you want to make sure that you have a sump barrel. If there is no sump barrel, you will need to install one first. Today, it is common practice in construction to put a layer of washed rock down on top of the foundation concrete, which helps water percolate down to the sump barrel. If water doesn’t percolate down, then the water cannot find the sump barrel and your basement is more likely to get flooded.

If the sump barrel is installed correctly, then a sump pump will now need to be installed to get rid of water accumulated in the sump barrel. If the water is coming through your walls, then a sump pump will not help very much.

When you buy a sump pump, you want to make sure that is of good quality and has a good warranty. You can usually tell the difference in quality between sump pumps by how they look and how they are built. For example, a cheaper sump pump may be a lot lighter than a more expensive, higher quality one. With sump pumps, you definitely get what you pay for! So definitely use common sense when buying a sump pump; if it feels like cheap plastic then it is probably low quality.

Next time you need to choose and install a sump pump, be sure to check that your sump barrel is installed correctly and that your sump pump is good quality. By ensuring these two things, you can save yourself a lot of trouble and money down the road.