Howdy y'all, in my previous house (built in '96) I had a waterproofed basement with a sump that got a LOT of water in it. When it rained the pump would come on about every two minutes, and even a day after it stopped raining the pump would still come on about every 15 minutes. That neighborhood was also prone to power outages, so I installed a battery backup which really saved me a couple of times.
Now I'm in a slightly older house (built in '87) with a basement sump that gets less water in it. It apparently has a pedestal-style pump, because I can see the motor sticking above the sump cover. It comes on about once every 30-60 minutes when it's raining. Also, this neighborhood has buried power lines so power outages tend to be rare and short-lived. The sump pump looks like it's the original from when the house was built, and I don't see a check valve in the plumbing. This pump should probably be retired to the Sump Pump Hall of Fame, seeing how it's approaching 30 years old. Is there any reason I should stick with a pedestal-style pump? I have not taken the cover off, but it looks like a standard sump pit about 18" in diameter. I would like to take out the old pump, clean out the pit really well with my shop vac, and put in a submersible cast iron Zoeller pump and a quiet check valve. Can anybody think of a reason why that wouldn't work? I'm thinking about adding a battery backup pump too for peace of mind, even thought it's unlikely to be needed.
Now I'm in a slightly older house (built in '87) with a basement sump that gets less water in it. It apparently has a pedestal-style pump, because I can see the motor sticking above the sump cover. It comes on about once every 30-60 minutes when it's raining. Also, this neighborhood has buried power lines so power outages tend to be rare and short-lived. The sump pump looks like it's the original from when the house was built, and I don't see a check valve in the plumbing. This pump should probably be retired to the Sump Pump Hall of Fame, seeing how it's approaching 30 years old. Is there any reason I should stick with a pedestal-style pump? I have not taken the cover off, but it looks like a standard sump pit about 18" in diameter. I would like to take out the old pump, clean out the pit really well with my shop vac, and put in a submersible cast iron Zoeller pump and a quiet check valve. Can anybody think of a reason why that wouldn't work? I'm thinking about adding a battery backup pump too for peace of mind, even thought it's unlikely to be needed.
