What Is a Sump Pump?
Underground spaces, be it a basement, storage room, or even just a separate living area, all need to be protected against floodwaters. Because these spaces are below ground level, water that falls into the soil eventually trickles down below ground level and can leak into these underground rooms, damaging them or even causing flooding. To protect against this, your underground space is equipped with a sump basin, or a collection area where intruding water collects and is safely kept away from everything else.
Whereas your home can utilize gravity to dispose of water in your sewer system via a system of rain gutters and surface drains, your basement simply can’t do this because it is already below the level of the sewer itself. Therefore, water in a sump basin needs to be pumped out, and that’s what your sump pump takes care of. This system utilizes and electric motor to lift water back up to ground level, where it is drained away in a drain system that carries it, along with other collected rainwater, out to the public sewer.
Types of Sump Pumps
There are two primary types of sump pump systems: submersible and pedestal pumps. Pedestal pumps sit with the motor outside of the sump basin, and they draw in the water through a feeder hose that is placed down at the bottom of the basin itself. These systems tend to last longer than submersible systems, but they generally make more noise when operating.
Submersible pumps are placed directly into the basin themselves. These units are typically waterproofed with heavy-duty materials and seals. They tend to be quieter to operate and are less prone to clogging or jamming, but they do wear out faster due to the fact that they are almost constantly submerged at least partially in water.
