How to Install a Sump Pump

A sump pump can be a useful tool to help keep your home dry and divert water away from it. While you can hire a professional to install the sump pump in your Hamilton home, this is a job that you can do yourself if you are comfortable with DIY projects. The following are the steps you, or a professional, will have to take to install a sump pump. 

Find the Right Location

Before installing a sump pump, you need to find the right location for it. You will need to find a location where the water collects in your home, as the point of the pump is to get rid of the water. You will need to make sure the location is close enough to a Ground Fault Interrupter Outlet. If you don’t have one in the area where water collects, you can have an electrician come into your home and install one for you.                                                

Dig the Sump Pit

You will need to dig a hole that is about 6 inches deeper and 10 inches wider than the pump itself. Then you should place about 3 inches of gravel or other stones in the bottom of the hole and place the pump into the hole. After you do this, and the sump is placed in the hole appropriately, you’ll begin to put more gravel around it. You need to leave a couple of inches at the top of it exposed. Once you’ve done this, you’re going to be getting the pump ready to use. 

Adapters and Check Valve

Now you’ll want to attach the adapter to the discharge pipe, and then onto the pump itself.

If the operating manual that came with your Sump Pump calls for a Weep Hole, don’t forget this step as it’s easy to miss.  Using a ¼ drill bit, you will need to make a hole in the discharge pipe about 6 inches above the pump. This hole is called a weep hole, and it allows water to flow into the pump when it’s turn off so that it keeps running as it should even if it hasn’t been used for a long time.  You’ll want this weep hole to be on an angle that points down as water will squirt out of it every time it is pumping water.  

After you’ve done this, you’ll want to attach the pump’s electrical cord to the discharge pipe using wire ties and install the check valve on the open end of the discharge pipe. Make sure you use a check valve that is made for vertical operation. Place the pump into the sump and start running out of the house. 

Run the Water Outside the House

Once you have installed the pump inside the house, you need to find a way to run it out of the house when water starts collecting. You will be installing a piece of PVC pipe that the water will drain out of, and you will need to put a seal around it so that the water doesn’t leak back in. 

Make sure the pipe goes at least 4 feet away from the house, and you have a way to disperse the water so that it doesn’t sit around the foundation of the house. Once this has been set up to disperse the water, go back inside and place the cover over the pump and plug it in. 

Know When to Call a Professional 

Although installing a sump pump is a project that some Hamilton homeowners like to take on themselves, it is certainly not for everyone. If you would prefer a professional to complete this task for you, you can count on the team at Conterra Foundation. Contact us today for a consultation.