Sump Pump Repair and Installation Dayton
What is a sump pump? A sump pump is the savior of home basements as it is a great way to reduce the risk of flood damage to your home. In many homes in and around central Ohio, you will find a small pit (24” in diameter) with a black lid that is dug in the corner floor of your basement. It can also be in the same pit as your radon remediation solution. The pump itself is submersed into the pit at the lowest point of your house. It The pit is designed to accumulate water from your interior footer tile, relieving unwanted water pressure from your basement floor and footer. The pump inside the pit is designed to discharge that water to an exit point nearest the pit. Most of the time the discharge from the sump pump will be directly connected to the underground piping that your downspouts are connected to. This water and the rainwater from your roof are traditionally designed to discharge at the street or a nearby creek bed.
How does it work? Most days, the sump pump just sits quietly in its little corner. However, when a torrential downpour hits and the ground around your home is super saturated with water, it goes into action. Through a network of pipes, the excess groundwater funnels toward the sump pit, and it begins to fill with water. This activates the sump pump float switch and turns on the pump. By removing the water from the pit and draining it into a nearby storm drain, street, dry well or detention pond, the sump pump actively prevents any excess water from applying undue stress on of your basement floor and foundation.
Sump pumps require electricity. As noted, they operate in and/or around water. It is important that the outlet you connect to the pump features a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). It is also recommended that you hire a professional to install a battery backup sump pump for peace of mind the event of loss of electricity. Flooding often accompanies severe storms, as do power failures. If your sump pump detects water, but has no power source to operate, you may be exposed to possible basement flooding.