Sump Pumps

[RugerRog]

I'm looking for a Sump Pump recommendation for my basement. It will need to lift about 10-12'. What brands do you recommend and where can I purchase it. I live in Indianapolis.

 

[sljccj]

I can not recall the brand of mine. However I have and recommend cast iron submersible pumps. Not polymer ones.

this particular one at lowes has very good ratings. When mine finally fails I will be buying this one.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/Basement-Wat...n-Cast-Aluminum-Submersible-Sump-Pump/1161835

 

[MrAverage]

Only advice I have is bigger isn't always better. I bought a large commercial sump pump and it did pump fast. Unfortunately, it was also louder and made a large clank noise when it shut off. I tried a different "whisper" check valve and covering it to dampen the noise, but didn't help much. Changed it out with a slower flowing quarter horse powered pump and now can't even tell when it's running.

+1 for cast iron

 

[miguel]

What is it about cast iron that makes it better than plastic ones?

 

[MrAverage]

I like the extra weight to hold it still.  

 

[Ski]

What is it about cast iron that makes it better than plastic ones?

Cast iron dissipates heat. A plastic body can melt and cause the pump to fail. Or so I've heard.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

You should have a south central supply (plumbing and hvac supplier) somewhere in Indy. Look into their Liberty pumps. A 1/2 hp pump is probably around the $100-120 range. Magnetic switch and works well with tight pits.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

I went with a Zoeller [STRIKE]1.5hp[/STRIKE] 1/2hp sump pump for my crawlspace a few years back. It needed to do about 4' vertical, and 60' horizontal... Couldn't be happier, though after the fact, probably could've went with 1hp. It's a bit noisy (ie vibraty), but gets the job done

eta I did not recall correctly

 

[sljccj]

Like was said above.

Cast Iron is heavy and stays put and just seem to last longer. Mine is well over 10 years old. My crawl space stays relatively dry so it doesnt run a lot. I do fill up the sump with water and run it a couple times a year to make sure its good.

Poly ones do not seem to last from my research. Read the reviews on the one i posted the link.

 

[RugerRog]

Thanks for the replies. I have cast iron now and I will look for cast iron in my next one. In no particular order, I'm looking at Myers, Liberty, and Zoeller pumps. My current pump is a Zoeller, and maybe I'm expecting too much from it, but when I read others get 8-10 years and mine is going at 3 makes me want to try something else. It isnt my first one either. Looking to buy locally as well.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Thanks for the replies. I have cast iron now and I will look for cast iron in my next one. In no particular order, I'm looking at Myers, Liberty, and Zoeller pumps. My current pump is a Zoeller, and maybe I'm expecting too much from it, but when I read others get 8-10 years and mine is going at 3 makes me want to try something else. It isnt my first one either. Looking to buy locally as well.

What size pump? iirc the recommend for such a lift would be at least 1/2hp of course elbows and such play into it

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Thanks for the replies. I have cast iron now and I will look for cast iron in my next one. In no particular order, I'm looking at Myers, Liberty, and Zoeller pumps. My current pump is a Zoeller, and maybe I'm expecting too much from it, but when I read others get 8-10 years and mine is going at 3 makes me want to try something else. It isnt my first one either. Looking to buy locally as well.

Only three years of use sounds like a possible check valve failure. Did it seem to run all the time?

 

[RugerRog]

Only three years of use sounds like a possible check valve failure. Did it seem to run all the time?

Left out this important detail. It is the switch, it was stuck in the off position, and it wasnt running. My back up triggered and we heard the alarm. It's a 1/2 horse unit. I've been reading the biggest complaint with Zoellers is the switch.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I have a Wayne sump pump currently in my crawl space that I installed in 1998. I can't remember the horse-power rating of the pump, but it has kept my crawl space pumped out for going on 19 years, and when it rains, I can hear it kick on and off, sometimes on and on.

I attribute it's long life to it being just a good piece of design and workmanship, and the fact that I plumbed it in so that I didn't need a check valve (they are pump killers).

 

[Fawkes]

Zoeller sumps

 

[myhightechsec]

We were careless and replaced a 1/2 horse pump with a smaller pump... six months later had to pull it out because it just couldn't keep up with the needs. We found out that the horsepower is not the critical factor... it is the gallon per hour pumping capacity of the sump pump. Some pumps can be the same size... but vastly different GPH capacities.

https://pumpsselection.com/sump-pump-gallons-per-minute-58-to-84-gpm.html

 

[Cozy439]

I have a Wayne sump pump currently in my crawl space that I installed in 1998. I can't remember the horse-power rating of the pump, but it has kept my crawl space pumped out for going on 19 years, and when it rains, I can hear it kick on and off, sometimes on and on.

I attribute it's long life to it being just a good piece of design and workmanship, and the fact that I plumbed it in so that I didn't need a check valve (they are pump killers).

How do you plumb it so a check valve is not needed? Is this a plumbing issue (Pipes etc) or an issue of where your pump is in relation to where the water is going (A short lift or drained w/ natural fall)?

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

How do you plumb it so a check valve is not needed? Is this a plumbing issue (Pipes etc) or an issue of where your pump is in relation to where the water is going (A short lift or drained w/ natural fall)?

It's both really. I'm fortunate that my sump pump is in a crawl space and it's only pumping against three or four feet of head, and that's probably the main reason that the pump has lasted so long.

As far as plumbing, mine has a pipe going straight up from the pump to a T, which has a vent valve on the top and the horizontal pipe going out through the block. The pipe goes out, through the block and down, just about a foot under ground, and into a plastic catch basin that is connected to a tile gravity drain. When the pump kicks on, the air valve is forced closed and the water is pumped out to the catch basin. When the pump kicks off, the air valve opens and the water in the vertical pipe drains back into the sump and the water in the horizontal pipe (which slopes so that it now drains by gravity) flows on out to the catch basin.

My vertical pipe, about four feet long, holds a little more than half a gallon of water. When the pump kicks off and that water runs back into the sump, it doesn't amount to enough to cover the pump. Now a twelve foot pipe from a basement would hold close to two gallons, but in a large sump, with a float that's set to allow the sump to pump down, it still seems doable. The key is to install your air valve at the highest point in the vertical line and to slope your horizontal line out to the outlet. It also helps that my sump holds probably over 25 gallons, so a little water running back into it when the pump kicks off isn't a big deal. The smaller your sump and the taller your vertical pipe, the less practical this set-up would be.

 

[BE Mike]

I have a 10 foot basement and water is always going into the crock, even in dry weather. I also have a gooey, mud that ends up clogging up the intake holes in a sump pump over an extended period of time. That mud also accumulates in the discharge pipes over time. My recommendation is to make sure that your pipes are clean. Replace them with new ones, if necessary. I also use an inline check valve and replace them with a new one when I replace the sump pump. For me, having a sump pump with a lot of power helps keep the pipes flushed out. After 18 years experience with sump pumps, I finally found one that suits me. That being said, I buy a new sump pump every couple of years and clean out the old one as a spare. This is the sump pump I've settled on: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-0-75-HP-Aluminum-Submersible-Sump-Pump/3880627

 

[Sailor]

Zoeller sumps

This, they are the best.

And your back up pump should have a separate pvc tubing out of your house.