Sump Pump Installation Steps

In the first step of the sump pump installation process, a sump pump pit is excavated for the liner and pump to be placed in. This protects your sump pump from the mud and debris around the pump pit. It’s important that the sump pit is large enough, but not too large. If sump pump installation is to be done in a small pit, a sump pump can pump water out faster than it can fill the liner, causing them to turn on and off quickly and burn out sooner. Sump pits that are too large tend to go too deeply into the ground, pumping out water far below your home, causing unnecessary work and electricity usage. Sump pumps are most effective at removing water from under your basement floor when located in the lowest spot of the floor. Your certified waterproofing specialist will determine the ideal spot for sump pump installation by using a laser level. If the sump cannot be located in the low spot, a PVC feed line should be run through the floor from the low spot to the sump pump location.

For reliable sump pump installation, it’s a good idea to install a perimeter French drain system, like BasementGutter®. In this sump pump installation process, the floor around the edge of the basement is jack-hammered, and a layer of clean stone is set down. A perimeter drain is installed on top of the stone, and is backfilled with more clean stone. The purpose of this drain is to collect water from the basement wall-floor joint, the basement walls and from under the basement floor, and direct it to the installed sump pump. Our patented BasementGutter® Basement Drainage System includes a wall flange that extends slightly up the basement wall to collect water that may leak from the walls. If you have one of our basement wall products installed, the wall covering will be tucked behind the flange to direct moisture from the walls into your drain. If your home has concrete block walls, weep holes will be drilled in the blocks at the very bottom to relieve the water and the pressure from the walls.

During sump pump installation, a special outlet connects the perimeter drain to the sump pump system and clean gravel is backfilled around the sump pump liner. This gravel helps to keep your sump pump system as clean as possible, discouraging silt and sediment from entering the liner. An airtight sump pump lid including rubber grommets around all pipes and wires keeps odors and humidity from rising out of the sump pit, while also preventing items and debris from falling in from the basement floor. This is an essential step in sump pump installation, as having an airtight, secure lid on your liner is also excellent in preventing animals and children from attempting to play in the water. If you have a secondary pump installed in the pit, an additional discharge line will be installed. This prevents the pipes from being overwhelmed and also ensures the pumps won’t pump back and forth between each other. Discharge lines should never be tied together on the inside of your home.

To complete the sump pump installation, the floor is restored flush for a clean, attractive look. Our system does not leave a gap around the perimeter of the basement floor which can collect dust, debris, and other items that can clog your waterproofing system. This helps ensure better drainage and a more reliable system, and it provides a clean, neat, and professional basement repair and sump pump installation. Outside, an anti-freeze device called FreezeGuard is usually installed. The discharge line is buried underground, while the installer is careful to remove sections of the lawn in whole pieces before making the trench for the pipe. This helps to ensure the least disruption to your landscaping throughout sump pump installation. A special outlet is installed flush with the ground and is safe for lawn mower or lawn tractor traffic.

Our sump pump installation crew takes extra care to leave your basement clean, neat, and clear of debris for you at the end of the installation. Dust is cleaned from the basement floor and the discharge line outside is inspected to be sure that the water is being discharged to an appropriate location. We remove all debris in which we create, and most times customers comment their basement is cleaner than before we started sump pump installation! To allow for future testing or inspection, Foundation Recovery Systems will install several ports in the perimeter drain, where a hose or dehumidifier drainage line can be inserted. During annual checkups and sump pump maintenance, this helps us with testing and inspection.

If you’re looking for ways to protect your home from seepage, flooding, or water damage in general, then you’re going to want to employ waterproofing solutions to your advantage. One such solution, the sump pump, can help you control the flow of water through your home.  

If you need a tool to help keep water out of a section of your basement, you’ll want to take advantage of a sump pump. Sump pumps help drive water out of your home courtesy of charged force. Should you find yourself faced with bad weather or the threat of a flood, you should be able to contend with the problem at hand. 

Sump Pump Accessories 

Note that the basic sump pump can help you protect your home from a substantial amount of damage. Even so, you may find yourself interested in the different accessories you can equip your sump pump with. These can include: 

• Alarms. If your pump fails to turn on in the midst of a storm or flood, then alarms affiliated with the system can start to go off to let you know that something’s wrong. 

• Sump liners. Sump pump liners help keep the inner workings of your sump pump secure, even after long-term exposure to high levels of moisture or excessive standing water. 
• Airtight lids. The water that makes its way into your home isn’t always the cleanest. An airtight sump pump lid helps keep those unpleasant smells—and additional humidity—from reaching the rest of your home. 
• Sump stands. Sump pump stands help separate your pump from its liner, meaning that any debris a liner pulls away from the pump won’t come into contact with the pump’s sensitive inner works. 
• FreezeGuard™ Discharge line protections. Any degree of freezing weather that starts to impact your home can have a devastating effect on your sump pump. The inner workings of your pump can start to take on damage, even as the pipes themselves freeze and fail to protect your home. However, the FreezeGuard™ discharge line attachment can see you through even the coldest of winters. This exterior line attachment allows water being pumped out by your sump pump system to continue to drain even if the line is blocked or frozen. 

The Drawbacks of Sump Pumps 

That said, sump pumps are not infallible home waterproofing devices. These pumps, as mentioned, must be plugged in to work effectively. If the power goes out during a storm, your pump will no longer protect you from flooding. That said, you can just as easily invest in a backup battery sump pump if you’re concerned about power outages in your area. A battery backup sump pump can work just as well as a traditional sump pump, albeit for less time. While you should never try to permanently replace a standard sump pump with a battery backup, a backup should tide you over until the last of the rain has left your area. 

