Sump pump or Sewage Pump

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My 15 year old sump pump finally died from old age and rust. I picked up a Ridged brand sewage pump for a good prince ($59) any reason not to use a sewage pump as a sump pump?
 
From what I understood, they aren't designed for as many cycles as sump pump and prematurely wear out and fail. I guess this would depend on how much water you see too.

We bought a Coleman because of the large volume it was able to move. Unfortunately it only lasted 1.5 years. It was for a high water tabled lake house too though.

The pedestal pumps seem to hold up the best.
 
These are both submersible pumps. My pump has only run 3 or 4 times in 15 years, So they will die from old age before wearing out. We've had a lot of rain lately and the sump is now 1/2 full of water. I need to be sure it doesn't get any higher.
 
From what I've seen the Ridged pumps aren't particularly good, I did a lot of research when we bought the Wayne 1/2HP sump pump a few months ago. That one seems to be the best bet for long term reliability. As far as sewage pumps go, I'm with the others above, I thought they were rated for fewer on/off cycles.
 
If the thing has only run 3-4X in fifteen years and you've had a lot of rain but the well is only half full, it sounds as though you have great natural drainage and may not need a sump pump at all.
In your case, with the very limited running that you've seen, the deal pump you got should work just fine. It will indeed die of rust and old age before wear kills it.
I've gotten better life out of submersible pumps than pedistal pumps, but our sump pump may run quite frequently during periods where we see day after day of rain in the spring and fall.
 
Yes, its very sandy in my area, so natural drainage. However when it rains heavily it becomes saturated and I get some water in the sump. Maybe 2-3 inches per day. Then when the rain stops the pump sits in the water and corrodes up. I should bail out the sump when that happens but who has time??

Ill put it in and if it lasts 10-15 years ill be happy. Ill likely be 6 feet under myself by then...:)
 
Rigid pumps generally don't have the best reputation. Keep the receipt, odds are you will need it when it fails during the warranty.

I only have one name for sump pumps I trust : Zoeller

That being said, sounds like you barely need one. Mine runs once an hour when dry, once every few minutes when wet.
 
I've installed countless zoeller m53's. I don't know if there's a better pump out there but I haven't found it. From what I know of ridgid is there plumbing tools are fantastic. But there Home Depot line is home owner special. I have to assume that a ridgid sump pump is made someone else. Nevertheless it sounds like you have a low water table so i wouldn't worry that much
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Does it have a float switch or a pressure switch?


Float


Get some diaelectric grease and coat the shaft that the float rides on along with the 3 long screws that hold the pump together. I recently had to throw out a good Rigid pump because the bolts rusted away.
 
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