We just bought our house and we noticed that there are two sump pump basins in the finished basement. One is in the laundry room, the other in a little cubby closet. I know absolutely nothing about these. We've had some pretty heavy rains but no flooding. How necessary are these? I noticed they are sitting in a basin full of water and the water does not move therefore it is stagnate and smells bad. There are some drains leading to the basins but I've not noticed any water coming from them. I'm stumped. Can I just drain the water out of the basins and just leave the pumps in there dry? Thanks!
2007-09-14 13:27:23 · 8 answers · asked by rodam r 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Just to make it clear, both pumps DO work. Its just that there's no water going into them and the water thats in the basin gets nasty quickly. I have put water in the basins but I have to do it about once a week because of the odor. I was just wondering if it was ok to leave the pumps in there without water being in the basins.
2007-09-14 15:39:23 · update #1
yes it is fine for you to pump the basins as low as they will go and leave the pumps setting there it will not affect them....you can even pour some clorox in what water is left to help kill the smell of the water...
2007-09-14 16:47:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sump pumps come in two styles, a submersible model, that sets below the surface of the water, and is watertight, and a pedestal model, which has a motor fixed atop a long shaft with an impellar on the bottom to force water up a pipe and out of the pit, preferably into a drain line or outside. They don't need water in the pit to maintain a prime. They will start up from dry and pump just fine. Most of them are used to remove drain wash water from wash machines and basement sinks, that's fed into the pit. If your pit has a pump installed in it and it's not pumping water out, it's possible the float is stuck on the unit and hasn't moved enough to tell the pump to turn on, or it's also possible it's just not plugged in or turned on. If you know nothing at all about these things, then it would probably be a good idea to get someone over there to check them out, that does know about them. It could be as simple as moving the unit around in the pit slightly, enough to free up the float mechanism which is part of the switch activation.
2007-09-14 14:26:26 · answer #2 · answered by Corky R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how far you want to pump out the water. In case the sump pump is for transferring water from an underground sump to an overhead tank, you can do some small arithmetic and find out. Calculate the height from the bottom of the sump to the top of the tank and find out the discharge pressure (H) required. Now decide at what rate you want the pumping (liters per minute) which will give you the discharge (Q). With these two parameters, approach any pump manufacturer / dealer - and he will sure suggest you the right capacity of the pump required for your application.
2016-05-19 22:23:51 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you may need to do is install or have someone install check valves in the pipe coming from the pumps this will keep water from draining back down after the pump kicks off. That is most likely why you have water staying in there.
2007-09-14 17:35:54 · answer #4 · answered by greasemunky1980 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, just pour more water into the sump hole until the pump kicks on and it will drain the stagnate water out. Do this on a regular basis. The sump pumps are in case you do happen to get water into your basement.
2007-09-14 13:35:27 · answer #5 · answered by Lear B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if you have a float system to turn the pumps on and off ,or if they are self priming or what. With out my knowing I would say go to your pool supply store and get some chlorine tablets or a dispenser or just once and a while pour some chlorine bleach in the wells . It is a easy fix for the smell and stops any new bacteria.
2007-09-14 17:44:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You did not notice the pumps before buying the house..??? Wasn't that on the property description??? When you got pumps your basement gets flooded.. Call a plumber and have him check out the system -- make sure it works and is not clogged... These pumps should be maintained and not removed from the basement... remember Noah and the Ark
2007-09-14 15:33:44 · answer #7 · answered by Gerald 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For your needed information, click this link:
http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/sumps.html
2007-09-14 13:34:24 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