Re: Sump Pump Question

<[email protected]> & > > <[email protected]> wrote:

> > >My new "Water Ace" R33SP submersible sump pump has a little label on
the
> > >bottom that says "air vent must be cleaned periodically to prevent air
> > >locking."

<stuff snipped>

> I would prefer to spend more money for less maintenance. �It will be
bedded down in gravel, too, to keep leaves
> and other debris out of it and help anchor it.
>
> I am now thinking of inserting a 6" length of clear tubing in the drain
pipe
> so I can check for good water flow. �Not sure if I would know there was
an
> airlock until there was a flood, and then the pump is even *harder* to
reach
> than usual. ďż˝(-:
>

>why bed it in gravel? the exhaust line is a good anchorage, and ifyour
>concerned with leaves surround it with screen.

Primarily because that's the way the old one was installed. It ran
unmaintained and unattended for 19 years so I thought "if it ain't broke . .
." The sump sits at the bottom landing of the basement stairs on the
outside of the house. Leaves collect like crazy. The sump was protected by
a metal grate (22" by 24" with 1" squares) that was laid onto a sheet of
wire mesh. Can't tell who made it, the plate has rusted too much although
perhaps some CSI fans could recover the date. (-:

>sounds like a outside sump?

Yes, hence the concern about leaves, twigs and other crap. This pump has a
rather unusual float switch. It's a metal bulb a little smaller than a
toilet float, but there's no metal arm or shaft. It's connected to the pump
at the cord so that when the sump is empty it lies next to the pump as the
water rises, it floats up.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=43577-48284-57
639-LWS1&lpage=none

also: http://tinyurl.com/yurszr

looks the most like it, but I find it disturbing that the one I bought last
month (169491) is now no longer listed. That suggests they aren't holding
up so well. Shazzbat. )-:

> put the pump in a seperate sumpo pump pit, in a convenient place to
> service, and hve water pass from collection point to pump pit, thru a
> filter pit, a screened easy to reach spot.

Best solution would be a pedestal pump installed inside in a new sump, but
the flooding problem is so rare (years go by without flooding) that with my
*four* new pumps will handle it. The small Flotec has an input hose stuck
down the basement center floor drain, which my "consulting crew" believes is
connected to the public storm drains. That's pretty likely because when
water comes up through that floor drain, it has the very distinct smell of
the street when it's rained for the first time in weeks. No raw sewage has
ever come up (crosses fingers!). Anyway, there's an electronic leveI have a
1/3 HP battery backup sump pump which I was going to install in the sump
next to the AC pump, but I've decided to keep it in reserve in case friends
or neighbors need a pump out after a failure.

> dont ignore the possiblity of a gravity drain to daylight.......gravity
tends to be highly reliable:)

That's a good idea, but I live at the intersection of two raised state
highways and there's a large field behind the house. When I see standing
water in that field (the lowest point around) I know the basement will
flood. But you've given me a good idea. I might be able to determine the
relative elevations of my basement floor and the field out back with my GPS.
If it turns out to be lower, and if I run a long enough pipe, I might be
able to gravity drain the sump.

What I am most afraid of is that I will spend lots of money pumping water
around from the outside into the sump and back outside again. There are
just some situations where all the pumping in the world isn't going to
change the level of the water table.

It looks like the storm that is battering the Midwest is heading this was so
I am looking for a rubber ball that I can jam into the floor drain and then
keep forced in place with a plywood plate braced against the ceiling joists.
We'll see what happens.

Thanks for the input.

--
Bobby G.

