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About Sump Pumps
What is it
A sump pump is a pump for removing water from your basement or crawlspace. As water creeps into your basement it is directed into a sump pit where the sump pump is sitting. The pump is activated when the water reaches a certain level and it begins to pump out the water.
Types of Pumps
There are 4 main types of sump pumps – 2 that run off electricity, 1 that runs off water from your home plumbing system, and 1 that runs off batteries.
- Pedestal - This kind of sump pump is electric and stands upright, with a motor above water level that is not meant to get wet. When installed, the motor sits outside the sump and above the basement floor. This type of sump pump is ideal for basements needing frequent water drainage. They usually are the least expensive but are noisier than the submersible pumps.
Pedestal Pump from Home Depot - Submersible - This kind of sump pump is also electrical but it is installed in the sump pit, with a covered motor that is designed work underwater. They are more expensive than the pedestal pumps but are quieter.
Submersible Pump from Home Depot - Water powered - This kind of pump runs off the water pressure from your home plumbing system. These pumps handle water at a much slower rate than the electric types, but require no electricity to operate. It can be installed along side an electric sump and is generally used as a back up system during a power failure.
- Battery Powered - This kind of pump runs of battery power and is also used as a backup system like the water powered ones.
Switching Your Pump On and Off
The switch is the part of the sump pump that activates the pump when water reaches a certain threshold. It is therefore an essential element to avoid flooding. There are 4 types of switches:
- Tethered Float - This switch involves a float, or balloon like object, that hangs from the pump and rises as the water level rises. When the float hits a certain height it pushes a trigger and the pump turns on. This is the most common kind of float switch used on pedestal pumps.Common problems with tethered float switches are:
- Float accumulating grime, causing it to lose buoyancy and even sink
- Float gets stuck to the inner wall of the pit or on the pump and fails to activate pump
- Vertical Action Float - This switch also involves a flat, or balloon like object, that is attached to a vertical rod on the pump and rises as the water level rises. When it hits a certain height it pushes a trigger to turn the pump on. This type of float is more limited in its movement because of the rod and therefore does not have problems of getting stuck as the tether float does. It is recommended over the tethered float for that reason.
- Diaphragm Switch - This switch does not have a float but has a “diaphragm” object that is attached to the pump. As the water level rises, the water pressure increases and the diaphragm become concave, which switches the pump on. The diaphragm switch must be used with a submersible sump pump. Since there is no float to get stuck, this switch is superior to the other 2. It is also the most expensive of all the switches and tends to be used by professionals.
- Electronic “Flood Free” switch - This switch is electric and has no actual float. Instead, a probe wire is placed to sense the presence of water and is activated when it becomes submerged by rising water. A second probe wire can also be placed at a higher level to set off an alarm switch or another backup pump. This particular switch can be used in many types of applications.
Things To Consider
If you use a sump pump in a tank containing water that you may use for drinking, make sure that your float switch is not made of mercury. There are two types of tethered float switches, some are made of mercury (which is cheaper) and others of steel. It is hard to tell the ball of mercury apart from the ball of steel.
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