What's a sump pump?

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Can someone please tell me what in the world a sump pump is and is it a good thing or a bad thing? Dh and I just went to look at a house that had one and we're pretty much both clueless on what that is. I guess it has something to do with a basement because the house we live in now dosen't have a basement. Please explain in basic terms. TIA

 

[stinkerbelle]

i believe it's used when your basement floods...you pump the water out with a sump pump?

 

[clarabelle]

We have one in our basment that has never came on. It is a pump that will pump out water if your basement starts to take in water.
I bet you could google it and get some more detailed info.

 

[Christine]

Our basement has one but it has never come on. When the underground water gets high (due to flooding) a sump pump will usually kick in to keep your basement from flooding. I live on the top of hill so mine has never come on, but I know that the people who live at the bottom of our hill (near a creek) routinely have theirs kick on after a heavy rain.

 

[Crankyshank]

a sump pump removes water from the basement. if you have any potential issues with basement flooding, you want one.

here's a website with info
http://www.sump-pump-info.com/

 

[Towncrier]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sump-pump.htm

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Thanks all, so it sounds like this is a good thing to have, right?

 

[Ava83]

Its a good thing..keeps it all from flooding.

 

[ugadog99]

It is good to have one. However, if this house has any water issues or possible flooding RUN AWAY quick! Speaking from experience, you do NOT want a house with flooding issues.

 

[bananiem]

Thanks all, so it sounds like this is a good thing to have, right?

Yes. My parents have a battery back-up pump so it still pumps if the electricity goes out.

 

[Crankyshank]

Yes it's a good thing to have. I would also make sure to have a home inspector check out any possible previous water damage. We have a sump pump in our house that wasn't installed until after the basement flooded back in the 70's. You also want to make sure they do not generally have flooding issues that requires frequent use of the pump.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Thanks all, so it sounds like this is a good thing to have, right?

Yes, it is. It's something you hope that you never need, but it's a good thing to have as insurance.

The only thing I would be concerned about when looking at a house with one is whether or not the sump pump is needed a lot. If so, then you might be dealing with a house that's prone to flooding, which is not good.

 

[Stitchfans]

We have one in our crawl space. thank goodness too, cause the houses on our street are on a hill. When it rains the water flows to one house to another. We are the second to the last on the bottom of the hill so we get the water from many houses. When it rains real hard and long our sump pump gets a real work out.

Twice now since we moved in here it has rained so hard that the sump pump couldn't handle all the water, and we had water nearly up into the house.
Again thank goodness for the sump pump.

Also purchase an ACE in a hole which is a battery operated sump pump if you get a lot of rain and there is a chance of power failure. Those are a real life saver.

 

[Towncrier]

All of our neighbors have them, but our house does not. And we've never had a water problem. Yet.

When the house across the street was being built, there was constantly a foot or more of water in the basement. Without a sump pump, I fear that their basement would be more like an indoor swimming pool.

Good advice to avoid the house if there is a history of problems with basement flooding. Some neighborhoods are worse than others. And I believe that the seller has to disclose that sort of information.

Happy House Hunting

 

[chrissyk]

We had a sump along with a perimeter drain in the basement of our old house. It was great! We never had a water issue. The sump did kick on every few minutes in the winter/spring, though. I can't imagine what that basement was like before they installed the sump/drain setup

 

[NMAmy]

Here in Michigan, most houses with basements have a sump pump and it runs pretty much continuously all spring and summer. Yep, a sump pump is a good thing to have. We even keep a spare for our house and for my mom's in case one should go out.

 

[Laz]

I have two sumps (pits), both with 1/2 horse power pumps. Mine run quite a bit due to the a/c and humidifier running in to them. I also have a lot of water flow into them during a storm.

When the foundation was laid, tile was put around the outside so water would not stay around the foundation. Instead, it flows into to sump and pumped out.

A couple of cautions. 1) Make sure you have a back up! If your power goes out or the pump fails, you could have a flooded basement! Get a battery back up that has enough power to pump out with the force you need for an extended period of time. Some even come with an alarm. My old battery back up did not have enough power to keep up with the water flow during a power outage. 2) Check where the water pumps out to. Some just go right next to the foundation, and that is worthless. Some lead out to the street, and that violates many city codes.

 

[Ronda93]

The sump is to prevent the basement from flooding. It doesn't necessarily indicate the current/previous owners have had trouble though. It's required by code here, but only if the basement creates a pool/tub. For instance, my home is a raised ranch. The basement wall is interrupted for the garage doors and it's not required.

A sump is a hole beneath the grade of the basement floor. Water putting pressure on the basement floor will go here first. The sump pump draws from the bottom of this hole and pumps the water outside. During a prolonged rain I'll see the neighbors pump running.

The sump pit is normally covered by a plastic dome with some holes for power and other tubes. Most recent installations have a float that will start and stop the pump. Any inspection should include putting water in the sump sufficient to start the pump and make sure it empties to the outside.