Think About Adding a Basement Playroom When Building a New House
Whether you have an existing basement or planning to build a new basement in your property the question of a basement sump to protect the space is an important one. The basement sump can be retrofitted to your existing basement and easily planned into new build. Professional advice on sump pump placement is recommended. Below is a few questions and answers to get you on the right track:
Q. What size of chamber is need for my sump pumps?
A. Depends on the size and layout of your basement. The usual rule of thumb is one basement sump for 40-50 linear metres of the space but what is absolutely critical is the ability to get the water that is getting in to the basement into the chamber!
A good way of doing this is to use a internal channel which sits at where the wall meets the floor and use the channel to direct water into the chamber. In terms of size the bigger the chamber the better so I would not go less than a box of 600mm x 600mm of concrete. There are many packaged pumping stations suitable for removing the water with varying sizes of pumps. Call the manufacturer to get advice but first they will want to know how far you have to pump the water. This is known as "head" of water.
Q. Can I put other other services such as a washing machine or sink into my water sump?
A. Yes but you will need to check with the basement pumps manufacturer to select the appropriate pump for the job. The problems with combining different water sources in the basement sump can be the residue that washing machines etc can introduce to the sump chamber. This can impede the float switch from operating and cause cause problems for your basement pumps.
Look at the pump itself, Does it have what are called tear drop floats? This kind of float switch works well in combined basement sump systems and vertical float switches used for pure water are usually not suitable. An important point to raise here is added maintenance required for combined systems, make sure you are aware of the implications of adding sinks and showers etc to your basement sump.
The last thing you need a combined system causing basement flooding. Some people have been known to combine sewerage into chambers without consulting professional beforehand. This makes things a million times worse should the system block and overflow. (for the obvious reasons.!) I would definitely advise having a different sump pit for this.
Q. Can I get away with not having a Basement Sump?
A. Its the million dollar question. The amount of times I have received a panic call when water which was not present before suddenly is coming into a basement never ceases to amaze me. I parallel putting a sump pump into the basement systems scheme as the same as putting a pump into the bottom of a boat. Sure, you expect the boat to still perform but if it does leak if only a bit the pump will remove water faster than it is coming in.
The same with a basement sump. In an ideal world you would hope your basement to be always dry. Why would you then take the risk of not putting in a sump when you can. It is small investment to initially and could save you big style in the long run. I have specified packaged pumping stations for this purpose for many years yet people take the idea and try to reduce costs by putting in a small sump pump.
I have even seen header tanks substituted for a proper basement sump which are even smaller than the height of the pump. The result an pump sticking out of your floor like a periscope on a submarine. You will be pleasantly surprised at the vast range now available when you are in the market to buy sump pump products. Different size lids which can accept all manner of floor finishes allow for discreet and professional placement of units.
Q. Ok I am convinced I need to buy. Sump Price How much do I need to spend?
A. Like everything in life you get what you pay for. You will find a vast array of basement sump products available on the internet or at your local builders merchant. Many cheaper submersible water pumps are available to the end client but they may not have the sufficient "head" to pump up and out of your basement.
Some of these pumps are made from plastic and they do not conduct heat that well, if they are going to be used a lot this can cause overheating and failure. I would be advice looking at a robust stainless steel housing as a minimum with a either cast iron or moulded plastic base as a standard. So price-wise you will be looking for a pump around £200 minimum.
Q. What happens if I get a power cut. Is there protection available? A. Your basement sump systems totally relies on mains power to operate effectively. When are you most likely to get a power cut? The answer is in a severe storm situation and this is when your sump pump unit is most likely to be tested.
So, I would always recommend using two pumps in your sump chamber and a battery back up system should the power fail. Talk to your supplier here as the quality of battery back up options vary tremendously. Make sure the duty rate you are getting of mains is replicated with the quality of your battery back up system.
hopefully you have now a list of questions to assist in your basement sump choice.
For specification of the right system you cannot go past the expertise of a quality sump pump supplier. I would even go as far as to get a qualified sump pump installer to perform the installation as they can then offer you an ongoing maintenance contract which is critical to make sure your pump works when it is needed.
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Q. What size of chamber is need for my sump pumps?
A. Depends on the size and layout of your basement. The usual rule of thumb is one basement sump for 40-50 linear metres of the space but what is absolutely critical is the ability to get the water that is getting in to the basement into the chamber!
A good way of doing this is to use a internal channel which sits at where the wall meets the floor and use the channel to direct water into the chamber. In terms of size the bigger the chamber the better so I would not go less than a box of 600mm x 600mm of concrete. There are many packaged pumping stations suitable for removing the water with varying sizes of pumps. Call the manufacturer to get advice but first they will want to know how far you have to pump the water. This is known as "head" of water.
Q. Can I put other other services such as a washing machine or sink into my water sump?
A. Yes but you will need to check with the basement pumps manufacturer to select the appropriate pump for the job. The problems with combining different water sources in the basement sump can be the residue that washing machines etc can introduce to the sump chamber. This can impede the float switch from operating and cause cause problems for your basement pumps.
Look at the pump itself, Does it have what are called tear drop floats? This kind of float switch works well in combined basement sump systems and vertical float switches used for pure water are usually not suitable. An important point to raise here is added maintenance required for combined systems, make sure you are aware of the implications of adding sinks and showers etc to your basement sump.
The last thing you need a combined system causing basement flooding. Some people have been known to combine sewerage into chambers without consulting professional beforehand. This makes things a million times worse should the system block and overflow. (for the obvious reasons.!) I would definitely advise having a different sump pit for this.
Q. Can I get away with not having a Basement Sump?
A. Its the million dollar question. The amount of times I have received a panic call when water which was not present before suddenly is coming into a basement never ceases to amaze me. I parallel putting a sump pump into the basement systems scheme as the same as putting a pump into the bottom of a boat. Sure, you expect the boat to still perform but if it does leak if only a bit the pump will remove water faster than it is coming in.
The same with a basement sump. In an ideal world you would hope your basement to be always dry. Why would you then take the risk of not putting in a sump when you can. It is small investment to initially and could save you big style in the long run. I have specified packaged pumping stations for this purpose for many years yet people take the idea and try to reduce costs by putting in a small sump pump.
I have even seen header tanks substituted for a proper basement sump which are even smaller than the height of the pump. The result an pump sticking out of your floor like a periscope on a submarine. You will be pleasantly surprised at the vast range now available when you are in the market to buy sump pump products. Different size lids which can accept all manner of floor finishes allow for discreet and professional placement of units.
Q. Ok I am convinced I need to buy. Sump Price How much do I need to spend?
A. Like everything in life you get what you pay for. You will find a vast array of basement sump products available on the internet or at your local builders merchant. Many cheaper submersible water pumps are available to the end client but they may not have the sufficient "head" to pump up and out of your basement.
Some of these pumps are made from plastic and they do not conduct heat that well, if they are going to be used a lot this can cause overheating and failure. I would be advice looking at a robust stainless steel housing as a minimum with a either cast iron or moulded plastic base as a standard. So price-wise you will be looking for a pump around £200 minimum.
Q. What happens if I get a power cut. Is there protection available? A. