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another sump pump question

Question: We just bought a house in the country, and there seem to be a little problem with water in the basement. There is no sump pit in this basement. I would like to know , what is the way to install a sump pump. Do you have to dig the wall outside to get to the weeping tiles , or just digging a hole in the basement floor is enough? Does anybody know of a Web page where they explain about sump pump? Or does anybody could suggest some books to read about it?



Answer: I don't know of a homepage, but here is what you need to do: Digging the pit: Get a hammerdrill, Cut a 15"x15" hole in the corner of the basement that seems to be the wettest area. Continue drilling and digging until the pit is about 15" deep. Line the pit with something to keep the sides from falling in, some companies make perforated plastic "buckets" for this purpose. If you buy one of these units and the hole you made is too small, get out the old hammerdrill again Place a small brick in the bottom of the new pit, don't let the inlet of the pump rest on the bottom of the pit. This is just in case there is dirt in the pit, you do not want the dirt to get sucked up into the pump. It can really mess them up. Plumbing hookup: Using PVC pipe. Install the appropriate plumping pipe from the pump outlet, install a check valve just above the pump, make certain that the flow arrow points away from the pump! Continue the pipe run through the nearest wall's rim joist (drill a hole for the pipe, seal the edges of the hole with foam caulk), and then down hill from the house (dig a trench to put the pipe in, slope the trench at least 1" per 10 feet). By the way, unless you are on a septic field, you are not allowed to hook up the pump outlet to the sewer. Electrical hookup: Run a 14/2 cable from the electric panel to a spot near the pump, make sure it is close enough that the plug on the pump can reach it. Mount an outlet box on the wall, put the 14/2 wire in the box, install a GFCI recepticle in the box. At the panel: find an empty slot to install a 15 amp breaker. Connect the 14/2 wire to the panel and connect the white wire to the neutral buss bar, the bare copper wire to the ground buss, and the black wire to the breaker. If you don't have an empty slot in the panel you can take the power from a nearby outlet BUT be certain that you don't overload the circuit. Some sump pumps can draw 5 or 6 amps. If there is a pretty good size load on that circuit already you could be creating a problem If you do not know how to do electrical things get an electrician.




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