What Is a Sump Pump?

The sump pump is responsible for keeping the area beneath your basement and your basement flood free during stronger than average storms. A sump is a small reservoir that is located under your basement. Its purpose is to get filled whenever the level of ground water is rising. This will keep it from seeping into the basement and eventually cause damage. A sump pump is then utilized in order to move the water, forcing it up towards ground level and in an area that is located far enough away from the home in order to drain as it should.

A lot of homes that are built in wet climates come with a sump that is needed to drain both the basement and the area under the foundation of extra water. It mainly helps when dealing with storm flooding but it also aids a lot when water is rising because of a ground supply that is saturated. A sump pump is necessary here in order to preserve the basement by keeping it dry and its structure unaffected by water. It is a fact that water in this area can attach the integrity of the foundation and can lead to serious problems.

We have two kinds of sump pumps available. The first one is labeled as submersible and it combines the waterproof motor and the pump in one element that is completely put in the sump. It can thus get wet. On the other hand we also have a pedestal type that will put the pump inside the sump but will see the motor on top of a special column that goes over the level of the basement. Such a motor should not get wet. Both sump pump types are connected to a pipe that will carry the drained water to another location that is at least 6 to 10 meters away from your home. It is preferable that this area is one where the water can drain. The strength of the motor comes in strong connection with the capacity of the pump and the size of the pipe. Most sump pumps on the market are powered by electricity although it is common to also have a back-up sump pump that works with batteries. This is especially useful when we are dealing with a storm that takes out the power. Sump pumps are usually triggered by a floater similar to the one located in your toilet tanks. If the water rises over a critical lever a switch will be started and the motor will start pumping water out.