On Jun 10, 2:52 am, "Robert Green" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]>  & > > <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > > >My new "Water Ace" R33SP submersible sump pump has a little label on
> the
> > > >bottom that says "air vent must be cleaned periodically to prevent air
> > > >locking."
>
> <stuff snipped>
>
> > I would prefer to spend more money for less maintenance. �It will be
>
> bedded down in gravel, too, to keep leaves
>
> > and other debris out of it and help anchor it.
>
> > I am now thinking of inserting a 6" length of clear tubing in the drain
> pipe
> > so I can check for good water flow. �Not sure if I would know there was
> an
> > airlock until there was a flood, and then the pump is even *harder* to
> reach
> > than usual. �(-:
>
> >why bed it in gravel? the exhaust line is a good anchorage, and ifyour
> >concerned with leaves surround it with screen.
>
> Primarily because that's the way the old one was installed.  It ran
> unmaintained and unattended for 19 years so I thought "if it ain't broke . .
> ."   The sump sits at the bottom landing of the basement stairs on the
> outside of the house.  Leaves collect like crazy.  The sump was protected by
> a metal grate (22" by 24" with 1" squares) that was laid onto a sheet of
> wire mesh.  Can't tell who made it, the plate has rusted too much although
> perhaps some CSI fans could recover the date. (-:
>
> >sounds like a outside sump?
>
> Yes, hence the concern about leaves, twigs and other crap.  This pump has a
> rather unusual float switch.  It's a metal bulb a little smaller than a
> toilet float, but there's no metal arm or shaft.  It's connected to the pump
> at the cord so that when the sump is empty it lies next to the pump as the
> water rises, it floats up.
>
> http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=43577-4...
> 639-LWS1&lpage=none
>
> also:  http://tinyurl.com/yurszr
>
> looks the most like it, but I find it disturbing that the one I bought last
> month (169491) is now no longer listed.  That suggests they aren't holding
> up so well.  Shazzbat. )-:
>
> > put the pump in a seperate sumpo pump pit, in a convenient place to
> > service, and hve water pass from collection point to pump pit, thru a
> > filter pit, a screened easy to reach spot.
>
> Best solution would be a pedestal pump installed inside in a new sump, but
> the flooding problem is so rare (years go by without flooding) that with my
> *four* new pumps will handle it.  The small Flotec has an input hose stuck
> down the basement center floor drain, which my "consulting crew" believes is
> connected to the public storm drains.  That's pretty likely because when
> water comes up through that floor drain, it has the very distinct smell of
> the street when it's rained for the first time in weeks.  No raw sewage has
> ever come up (crosses fingers!).  Anyway, there's an electronic leveI have a
> 1/3 HP battery backup sump pump which I was going to install in the sump
> next to the AC pump, but I've decided to keep it in reserve in case friends
> or neighbors need a pump out after a failure.
>
> > dont ignore the possiblity of a gravity drain to daylight.......gravity
>
> tends to be highly reliable:)
>
> That's a good idea, but I live at the intersection of two raised state
> highways and there's a large field behind the house.  When I see standing
> water in that field (the lowest point around) I know the basement will
> flood.  But you've given me a good idea.  I might be able to determine the
> relative elevations of my basement floor and the field out back with my GPS.
> If it turns out to be lower, and if I run a long enough pipe, I might be
> able to gravity drain the sump.
>
> What I am most afraid of is that I will spend lots of money pumping water
> around from the outside into the sump and back outside again.  There are
> just some situations where all the pumping in the world isn't going to
> change the level of the water table.
>
> It looks like the storm that is battering the Midwest is heading this was so
> I am looking for a rubber ball that I can jam into the floor drain and then
> keep forced in place with a plywood plate braced against the ceiling joists.
> We'll see what happens.
>
> Thanks for the input.
>
> --
> Bobby G.

use a water level to check elevations, the GPS probably isnt accurate
enough.

I made a crude water level with a garden hose and one valve.

put valve at hose connection from source. put end of hose in air. at
destination of water. like on a step ladder.

turn on water till it flows well out of end on ladder.

turn off valve on hose, then source hose off.

get friend and walk around open valve, lower hose on ladder.

when they are same level, water will just pool at either end.

sorry poor explnation its easy to do but hard to explain