If you have a sump pump in your Carlock home, but you don’t know what it does or how it operates, then you should consider taking some time to understand how sump pumps function. Learning a thing or two about the sump pump in your home will allow you to notice when there’s a problem with it and know when to call a plumber to repair it.
Sump pumps are common in areas where the water table is high, flooding is common, or heavy rainstorms are frequent. The purpose of a sump pump is to protect your home against water damage, and sump pumps are installed in sump pits, or sump basins, below basements and crawl spaces to accumulate groundwater that would otherwise seep through the foundations of homes. The sump pump then redirects the water away from the house. Sump pits are holes with gravel bases that are 2 feet deep and 18 inches wide. When water fills the sump pit, a float switch activates the sump pump, and the water flows down a pipe and away from the home. A check valve keeps the water from traveling back into the pit.
Household sump pumps operate using electric currents from homes, and your plumber may recommend that you install a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) on the outlet to avoid electrocution because the sump pump is often surrounded by water. Power outages can threaten a sump pump’s ability to divert the flow of water away from a home, so having a water-powered sump pump or a sump pump with a backup battery is a good idea if your location experiences power outages during severe weather frequently.
Installing a sump pump is a good way to waterproof your home and protect your belongings. If you suspect a moisture problem in your home, tape 2-foot sections of plastic onto the floor of the lowest level of your house in multiple places. Look underneath the plastic after a couple days, and if the floor is wet, you should consult with your plumber and take actions to reduce the amount of moisture in and around your home.
If you’ve noticed excess moisture in the basement or crawl spaces of your home or if water pools around your home’s foundation, you should seriously consider installing a sump pump to improve drainage on your property. Not all municipalities require sump pump installations in homes, but if you think installing a sump pump would help keep your Carlock home and property dry, you should share your interest in sump pumps with a reputable plumber at Sunkel Plumbing.
