Sump Pumps

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Hey all,

Looking at getting a sump pump for the basement.

The one that's there is so old that if Sir Isaac Newton himself were to come back from the dead and see it, he'd say "hey I remember this model sump pump from when I was a kid".

It was there when we bought the house, never plugged in, and I don't think really works.

Regardless, want a new one for piece of mind.

Amazon Black Friday has these on sale.

The old one is a 1/3 HP, and I'm to understand you should stick with the HP you've got and this one is a 1/2 HP.

Does that really make a difference, would this be sufficient?

[InglewoodFan]

I have 2x 1/2 hp Mastercraft pumps from Canadian Tire that came with my house. They just keep working, I only need them in the spring with heavy rain. But they fire up whenever called upon. 1/2 hp vs 1/3 hp shouldn't make a huge difference, where are you discharging to? Mine just goes out onto the lawn, and higher hp would just make it shoot a bit further out the end of the discharge pipe.

[Geraldsh]

Check how high you have to lift the water. Limit on the pump listed is 16 feet,

[blankall]

A budget sump pump is probably not a good idea. Any reputable draining company will install a sump pump that costs $800+, and there's a reason for that. It's an appliance that doesn't get much use....until you need it.

I would focus more on reliability than horsepower. Ground water, once it's been drained, even during a major rainfall will only build up so fast, and the capacity of any sump pump is going to be well beyond what is needed for that. Unless a river suddenly flows into your basement, there's no reason to require a high capacity one.

The cheaper sump pumps are okay for situations where your temporarily moving a pump into an area and you don't need to have it plugged in constantly and on standby. For permanent installation in your sump you need one that doesn't carry a risk of burning itself out.

Our basement flooded last month...we spent $20k on drainage and plumbing upgrades....I did some research and had some first hand experience.

You could always test the existing pump by pouring water into the sump and seeing if it works.

[Rjcsjc62]

HP vs. Performance can vary from one make of pump to another. On its own its not really a consideration.

This pump can discharge 33 GPM at 0 feet of head, and 0 GPM at 16ft of head.

To properly evaluate whether or not your Black Friday pump can do the job, you need to know how high it has to discharge the water before it drains by gravity, and what the required GPM of water removal is. And youre on the East Coast, so I have no idea what a standard would be.

What is the make and model of your existing pump?

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I'm going to play with it tonight and see if I can get it going (admittedly I haven't tried just assumed it's older than the sandals of Jesus so I should get a new one).

[speede5]

I had one of the smaller submersible ones like you posted and it would drain the pit before it even got up to speed so it would cycle a fair bit when the water table was high. Never burnt it out or even noticed it kick in so probably harmless. The only thing I'd suggest is a fixed float as the ones on the end of the wire can get hung up between the pump and the side of the pit, or if anything falls in there, nice thing is with the submersible you can cover up the pit so things don't.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Opted to get a pedistal one today.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...3509p.html#srp

Looks like I have to cut the discharge pipe to get the old pump out.

Then install new pipe and a check valve.

I'm assuming a check valve like this one would connect directly into the pump?

https://www.homehardware.ca/en/1-14-...results%20page

... and then new piece of pipe connects on the top of the check valve.

... then I need to connect the pipe to the existing pipe but with a coupler, something like this:

https://www.homehardware.ca/en/sched...results%20page

Does that all sound correct?

[Ducay]

Sounds about right, except probably not the right coupling at the bottom. The check valve looks like it's got a 1 1/4" barbed fitting (other threaded end looks to screw right into the sump).

So you'd have 1 1/4" polyethalyne coming out of the sump/valve and need to connect that to whatever the cut pipe is made out of. The coupling posted is for PVC to PVC.

If your "cut" pipe is PVC, then you'd need a coupling that has PVC slip on one end and a threaded end on the other. Youd then put a threaded <--> barbed 1 1/4 coupling to connect to the poly pipe.


