Q: What can I do about a sump pump that comes on every fifteen minutes?
We've finished a 600 sq. ft. addition on our 140-year-old home, and the sump
pump in this new area runs a lot. It drains just outside one of the basement
windows into our dog run, creating a sloppy wintertime mess. With the pump
doing so much work, I'm concerned about what will happen during a power
failure. Is there such a thing as a backup pump?
A: You've definitely got a situation that needs attention, and you should
begin by directing the water further away from your house. Is there a ditch
or sloped area where your sump pump drainage pipe can be extended into?
Besides keeping your dog run tidier, this change might even solve your
entire problem. I've seen situations like yours where basement water is
pumped up and out into the yard, only to seep back down into the soil and
into the basement again. The trick is to get the water far enough away to
prevent this. Was your old basement wet like the new one is? If not, then
sump water back-cycling is almost certainly your main problem. For houses
that really do depend on a sump pump, I recommend you install a second unit
with a battery back-up feature. These include a deep-cycle 12-volt battery
that keeps the pump operating even during a power failure. The battery is
kept fully-charged from a wall outlet when the power is on, and
automatically kicks in when needed, even during an outage.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
