Sump Pump & Backup Systems

A sump pump is a mechanical device that is designed to remove water from your sump basin as the weeping tile brings it in. In some older homes, you might have a basin with a drain in the bottom called a building drain. This drain is connected to the sanitary sewer, as the water comes in from the weeping tile, it flows down the drain. In this case a pump is not needed however, the danger is that if the sewer becomes clogged your water has no way out.

 

In residential basements, we install 1/3 HP Pro Flow sump pumps. These pumps have a 5 year warranty on the pump itself. It is important to ensure that the discharge line that the pump is pumping through is clear of debris to ensure that the pump will perform to its full capacity.

 

Your discharge line should be flushed out at the same time as the weeping tile system. Your pump is your first line of defence in keeping your basement dry, but as any other mechanical device, it can fail for different reasons such as a pump malfunction, pugged discharge line, power outage, faulty float, etc. In this case, without a back up system it is likely that you will experience water in your basement.

 

We install both water powered and battery powered back up pumps. In both cases, these pumps are stand alone units that will turn on and off based on the water level in your basin. So if in the event that your main pump does not turn on for any reason, or if there is so much water coming in that the main pump can not keep up, your back up pump will turn on and drain the basin. Ideally, when we install these pumps we discharge them above ground onto a splash pad and not into the same discharge line as your main pump.

 

Depending on your home, would depend on whether we would recommend a water powered backup pump or a battery powered back up pump.

 

Keeping your pump in good working order is key to keeping your basement dry. It is recommended that your sump pump, back up pump, weeping tile system, and discharge line are serviced annually to ensure that they are ready to work together at full capacity when needed.

 

Give us a call to learn more or to schedule an appointment.