A dry basement can be a hard thing to come by without an effective waterproofing and drainage system in place.
There are several components that work together to keep your basement dry and healthy––however there is one piece of the puzzle that is crucial; and that’s the sump pump.
The sump pump is responsible for pumping the water collected from your drain tile out of the sump basin, and away from your foundation. Without a sump pump, your waterproofing system is rendered essentially useless, and will do little more and provide an easier route for water to flood your basement. For that reason, it’s important to make sure your sump pump is working as lightly and efficiently as possible.
Maximizing Sump Pump Efficiency
Discharge Line
This one’s important. Your discharge line, commonly consisting of 1 1/2″ PVC pipe, is responsible for channeling the water from the sump pump, through the wall, and out to the exterior of the home.
It’s important to make sure your discharge line is as short and direct as possible. The longer the pipe is and the more turns (fittings) the water has to hit, the harder the pump has to work to get it outside. This can drastically decrease the life of your sump pump, putting your basement at risk.
Size of Basement
Depending on the size of your basement and waterproofing system, 1 pump may not be enough. Generally, it is recommended that another sump basin and pump be installed every 150 linear feet, using standard 1/2 HP pumps. The purpose of this is to decrease the workload of each pump, and increase the amount of water being discharged.
Minimize Water Recycling
The first rule of being efficient: don’t do things twice. This golden rule extends to your sump pump as well. Recycling happens when water is allowed to channel back down along the foundation and be re-processed by the pump, creating and endless cycle of pump, seep, pump, seep.
Be sure to extend your discharge line at least 4-6 feet away from your foundation, and double check to make sure that it, as well as the soil, is graded downward away from your foundation. This same rule should be applied to gutter downspout extensions as well.
And there you have it, these simple sump pump efficiency tips have proven very useful for many of our customers in the past, and hopefully for you as well.
As always, if you have any questions you may contact us anytime by clicking here.
