Perhaps you’ve toured a house for sale and wondered why there’s a pit on its basement floor. That pit contains a sump pump device, which protects the basement from flooding. Here’s how a sump pump works and what you should know about them.
How a sump pump works
The sump pump is mounted in a pit, approximately two to three feet wide, that has been jackhammered into the basement floor. It is encased in a metal housing and lowered into the pit.
In basements with a sump pump, a series of drain pipes are buried horizontally and parallel to the basement walls. These catch rainwater soaking into the soil around the house, draining it into the sump pump pit rather than letting it accumulate next to the basement walls.
When the water in the pit reaches a determined point, a float valve turns the pump on. The water is pumped into an outlet pipe that takes the water well away from the house. A second float valve sits above the one that activates the pump. If the water rises above the activation valve without the pump cycling, the second valve trips an alarm buzzer to notify the homeowner that the pump is not working.
Testing the pump
If your home has a sump pump, you should test it periodically, particularly as it ages.
One simple test is periodically pushing the alarm test button on the control box above the pit, which is likely on the basement wall. Another way to test is to dump two or three gallons of water into the pit. The water should activate the pump, and you can observe whether it is expelling the water up and out through the outlet pipe.
Licensed professional plumbers install and service sump pumps.
When buying or selling a house
When you sell a home with a sump pump, you should have a licensed plumber test it and prepare a report for potential buyers verifying its good working order.
Buyers should request such a report or have the pump tested for a general home inspection.
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