Sump Pump Installation

If there is continued dampness in your basement, you might want to consider a sump pump. First thing to do, before considering installing a sump pump is to make sure the problem is'nt from the water from the outside leaders when it rains. A good portion of the time, if you check your rain water leaders and they are clogged, the water will stay by the house. That will cause the water to come into the basement. The rain water needs to be piped away from the house, this is a must, even if you decide to go ahead with the sump pump installation.

Now after checking the rain water leaders, look for a place in your basement, where the water will runs to, when it comes in from the outside. The lowest point in the basement floor is where you want to install the sump pump. Now you want to get a sump pump pit container.

Sump pump Liner
You can either go to a plumbing supply house, or one of the home improvement stores. You need to get a jack hammer, if the cement floor is not that thick, you can use a big sledge hammer to break it up. Measure the top of the sump pump pit you bought, draw a circle on the floor about six inches wider than the top of the sump pump pit container. This is where you will open up the floor for the sump pump pit container. Measure the height of the sump pump pit container. Dig down, deep enough to fit the sump pump pit container in the ground. Make sure the sump pump pit container has lots of holes all over it, about the size of a dime. Next you are ready to put the sump pump pit container in the ground. There should be, at least a six inch space all the way around the sump pump pit container when placed in the hole.

Sump Pump

Next you need to get crushed stone and fill it in the six inch space around the sump pump pit container. This is so the water can run freely in the sump pump pit container. Next once the sump pump pit container and crushed stone are and in place. You need to get cement and cement the floor around the sump pump pit container. If there are no holes in the top of the sump pump pit container you should drill some holes in it so the water can seep in.
Next you want to set the sump pump in the sump pump pit container. Put a PVC male adapter in the sump pump 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 either pipe size will work. You need a sump pump check valve, installed about a foot up the PVC piping.

Sump Pump Check Valve

Next you need to drill a little 1/8 inch hole right above the PVC male adapter. If you don't do this, the pump can get air locked and will not come on. Next you need to pipe the PVC to the wall and outside. Try to pipe it into a leader drain. If you can't pipe it away from the house the water will come back in the basement. In cold weather regions, you need to drill through the house below the frost line or the pipe will freeze in the winter when the sump pump comes on.