I'm not sure this is consumer electronics buy..I think I need a light duty sump pump. Where to look? Harbor Freight? I live in a sub division house owned by family for 20 years. Last year some of the floor joists got dodgy, we took out floor in 1 small room, replaced joists, put in foundation vent fan. With observing the gravel directly, we realize that during recent rainy season 3' of water often accumulates, drains away after 2 days until next rain. Now we see drains at street level nearby shooting water. I now believe water problem for years in spring and sump pump and hose needed. Thoughts? Thanks! indiana location.
sump pump - where to get?
- Thread starter bmwjohn
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Menard's has a good selection of contractor grade all the way up to heavy cast one's.
Menards, Home Depot, Lowes
All have a variety of them. My suggestion is don't get a light duty get the next step up (they are rated by hp usually). Reason begin, the extra capacity is nice to have in reserve.
Also make sure you get a "sump pump" not a utility pump. The utility pumps don't have floats for automatic operation. There are typically two kinds of floats. One in which the switch floats in a pod attached to a thick wire. These work okay so long as the pump doesn't shift in the hole and the float gets stuck on the side of the pit. The other type of float is mounted on a rod with a switch attached to the top of the float by another rod.
Don't forget you're going to have to dig a hole to put the pump in. A five gallon bucket with large holes drilled in the bottom and or side makes a good liner for cheap if you can't find a sump pit liner at the store.
All have a variety of them. My suggestion is don't get a light duty get the next step up (they are rated by hp usually). Reason begin, the extra capacity is nice to have in reserve.
Also make sure you get a "sump pump" not a utility pump. The utility pumps don't have floats for automatic operation. There are typically two kinds of floats. One in which the switch floats in a pod attached to a thick wire. These work okay so long as the pump doesn't shift in the hole and the float gets stuck on the side of the pit. The other type of float is mounted on a rod with a switch attached to the top of the float by another rod.
Don't forget you're going to have to dig a hole to put the pump in. A five gallon bucket with large holes drilled in the bottom and or side makes a good liner for cheap if you can't find a sump pit liner at the store.
ebay or harbor freight. The ones in hardware stores are overpriced by a factor of three on the gamble you'll pay when you need one and made in the same you-know-where place.
A true sump pump has some sort of UL or code rating that makes it expensive, so you see a lot of utility/trash pumps, FWIW.
Note you will need plumbing fittings on all but the smallest ones that take garden hoses. Mine runs out through 1 inch black poly that's super cheap in 100 foot rolls and probably in every farm store out there for irrigation purposes. I have never witnessed it run but seen a slurp/burp from its discharge, probably went all of ten seconds in one rainstorm.
Gravel has its place; some have the philosophy of flow in, flow through, flow out. Of course if this is rotting your floor joists you should take action... but maybe it could be pressure treated joists (as well.)
Good luck, wet basements usually take a several pronged approach.
A true sump pump has some sort of UL or code rating that makes it expensive, so you see a lot of utility/trash pumps, FWIW.
Note you will need plumbing fittings on all but the smallest ones that take garden hoses. Mine runs out through 1 inch black poly that's super cheap in 100 foot rolls and probably in every farm store out there for irrigation purposes. I have never witnessed it run but seen a slurp/burp from its discharge, probably went all of ten seconds in one rainstorm.
Gravel has its place; some have the philosophy of flow in, flow through, flow out. Of course if this is rotting your floor joists you should take action... but maybe it could be pressure treated joists (as well.)
Good luck, wet basements usually take a several pronged approach.
A sump pump is designed to be used in a sump (a pit). It is not designed to suck water down below the last inch or two. You may want to dig a sump, and that will make the pump system work better.
A utility pump will pull lower. The volume it handles is normally less.
If this is for manual use, the harbor freight pump may be adequate. If it is for automatic operation, a more expensive pump is probably a good move.
A utility pump will pull lower. The volume it handles is normally less.
If this is for manual use, the harbor freight pump may be adequate. If it is for automatic operation, a more expensive pump is probably a good move.
Originally Posted By: Carbon
A sump pump is designed to be used in a sump (a pit). It is not designed to suck water down below the last inch or two. You may want to dig a sump, and that will make the pump system work better.
A utility pump will pull lower. The volume it handles is normally less.
If this is for manual use, the harbor freight pump may be adequate. If it is for automatic operation, a more expensive pump is probably a good move.
OP definitely needs to dig a sump pit so that he can keep the water level below the gravel, never even coming close to touching the joists.
The last home I owned had 2 sump pits. The part of town I lived in used to be a marsh area about oh 100 years prior so ground water had always been an issue in that area. There wasn't a single house in that section of town without at least one sump pump.
One pump was located in a sub foundation pit, extending about 4 feet below the top of the concrete in the basement and lined with a perforated steel tube. It had water in it constantly. Even in the dead of winter there was at least 2-3 inches in the pit. During the summer it ran at least once a day even if there was no rain.
The other pit was about 2 feet deep and concrete lined (with a concrete bottom). It was fed by a beaver [censored] system that lined 3 of the four foundation walls to handle inflow during heavy rains.
Both pumps were tied to their own battery backup system (inverter/charging unit and a 12v deep cycle marine battery) for protection during power outages in a thunderstorm.
I've dealt with basement water issues. If you take the right approach it can be a non-issue. If you don't take the time to do things right, it gives you a false sense of security.
A sump pump is designed to be used in a sump (a pit). It is not designed to suck water down below the last inch or two. You may want to dig a sump, and that will make the pump system work better.
A utility pump will pull lower. The volume it handles is normally less.
If this is for manual use, the harbor freight pump may be adequate. If it is for automatic operation, a more expensive pump is probably a good move.
OP definitely needs to dig a sump pit so that he can keep the water level below the gravel, never even coming close to touching the joists.
The last home I owned had 2 sump pits. The part of town I lived in used to be a marsh area about oh 100 years prior so ground water had always been an issue in that area. There wasn't a single house in that section of town without at least one sump pump.
One pump was located in a sub foundation pit, extending about 4 feet below the top of the concrete in the basement and lined with a perforated steel tube. It had water in it constantly. Even in the dead of winter there was at least 2-3 inches in the pit. During the summer it ran at least once a day even if there was no rain.
The other pit was about 2 feet deep and concrete lined (with a concrete bottom). It was fed by a beaver [censored] system that lined 3 of the four foundation walls to handle inflow during heavy rains.
Both pumps were tied to their own battery backup system (inverter/charging unit and a 12v deep cycle marine battery) for protection during power outages in a thunderstorm.
I've dealt with basement water issues. If you take the right approach it can be a non-issue. If you don't take the time to do things right, it gives you a false sense of security.
As stated by others, the big box stores stock sump pumps. Lowes has switched to some low quality brands in the last couple of years after carrying Wayne brand previously. Another local option is Economy Plumbing on Capitol Avenue, where they carry Zoeller pumps.
Being a fellow resident of Raindianpolis, I'm very familiar with rain, and pumps. I have two pits in the basement, each with it's own pump and they're on separate circuits. My reain guage measured about 11" for April and my pumps have been running a lot.
Being a fellow resident of Raindianpolis, I'm very familiar with rain, and pumps. I have two pits in the basement, each with it's own pump and they're on separate circuits. My reain guage measured about 11" for April and my pumps have been running a lot.
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