What Is the Function of a Sump Pump?

A sump pump is used in a variety of applications and conditions. In residential use, the sump pump is most often used to help remove water from basements or crawl spaces. Its simple design and reliability make the sump pump a valuable tool for many homeowners.

Function

The pump is placed in a prepared hole (sump) in which the water is allowed to gather. The pump is activated when the water reaches a predetermined level and will automatically shut off when the water is removed from the sump.

Types

There are two types of sump pumps. The pedestal type has the motor mounted on a pedestal while the impeller is located in the sump. The second type is a submersible pump in which the entire pump assembly is placed in the sump. Both use floats or pressure switches that will start the pump motor automatically.

Considerations

You can use a garden hose for the drain line or you can plumb in a drain line with PVC or copper piping. You do not want to run your drain line into your septic lines. This could cause the already saturated area to become even more water soaked and create major difficulties.

Back-Up System

If, at all possible, you will want to consider having a second sump pump to act as a back-up. This pump could be placed in a second sump which will only fill with water if the primary sump overflows. In this way, a pump failure will not result in water damage should it go undetected for a period of time.

Alarms

In some applications, alarms are wired to the sump pump to indicate when the pump is activated. This is generally done in locations where water does not gather on a regular basis. If you have a back-up pump, you may want an alarm on it to indicate the primary pump has stopped working.