Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sump-pump]

A sump pump is typically used in a temporary holding well (often in a basement) to remove the water when the holding well is full.

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How can I form concrete around a recessed sump pail?

I retrofitted a sump pit into our basement, along with new weeping tile. The top of the sump pit is about 3 or 4 inches lower than the top of the floor. I'm at the point where I need to pour new concrete, but I don't know what to use to create a…
diyer111
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Is a platform over a sump pump hole a solution to accessing electrical service?

I'm working in a 250-year-old house and the basement has a sump pump that is located right below the electrical service panel. To install the sump pump, they just cut a hole in the concrete slab and threw a pump in a shallow dirt hole. I tried to…
Cheery
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Buying a House On Underground Spring. What to do?

My fiancé and I are under contract on a new home which we are concerned it might be built on an underground spring. There are two sump pumps in the house, on opposite corners of the house. Both times we have seen the house was after a few days of no…
dberm22
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How to deal with inadequate drainage of my walk-up basement?

(Please correct me if any of my terminology is inaccurate!) I have a "den" which is a finished walk-up basement (half-above ground, half below ground). The den floor has vents, and when I look under the vent covers I can see about a six-inch gap…
anon
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Is it normal for the concrete covering my interior perimeter drain to be damp?

I inherited an interior perimeter drain with a sump-pump as part of a basement waterproofing system when I purchased my new home two years ago. Since then I have noticed that along the seam of the drain, where the concrete covering the drain system…
Chris Heller
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Should I use a float "piggy-back" sump pump switch?

I have a Zoeller M-53 sump pump and I'm considering using a float switch to stop the pump from cycling too frequently. Here's the situation... The water level is pretty high where I live. The sump pit is really an old, rather shallow brick-lined…
user980
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What is this strange plumbing on my sump pump drain?

From documentation left with our house we know that our sump pump used to empty into the sanitary sewer. In the early 90’s the home owners took advantage of a city grant that paid for moving the drain to the storm sewer. We assume that the pictured…
codegardener
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Sump pump automated battery backup

I have 1/3 horsepower sump pump currently plugged into my home's 120 volt outlet. I have a 105 amp hour 12-volt battery and a 1200 watt pure sine inverter ready to go when the power goes out. The only issue is if the power goes out, I would need to…
Justin Todd
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Can I run this sump drain underground?

I am wondering if I can extend this sump drain (about 4 foot long and ends 8-10 inches over the ground) through an underground PVC run about 30 feet (about a 4 foot drop from house to valley) to exit into the valley at the back of my property. As…
zk.
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There is water in my basement and the outdoor sump pump failed. What am I doing wrong?

My house has water problems with the basement. Here's what the entrance to my basement looks like. When I get a really heavy rain storm, water manages to rise up and start seeping in under the door. Given an hour I have a real mess on my hands…
Eric Palakovich Carr
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What is the purpose of a sump pump?

If you have a sump pump in your house/basement, does it mean you have (or potentially could have) a flooding problem?
Jeff Widmer
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How to seal sump pit with removable cover

Just moved into a new house and bought new sump pump with battery backup. The old pit liner is about 4" below floor level and the pit is 16" wide. the top is a mess as you can see from pix. I want a rim/dome that seals to the concrete and a…
mark1234
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Sump with no pump!

A rainy month and water in the crawlspace: It's was an unusually wet April where I live. I went into my crawlspace last week to change the filter on the A/C and found water. The crawlspace is surrounded by concrete walls. I should point out that…
Pace
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Is it possible to use a power inverter to run a sump pump?

If the power should go off, I want my sump pump switched to a power inverter combination. Is this possible?
Roy Sommers
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Will internal waterproofing solve my moisture problems?

We've been working on our water problem for awhile now. Here's the deal: There is black drain tile under the home (all the way around) tied into a sump crock. Water was only coming in one side. A camera through the tile showed us it's not laid…
user13926
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