GregN31
New Member
Looking for ideas and advice:
Own a split level home, sump pump and sump pit in basement utility room with 1/2 HP Simer pump. Doesn't run too often, but when we have heavy rains it can run pretty regularly for hours or even days intermittently (never non-stop).
1. Does anyone have any experience with Sump Pump battery backup solutions, for example the "Basement Watchdog Emergency" system? I've got a 1/2" HP Simer pump and I wanted to either get a second pump to put on a shelf in case the primary fails at 3 in the morning. But that has limitations - doesn't help if power goes out and would be hard to install at 3am when water is filling the pit. Wondering if the battery backup solutions that have a second pump you install in the pit are worthwile. I appear to have adequate room to put in the second pump and required hardware.
The most inexpensive solution they offer isn't really much more than a good quality 1/2" HP sump pump anyway, so I was thinking it might be worth it if they work well.
2. We're in the north and last winter we had a scenario where it warmed up enough where we had heavy rains that caused the drain tile to drain water into the pit for days. Shortly after the heavy rain, the temperature dropped again. I woke up one morning and heard the pump motor humming non-stop. I discovered the water in the discharge pipe outside had frozen. Thus, the sump pump was trying to run but the water had no where to go. Had to unplug flexible hose outside and pump finally was able to empty pit. I spent next several days watching the situation. When I discovered it, the water was getting almost to the top of the pit where it would have flooded the basement.
The obvious first step is to make sure the hose has a downward slope outside. Done, but the problem is the PVC for the discharge pipe comes out of the house about 1 foot above the ground line and my land is just barely sloped so its hard to keep the hose long outside to get water away from the house and still have adequate slope to flush the line out. My idea was this - just on the outside of the house where the rigid 1.5" PVC comes out, can't I put on some sort of adapter (a T or Y adapter for example) between the rigid PVC stub on the outside of the house where I connect the flexible tubing with the hose clamp so that if the primary path (the flexible hose) freezes on me, the water can shoot out the alternate path? I've seen brand names for devices like I'm thinking, but from what I can find they are sold with total solutions, brands are things like the "Ice Guard" or "Freeze Stop". I'd think one could devise something pretty cheap. My problem is I could just install a T easy enough, but how or what could one use to make the water flow through the primary line (the flexible tubing into the grass) and ONLY use the backup path (going through the T) when the water has no other place to go. Is there a generic piece or valve I could buy to put on the portion of the T (or a Y fitting pointing away from the house would work to) so that it only opens when water is forced through it in sufficient pressure. I suppose if I used a T and the outlet pointed straight up (turn the "T" upside down so the vertical part of the T points to the sky), that even if there was nothing on the part pointing up that water would only come out of there if the normal path was completely clogged. However, in this case it might look funny and not accomplish much because you'd have a geyser shooting straight up which would probably come right back down and drain into the tile and cause a infinite loop. Any other suggestion would be helpful as well. I would think a cheap and easy solution exists to this problem, just for a fail safe peace of mind.
See attachment for a diagram of what I'm talking about to help visualize this.
Thanks!
Own a split level home, sump pump and sump pit in basement utility room with 1/2 HP Simer pump. Doesn't run too often, but when we have heavy rains it can run pretty regularly for hours or even days intermittently (never non-stop).
1. Does anyone have any experience with Sump Pump battery backup solutions, for example the "Basement Watchdog Emergency" system? I've got a 1/2" HP Simer pump and I wanted to either get a second pump to put on a shelf in case the primary fails at 3 in the morning. But that has limitations - doesn't help if power goes out and would be hard to install at 3am when water is filling the pit. Wondering if the battery backup solutions that have a second pump you install in the pit are worthwile. I appear to have adequate room to put in the second pump and required hardware.
The most inexpensive solution they offer isn't really much more than a good quality 1/2" HP sump pump anyway, so I was thinking it might be worth it if they work well.
2. We're in the north and last winter we had a scenario where it warmed up enough where we had heavy rains that caused the drain tile to drain water into the pit for days. Shortly after the heavy rain, the temperature dropped again. I woke up one morning and heard the pump motor humming non-stop. I discovered the water in the discharge pipe outside had frozen. Thus, the sump pump was trying to run but the water had no where to go. Had to unplug flexible hose outside and pump finally was able to empty pit. I spent next several days watching the situation. When I discovered it, the water was getting almost to the top of the pit where it would have flooded the basement.
The obvious first step is to make sure the hose has a downward slope outside. Done, but the problem is the PVC for the discharge pipe comes out of the house about 1 foot above the ground line and my land is just barely sloped so its hard to keep the hose long outside to get water away from the house and still have adequate slope to flush the line out. My idea was this - just on the outside of the house where the rigid 1.5" PVC comes out, can't I put on some sort of adapter (a T or Y adapter for example) between the rigid PVC stub on the outside of the house where I connect the flexible tubing with the hose clamp so that if the primary path (the flexible hose) freezes on me, the water can shoot out the alternate path? I've seen brand names for devices like I'm thinking, but from what I can find they are sold with total solutions, brands are things like the "Ice Guard" or "Freeze Stop". I'd think one could devise something pretty cheap. My problem is I could just install a T easy enough, but how or what could one use to make the water flow through the primary line (the flexible tubing into the grass) and ONLY use the backup path (going through the T) when the water has no other place to go. Is there a generic piece or valve I could buy to put on the portion of the T (or a Y fitting pointing away from the house would work to) so that it only opens when water is forced through it in sufficient pressure. I suppose if I used a T and the outlet pointed straight up (turn the "T" upside down so the vertical part of the T points to the sky), that even if there was nothing on the part pointing up that water would only come out of there if the normal path was completely clogged. However, in this case it might look funny and not accomplish much because you'd have a geyser shooting straight up which would probably come right back down and drain into the tile and cause a infinite loop. Any other suggestion would be helpful as well. I would think a cheap and easy solution exists to this problem, just for a fail safe peace of mind.
See attachment for a diagram of what I'm talking about to help visualize this.
Thanks!
