Information Text:

Brad Isley/L.E. Isley & Sons Inc.:  “Anybody that has a sump pump pit needs a sump pump. If you have a basement you have a sump pump pit and if you have a crawlspace you’ll have a sump pump pit so you’ll need a sump pump. Older homes sometimes do not have a sump pump pit and there are companies out there that will put those pits in and run the piping. There are a lot of different model, sizes, and horsepower on a sump pump. It’s based on your application. A traditional home uses a 1/3 horsepower sump pump. Some of your larger homes or large commercial buildings use 1/3 or 1 horsepower sump pump. How you determine the horsepower is based on the lift and the lift is based on the bottom of the pit to the highest point the water has to travel. So a residential sump pump usually has a lift from anywhere to 8-14 feet. Battery backup is important if you have assets you want to protect. So if you have a basement whether its finished or unfinished and you have something in there you want to protect then you need a backup sump pump of some version. As far as maintenance on it the biggest thing you can do is keep your pit clean. There is construction debris; there is stuff that falls in there. Your lines that come into the pit have gravel and debris in them. Clean out your pit because you don’t want that stuff getting going into your pump and hurting your propeller and motor and stuff so that’s the biggest thing you can do. The second thing is just making sure it works. Don’t wait until the last minute to find out your sump pump isn’t working. Check the switch, unplug it, plug it in, dump some water down there. Just don’t be putting anything in the pit that is corrosive.”

Angie’s List Tips:

Sump pumps:

• Detects water & pumps it outside, way from home
• Backup is important in case of power outage
• Keep your pit clean
• Test regularly
• Test your pump:
  • Remove the cover and slowly pour water into the sump tank.
  • Watch for the "float" to rise and trigger the pump.
  • Once engaged, the water level will quickly lower & the float will shut off the pump.
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