New basement problem...

[Bob Huddleston]

Damn sump pump froze. Water, water everywhere and not... a dry situation. Luckily most everything was up a bit, but, of course, one end of some 3/4" oak plywood was temporarily set on the floor, waiting to be cut. On the bright side, I was putting off cleaning that floor...

[Art Mulder]

Damn sump pump froze. Water, water everywhere and not... a dry situation. Luckily most everything was up a bit, but, of course, one end of some 3/4" oak plywood was temporarily set on the floor, waiting to be cut. On the bright side, I was putting off cleaning that floor...

Ouch, Sorry to hear this, Bob. I grew up with a cranky sump myself, and after one accident my dad went out and bought a second one, so that there was a "spare" pump in the pit. But I'd rather have a house on a slope, so that the footing drains could just drain away, instead of into a sump.

Did your furnace go out also? Can't think why else it'd freeze in your basement.

[Joe Pelonio]

I bet he means the pump froze up as in unable to rotate. Bob, there are alarms available that will sound when there is water present. You place one just above the normal high water mark in the sump and you'll know when the pump fails. Of course when you put in a new pump it should last a while.

www.plumbingsupply.com/alarm.html

[Tom Ruflin]

After an extended power outage due to an ice storm, and bailing the sump every 2 hours round the clock to avoid a flooded basement, I heard about a water powered sump pump from a friend. I purchased it for about $100 , its made mostly out of nylon and plastic. It is mouned in the sump along side the electric sump pump and is used as a backup in case you lose power or the main pump stops working. It works off the house water pressure and it does work rather well. It's been put to use 2 times since I installed it and am happy to have it there. I'll try to find the manufacturer but I would think that any plumbing supply place would know where to find one or may have one in stock.

[Byron Trantham]

Bob, I have the same problem with one additional problem - loss of power! Over time I realized I needed a spare pump ready to install and a generator. I also have one of those water detectors. If it gets wet, a very loud siren goes off. Usually I know when to keep an eye on the sump - its raining! When we loose power and its raining like the dickens my wife an I baby sit to pump and generator. Its happened three times over about 10 years.

BTW the discharge pipe on my pump is 1 1/2". A threaded pipe goes into the pump base and the other end is terminated with 1/2 of a union joint (all PVC). When the pump dies, I unscrew the union joint, unplug the pump and pull it out. I unscrew the pipe attached to the old pump and install it in the new one. I drop it into the sump hole reconnect it to the union joint and plug in the power. Takes about 15 minutes.