Homeowner On a Budget- Sump Pump Installs

[mark5767]

Here are some shots of a recent replacement and I did with help of info on this forum. I have 2 pits that are pretty active whenever it rains. They are opposite sides of the basement, one in an unfinished utility room and the other in a cabinet in a finished room we use for the kids playroom.

I’m not sure if the drain tiling is connected, the house was built in 1990 and we bought it in 2003. There are no signs the space has been flooded ever, but the sump system was pretty sketchy when we moved in. I replaced the old pedestal pumps with submersibles and added battery back ups to both.

Here is the replacement I did in the utility room, installed a Zoeller M53 and kept the existing Watchdog Special backup.

I got rid of some 90 deg elbows on the backup to help reduce pressure on it. The M53 pumps 34gpm, the backup 29gpm, so it’s a little wimpy, but has done ok over the last six years when the power has gone out or the main pump has failed (the switch died recently).

For anyone living around the MN/WI area I picked up the Zoeller pump and check valves from JH Larson in St Paul. Very nice folks and the pump was less than $120 and the valves around $8 per. This is less than you pay for poorer quality stuff at the big boxes, pretty ironic. The valves are noticeably nicer and the pump appears rock solid.

It’s not too loud, but I covered the 1.5†pipes with a piece of cut up coupling where they go through the cover and that helped reduce noise and vibration even more. I also cleaned some gravel out of the bottom and cut back the drain tiling to make more room. Both pits are 17" diameter by 24" deep. I placed a couple of paving stones in both pits to raise the main and backup pumps up and out of any residual sediment. The water is surprisingly clear in both holes.

I probably should raise the backup battery at least 12-18†off the floor, it’s only 5†currently.

The other sump pit is in a confined cabinet space. I placed some pieces of sub flooring and carpet over the cover and it’s very quiet, just noticeable when the kids are hanging out down there.

The main pump is a Flotec 7000 ¾ HP 84gpm and the backup is a low end Ace in the Hole with small sealed battery (24M) and pump at 18gpm. This is definitely the weak link in the system right now, it also runs through 2 90 deg elbows, but the space is tight so I’m not sure how to re-pipe better at the moment. I will at least replace the battery which is 5 years old with a new 27M for around $130.

Anyway, just thought I would share if anyone has similar setups and/or recommendations to improve this set up without breaking the bank. Given we spent in excess of $10k to finish the basement it doesn’t make too much sense to skimp on the sumps, but I am on a pretty tight budget right now.

Thanks!

 

[Bubb1957]

Beware of Flotec

I speak from experience. The Flotec 3/4 hp with the "lifetime" warranty will let you down sooner than later! Mine lasted only 4 months each time, I also have a very active pit. I now use Stevens SS57a, so far so good. Your Zoller set up looks good, although the switch will go out long before the pump in that one.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mark5767]

Thanks, I gathered that Flotec is not the best regarded brand from some other comments, I will probably replace with another Zoeller M53 at some point, those are nice looking affordable pumps, built in Kentucky to boot?

While I am boring you guys with my set up I might as well have you look at the discharges. Our backyard is in the middle of a rolling clayish hill and used to turn into a swamp every spring, especially with two sump hoses running onto it every season. So 4 years ago I got permission from my neighbor to run 3" slotted drain tile under his yard and into a ditch on the other side of his property. This helped get rid of a swamp in his yard too, and since I paid for the whole thing he was pretty much ok with it.

The sump discharges go from 1.5" PVC into 3" PVC then down into the ground and run though solid 3" PVC for about 10 feet to get water away from the foundation. Then they connect to the 3" slotted drain tile which runs about 30 yards underground to the ditch.

This has totally solved the swamp issue, and it's nice not to be dragging discharge hoses around when mowing the lawn, very clean.

I do worry about the 3" tile clogging over time (maybe should've used 4"?). I helped a pro install it with proper graveling so hopefully it holds up for a while. I do worry about the outdoor PVC freezing during the fall. Since I live in Minnesota it gets really cold in the fall, yet the pumps still run for a while into the fall as things are freezing up. Once the ground freezes the pits stop filling and the pumps don't run. I think the 3" pipe is big enough to avoid ice clogging it, but I thought about covering it with some sort of insulation, though we haven't had a problem over the last 4 seasons.

Too much info, I know, but when you have water problems it can get pretty personal!

 

[Ian Gills]

It all looks very nice.

If you want to almost completely eliminate the noise from your Zoeller (except the click from the switch) then may I suggest insulating those PVC pipes.

As soon as I put my discharge pipes behind insulation, the reduction in noise was incredible.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Your install looks pretty clean- well done!

A couple of thoughts-
Instead of the solid connection where the 1-1/2" goes into the 3" I recommend turning the 1-1/2" downward where it comes out of the wall and then leaving an air gap between the two pipes where the transition is. This way if the 3" becomes plugged or freezes it will overflow outside instead of blowing off a coupler inside and flooding the basement.

The other thing is that it looks like your downspout is connected to the system. I would think about the likelihood of leaves and debris from the gutter clogging the slotted drain tile. If your drainage system is easy to clean then it's not much of a concern. Here we use 4" and install a cleanout y-fitting for every 50' of drain.