Recent content by vitaminj

Never mind. You win :) My pump runs for six seconds then is off for 30 seconds during heavy rain or thaws. I'm still surprised that your pumps die so quickly.

I may be wrong, but you should still be able to get Zoeller or Hydromatic in Canada, but you may have to go through mail order or a plumping supply warehouse. Big box home improvement stores don't carry those brands. Neither do most local hardware stores. I second what a previous commenter...

You may not be able to get rid of the smell, but sealing the sump cover might help keep the smell in the pit. I've seen some radon sumps that have a peace of plexiglass caulked to the floor to seal the pit. Just my .02.

I'm no pumpologist, but you should be okay pumping the sump dry as long as you have a weep hole drilled in your discharge pipe. This will allow water to enter the pump and prime it so it doesn't air lock when it is needed. If anyone sees anything wrong with my explanation, please correct me...

I'm not a big fan of water powered sump pumps either. I have one in addition to my AC primary and DC battery backup. It doesn't seem to do anything other than make noise and bubbles in the pit and add some awkward plumbing to my basement. I'm actually planning on getting rid of it. Just my 2...

Its probably silt from the ground water that is entering the pit. I get it in my pit alot too.

I agree about having the second pump. I do have 2 pumps now, but I don't feel very confident in my battery backup. As far as pump activity goes, my pump can go from running a couple of times a day to running every minute for a couple of days straight. It just depends on how hard it is...

I have been looking for alternatives to my basement watchdog battery backup system. The one that has caught my eye is the Sumpro battery backup http://sumpro.com/sumpro.htm. I'm interested in this because it lets you use any standard 115 VAC sump pump and a seperate float switch. Plus you can...

Thanks for the response Bob! After sleeping on it and brainstorming some more, the 28" diameter regular round sump liner could be a possibility. My wife and I have been talking about demolishing the bathroom that is to the right of the sump pits for awhile. If we moved the pit to the right...

Interesting. I'm gathering that a rectangular sump wouldn't be structurally sound then. I appreciate your response Bob. I will investigate the block idea further. I was looking at making a 20" x 30" rectangular pit that would have been 30" deep. I have no idea what the arc would be for an...

Well I have started doing some measurements in my basement and have come to the conclusion, I will not be able to use a large plastic sump liner. Upon further inspection of my floor, it also appears that the sewer line runs between my 2 sump pits. The house had a septic tank at one point but...

I'll keep that in mind. If I'm going to put the time and money into this project, I might as well do it right. I'll definitely look into them. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to respond. Its very helpful. This is my first major project for my house and I don't want to mess it...

I agree with getting the non automatic version of any pump. The Ridgid pump that came with my house worked, but the built in float switch stopped working reliably. I rigged it up to work with a piggyback tethered float switch to get me through until my Zoeller N98 arrived (I realize now the...

Thanks ZP! I kind of had a feeling it didn't matter. After doing some more googling, I found some places that market the basin as sump or sewage. I guess I should have googled harder before asking that question :D I'm just happy to get confirmation of my suspicion. Also after cleaning out...

I've been thinking about totally redoing the sump pits in my recently purchased house and I need some advice and feedback for my plan to redo them. I currently have 2 clay sump pits, 1 that is attached to 4 inch drain tile and one that is not attached to any drain tile. The pit with the...