Basically assuming you've got 1 1/2" PVC as your "end point" you'd need a length of poly sump hose (1 1/4"), the valve, and 2 coupling/adapters

Sump to Valve to Poly 1 1 /4" sump hose to Barb 1 1/4<->1 1/2"threaded MPT coupling to 1 1/2 FPT threaded<-->1 1/2" pvc slip coupling

[Ducay]

If you post a picture and/or confirm the diameter + material of the "cut" pipe (should be printed on it) can confirm for sure. Black = ABS pipe, White or Grey = PVC (generally) pipe

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Ducay

If you post a picture and/or confirm the diameter + material of the "cut" pipe (should be printed on it) can confirm for sure. Black = ABS pipe, White or Grey = PVC (generally) pipe

It's ABS pipe. My greeness assumed that PVC was just plastic piping, I didn't realize there was a difference. It's black. Says ABS on it.

So with that new information:

Sump Pump
↓
Nipple
https://www.homehardware.ca/en/1-14-...results%20page
↓
Coupler Check Valve:
https://www.homehardware.ca/en/1-14-...results%20page
↓
ABS discharge pipe currently in place

Or something to that effect.

If I need to couple to pieces of ABS pipe together I could use this:
https://www.homehardware.ca/en/1-14-...results%20page

[Fuzz]

Don't forget proper ABS cement, as PVC stuff is different. And it sets wicked fast, so make sure it's right before gluing(make sure the check valve is the correct direction!)

[Ducay]

Ya, that isn't quite how I would do it.

While your "house" pipe is ABS (Assume 1 1/2"?) you're better off using poly 1 1/4" for the run from the sump to the pipe vs. ABS. That way the hose connecting the sump to the house is flexible (then you can move/adjust hose/pump itself as needed), whereas all-ABS is going to be rigid and not ideal for a vibrating/moving appliance.

Sump pump
↓
Check Valve
↓
Sump hose kit (connects directly to your 1 1/4" valve, and comes with a clamp)
↓
1 1/4" barb to 1 1/2" threaded coupling (comes in that kit, bonus score)
↓
1 1/2" threaded to 1 1/2" ABS coupling


You'll also need ABS cement and an additional 1 1/2" ring worm clamp to clamp the end of the poly sump pipe to the threaded barb adapter

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Ya, that isn't quite how I would do it.

While your "house" pipe is ABS (Assume 1 1/2"?) you're better off using poly 1 1/4" for the run from the sump to the pipe vs. ABS. That way the hose connecting the sump to the house is flexible (then you can move/adjust hose/pump itself as needed), whereas ABS is going to be rigid and not ideal for a vibrating/moving appliance.

Sump pump
↓
Check Valve
↓
Sump hose kit (connects directly to your value, and comes with a clamp
↓
1 1/4" barb to 1 1/2" threaded connector (comes in that kit, score)
↓
1 1/2" threaded to 1 1/2" ABS coupling


You'll also need ABS cement and an additional 1 1/2" ring worm clamp to clamp the end of the poly sump pipe to the threaded barb adapter

Ironically, I just stumbled uponthe sump pump hose kits, and came here to ask if that'd be a reasonable solution.

I think that'll be the project for tomorrow.

Thanks Ducay, I really appreciate the input.

And Fuzz, I never would have thought to check to see if the cement I have in the basement is for PVC or ABS, I'll confirm that before I leave the house in the morning.

You guys rock!

[Maritime Q-Scout]

One last question.

I removed the old sump pump and installed the new one today.

The pit that the pump is in isn't level, and there is dirt that comes up from the bottom that is dirty.

1. Would regular landscape fabric be sufficient to keep debris out?

2. Would drain rock be the best way to level the bottom of the pit for the pump?

From what I'm reading, yes to both but I honestly don't know, and at least here I can give more context to the situation.

Regardless, I'm having fun learning about this. Thanks again folks

[Ducay]

Depends on the amount of dirt and level of unevenness, really.

Is the sump basin all plastic, another material, or is it earth on any of the sides?

You could use fabric (be sure to use filter fabric or ensure its permiable), but depends where you're thinking since you want to be sure not to plug up any of the inlets (again depends on style of basin) to prevent water from flowing in.


If it is just dirty from built up....dirt, could you shop-vac it clean to level it out and clean it?

You could also put the pump in, level it (either by leveling below it or otherwise shimming it) and then backfilling with some rocks that allow good drainage a couple inches (well below the float). That will help hold the unit in place, also help filter any debris before it gets to the pump, and possibly help with leveling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nBqjqCLbj0