Note, too, that sump pumps are the ideal waterproofing measures to install in your home if you’re contending with concentrated water damage. If instead you’re seeing flooding throughout the whole of your basement, then you may want to invest in something like an interior drainage system. Interior drains work best when paired with sump pumps. Any water that seeps inside your basement is intercepted by the sub-floor interior drainage system, and this water is immediately channeled to the sump pump to be removed. 

When to Install a Sump Pump 

Sump pumps are hardworking waterproofing measures designed to help control moisture levels in a specific part of your home. These systems best suit homes that see concentrated seepage or flooding. 

With that in mind, you’ll want to take advantage of a sump pump if water tends to appear in only one part of your basement. You can often follow diagonal cracks or mold clusters to these spots, as these symptoms tend to indicate localized damage. 

The contractors you reach out to for sump pump installation will be able to take the stress of that installation off of your hands. That said, you can still keep up with the steps they’re taking to ensure that your sump pump does its job to the best of its ability. 

When installing a sump pump, the contractors you choose to work with will: 

Step 1: Find the Best Installation Location 

Much like shopping for a home, installing a sump pump is all about location, location, location. More often than not, you’ll want to try and install a sump pump in the part of your home that sees the most water damage on a regular basis. Sump pumps, after all, work best when they’re protecting your home from concentrated water damage. If you try to spread your sump pump’s reach out over a broader swath of basement, then you’re not as likely to see just how effective these pumps can be. 

Step 2: Dig Out a Pump Hole 

Once you’ve determined the best location for your sump pump, the contractors you’re working with can dig out a pump hole. The size of this hole will vary based on the brand and size of the sump pump you want to invest in. The process, however, should take no more than half a day and maybe less, provided you don’t have any cracks or other types of damage slowing down your work. 

Step 3: Insert Your Pump 

With the hole dug, contractors can place the appropriate sump liner in the hole and then set up your sump pump inside the liner, ensuring that it can reach the electrical source it needs to run properly. 

Step 4: Install a Check Valve 

With your sump pump plugged in and prepared to get to work, contractors can then go about fitting any accessories or necessary aids. Check valves, for example, keep the water your sump pump removes from your home from flowing back into your basement after a pump forces it out. Without a check valve in place, you risk dealing with not only the initial flow of water into your home but its return along with any debris it may have picked up along the way. 

Step 5: Install discharge lines 

Next, contractors will need to install exterior discharge lines that will help in taking water from your sump pump out of and away from your home. In establishing this system of pipes, you prevent the water you push out of your home from readily making its way back indoors. At the same time, you create a barrier between your basement and any groundwater that might approach it, effectively installing a drain at the same time you install your sump pump. 

Step 6: Seal Off Your Pipes 

With your pipes installed and your pump in place, contractors can apply sealant to any gaps or holes that might allow water to spill out of your system. 

Step 7: Cover Your Pump 

Last but not least, an airtight lid is placed on your sump pump to protect your system from unwanted damage. Once this work is done, you’ll be able to sit back, relax, and rest easy knowing that your home is unlikely to fall victim to water damage anytime soon. 

If you have experience working with sump pumps and addressing basement or foundation damage, then installing a sump pump won’t necessarily be a challenge for you. That said, it is far easier for professionals to do this kind of work for you. While DIY sump pump installation projects can help you protect your home, they can often do significant damage not only to your home’s structural supports but to your wallet as well. 

Losing Money on A DIY Sump Pump Installation 

When you try to take on a DIY sump pump installation, you have to contend with the complexities of not only preparing your home but hunting for the perfect sump pump without professional guidance. This means doing your own market research and guessing, based on what you know about your home, which of the available sump pumps in your area has enough power to help you contend with your degree of water damage. Not only will you have to go out and purchase that pump, but you’ll also have to secure the materials—from your piping to your sealant—to complete your installation. If you don’t have the tools on hand at home to help you dig out the perfect spot for your sump pump, then you may also have to make single-use tool purchases. 

Professional contractors, comparatively, not only have connections within their industry that can help you secure the pump you need but already have the tools on hand to see your installation through from start to finish. Working with a professional, then, can save you a significant amount on your repairs, as you won’t have to cost-compare sump pumps—or try to purchase one without an inner-industry discount. 

Damaging Your Home 

It’s always possible for something to go wrong in the middle of your installation. In some cases, you may make a mistake during your installation that makes the damage already done to your home worse. In other cases, you may accidentally cover up the symptoms of more significant water damage, allowing said water damage to fester in the weeks and months to come. 

When you’re faced with these kinds of problems, you’ll likely find yourself reaching out to a professional for guidance, as you’ll need to contend not only with any damage previously done to your home but with the damage your failed sump pump installation may have caused you to overlook. Unfortunately, a professional will have to charge you more for repair services after you’ve tried to install a sump pump without help. These higher costs factor in the removal of any DIY efforts you previously invested in, not to mention the repair of any structures you accidentally damaged in the midst of your work. In short, reaching out to a professional in the first place not only would have saved you money, but it also would have kept the overall structural integrity of your home intact. 

Installing a Sump Pump with Professional Guidance 

You don’t have to try and install a sump pump on your own time. Instead, you can reach out to the professionals serving your area. Together, you can inspect your basement and foundation for signs of water damage. Afterward, if you don’t have any damage that demands immediate attention, you can determine which sump pumps may best help you protect your home. Experts at Foundation Recovery Systems can provide you with a free quote noting how much an installation may cost and what other waterproofing measures your home may benefit from.