How do I remove my sump pump?

Anna
by Anna

In heavy rains, I have a few inches of rain in my sump pump. It is 4 feet deep which I believe is below the normal table for water here in St. Charles, Mo.. My sump pump was not a requirement because it is a walk out basement. My contractor felt one should be in every house he builds. My problem is I never know when the pump is going to stop working so I replace it every 3 years. Can I have some thoughts as to why I should keep it? Is there a remedy to replacing the pump every 3 years? I buy a Smith and Causfield and it is a 3/4 pump. Is there a better one?

  6 answers
  • William William on Mar 13, 2019

    Sounds like your pit is way too deep. Never heard of a pit being that deep. Is anything connected to the sump pit? Do you have perimeter drainage like a French drain connected to the sump pit? What is the purpose of the pit overall? Most of the time a perimeter drain system is tied into the sump system. when water gets too high from rains it drains into the sump pit and the sump pump ejects it into the either the sewer system or away from the property. A sump pump only needs to be replaced when it stops working. 3/4 Hp pump seems a little overkill. 1/2 Hp would be sufficient. A sump pump is always good to have in case of basement flooding due to rain which can seep through basement walls and backup through sewer lines.

    • Anna Anna on Mar 15, 2019

      William, Thank you for your help.

      I believe they set the pump too deep as well. The builder stated that a 12 inch French drain was installed around the house. The basement flooded once when the pump stopped working. I was told to replace the pump every 3 years due to dry rot. One year we had a lot of rain 7 days in a row and the pump stopped while I was out of town and of course it flooded the basement. The builder put the sump to the left of the door instead of putting it in the utilities area of the basement.

      Pictures below 1. the convergence of both hills in front of the basement door, 2. right side of the basement, 3. left side of the basement. In front of the basement door is the lowest point of the yard as evidenced by the sitting water ( dark spot) in front of the door).

  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Mar 13, 2019

    Does it break every 3 years? I've had mine,for 28 years, still works. I can hear,it when it comes on. Don't know brand, just something the plumber installed.

    • Anna Anna on Mar 15, 2019

      no I was told to replace it every 3 years by the plumber due to dry rot.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Mar 13, 2019

    We had a sump go out once in a really heavy rain back in the eighties. If it wasn't for the washing machine next to the sump hole, I would have had a flooded basement. Hubby went to the hardware store for a new one while I used a bucket to empty the sump hole into the washing machine and run the spin cycle. Our sump hole was about three feet deep. We always heard ours when it went off. It is a good preventative measure. We have one in this house and have been here four years and never heard it go off, but all of our neighbors have had water in their basements the last couple of years and we haven't had a drop.

    • Anna Anna on Mar 15, 2019

      I was out of town Nancy, when the pump stopped working. We had 7 days of continuous rain. I had 3 inches of water from the pump in a 3000 sq foot basement. My pump is super quiet. It is hard to hear standing next to it. The plumber told me to replace it every 3 years due to dry rot. I do travel to see family and really did not want to be worried about the basement flooding again. I thought if I removed the sump pump I would not have to worry about it anymore.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Mar 15, 2019

    The plumber put in a French drain to try to stop your basement from flooding. A French drain can only handle so much water in Long torrential rains and the result could be a flooded basement. Having the sump pump will just work out better in case you do have another one of those rains. Would you rather have a dry basement or run the possibility of coming home to a flood again in the basement. I would keep the sump and replace it every few years. I would contact the manufacturer to see just how often you should replace it due to dry rot. I am sure the sump pump has a warranty for failure of the unit, I would check on that, too. Our sump pump years ago was in a pretty deep hole, but it was also on a block of wood to raise it up a little in the hole. We also at that time lived on reclaimed swamp land.

    • Anna Anna on Mar 15, 2019

      Thanks Nancy, you are so right! I have lived here 25 years and just starting to have problems. I am truly blessed.

  • William William on Mar 15, 2019

    I don't know what the plumber meant by dry rot. Pump is either made of ABS plastic or cast iron. Nothing there to "dry" rot. With seven days of rain the pump could have stopped working on overload. It may have just overheated and the thermal overload stopped it until it cooled off. You may consider adding a second pump raised above the main pump in case of main pump failure or a backup battery pump. I also assume he put in a deeper pit to catch more water before the pump turns on or it would be running more often or all the time with a smaller pit.

    • Anna Anna on Mar 15, 2019

      thank you. The pump is cast iron. I did call the manufacturer, which I will do in the future as well. He was more knowledgeable than the plumber. You have been more informative than both people. Thank you, research, research, research.

  • William William on Mar 15, 2019

    Your welcome, Anna. Was in the business for a long time. Anyhing more comes up just ask.