Long story short I just cut a cheque to replace our sump pump. We have been in the house just over a year and the home itself is only four years old, so I assume the sump pump that died was no older than that. The new one has a one year warranty, but I certainly hope it lasts longer than that!
So, what can I do to increase the chances of the new pump lasting longer than the first one. We live in an area with a pretty high water table. When the pump was functioning properly it was going off about 6 times an hour. My neighbour, who has lived in the area longer than we have, went through 3 pumps in two years :eek:. After finishing our basement I do not want to deal with water damage. I’ve been through that at our old house, and it was not fun. Any suggestions?
Cycling 6 times an hour? That is way too much. As a guess its the on and off that causes the premature failure as much as anything else. Would suggest you set it to run longer and lower the water level more for each cycle.
Don’t use a submersible. I’m sure there’s some brand out there that will never leak and short out, but its just easier to use the ones where the motor is mounted on a pole. A good one should last about 10 years, but you never know. I recommend having the backup on hand before the failure.
Also, make sure you can pump the water out in some manner that it will not freeze and block off the outlet hose. And make sure you have a check valve or some means of preventing a reverse siphoning of water back into your house.
Also, for some strange reasons, sump pumps almost always fail in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend when you’re not home.
Good point! And another advantage for the post mounted pumps. They usually have a much longer range of adjustment for the float actuator.
Which is why you need a backup. Preferably a water-powered backup (runs off water pressure from your water line) instead of a battery backup because unless you are awesome you will not remember to maintain your battery and a battery only lasts so long if it has to work during a power outage.
I’m on my 3rd pump in 5 years, and I finally feel good everything now. The pump I have now doesn’t have a float arm…I forget what this type is called. I also have a bigger exit pipe than I used to. The original pipe was smaller than the output pipe on the pump, so I had to have an adapter. I paid to get the right size pipe put in. I also paid to upgrade the pipe that goes from the house to the street, as the old one was sort of small and under the ditch water a lot. And, I got my first backup, which I love because if the main pump gets overwhelmed it will kick on, or if the power goes out it will kick on, so I basically don’t have to worry about it at all anymore.
I haven’t had any problems since I got my new setup. KNOCK ON WOOD.