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pump for flooded basement --what to use?

17 years ago

Hi,

The wonderful nor'easter has flooded our PA basement....our bailing has it down to about 1 inch. However, this 1920s home was built without any drain in the basement floor. And we won't be doing a french drain or cutting a sump in the floor anytime soon.

Also, the water runs into and collects in the N. corner; the laundry sink is across the room about 15 feet away.

Any idea of what pump to use in the future? I assume there is no way of getting the water to the sink, but I guess we could run a hose out a window...would that work elevated about 5 feet?

Thanks for any thoughts on this....

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Comments (5)

adenn1
17 years ago
You could use any standard utility pump or even a pool cover pump. Both would bring the water down to at least one inch and save you the trouble of bailing. A garden hose could be used on either model and run to the sink or outside. What water is left over could then be sucked up using a good sized wet vac..say a 12 or 16 gallon. Trouble with this sized wet vac is that it gets very heavy when full of water.

Trust me I know...I spent several hours helping an elderly neighbor who was getting water in his house...we had two 16 gallon shop vacs going to suck up water coming into his family room. I bet we emptied both of them over 20 times...he did not have a floor drain so they had to be lifted to his utility sink.
fnmroberts
17 years ago
Does your laundry sink drain go into the floor?
If yes, then you could install a floor drain nearby and connect to the drain line. If ever you get water, a push broom or floor squeege would help get water toward the drain. Never a fun situation but you need some way to get that last 1" out.
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If your lot is perfectly flat - you may need a sump pump installed in the basement. That sump pump would only run if there is a lot of water around the house and the exterior french drains get overloaded. We had a sump pump in our last house in the basement. Occassionaly when it would rain a lot - it would run. I think it helped to keep the basement from flooding. I would not want to have a new home and have to have interior french drains. Many times until the landscape/grading etc is complete there is the potential for water/dampness in the basement. Once the water is gone - for now I would run a dehumidifier to help dry out the block and concrete - otherwise you may get mold/mildew
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The horizontal section of pipe after the sanitary tee for the shower drain is one of the most common places to have a drain clog. The other place is the same section of pipe after the washing machine standpipe. Why are these such common places to have a blockage? Because these have a 2" P-trap. The P trap is like the clog factory. That is where the clogs start out. When the clog gets dislodged from the P-trap, it flows down the trap arm and past the sanitary tee. When you plunge a clogged drain, you are forcing the clog down to the sanitary tee. Once it passes the sanitary tee, the plunger is ineffective, because the vent breaks the vacuum created by the plunger. If the P-trap and trap arm are 1 1/2" pipes, and the sanitary tee steps up to a 2" pipe, the 1 1/2"clog can flow freely through the 2" pipe. But if the clog comes from a 2" P-trap, it will most likely get stuck further down the line in the next horizontal section of 2" pipe. Once a clog gets past the sanitary tee, plunging is futile. You must snake out the clogged section of pipe. So the reason to start with the shower drain is because the clog is most likely in the 2" pipe, not a larger one.
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If you can physically fit two pumps in the sump, you could have a duplex pumping setup. One float adjusted to turn on at 75% sump full and the second to turn on at 90% sump full. Then you need to address where the water is being pumped. It should be pumping as far away from the house soas not to be recirculated back into the sump through the ground, but you can not run piping exposed on the exterior of the house as that will freeze. You need to spill to grade or spill to a catch basin and run underground away from the house. Keep Dry!
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Anne....Our furnace in town was under (well not clear under) but it sat in a lot of water several times...one time the water was over the fourth step coming up the stairs. So I know the fan and moter were wet. That happened more than once. And yet 27 years later when we sold the house the same furnace was still in there and still worked. The people who bought the house put in a new high efficiency furnace. Hope yours works too...but if it doesn't I hope you have enough insurance money to cover it...a new one will cost less to run. That amout they were talking about should cover most everything...that is a lot of money...but then I'm thinking for do it yourselfers....we always have done it ourselves. Good luck...and big Hugs...I'm so sorry there is so many miles between friends on cyberspace. I would loved to have helped you.....lol...I'm a basment cleaner upper pro. patti
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bas157
17 years ago
A utility pump would work pretty good.

I have a shop vac that can also pump water, which came in VERY handy when I had to install a new sump pump in a pit that quickly filled with water after I pumped it empty.
jayh
17 years ago
Any submersible utility pump will work, doesn't have to be a high flow rate really although of course it will take longer to discharge. I pumped out my flooded basement on monday with a small Little Giant AC pump for 12+ hours straight. It's a small pump with a standard garden hose output made for draining pools. This would work well, can be anywhere from $40-$80+ for a decent one. If your basement is unfinished and you have a good backup drainage system so the water doesn't get TOO high, you can go the AC route. Otherwise, you might want to consider a 12v DC motor utility pump or perhaps better a battery backup Sump Pump or a municipal water backup pump (if you're not on a well).

You might even consider as a backup looking at a marine bilge pump for boats. Uses a 12v DC source (aka car battery) and most can be run via a manual switch or a automatic float valve. Check any marine or boating store...

Jay
chriskelly13
Original Author
17 years ago
thanks for the advice, folks. A pump it is.

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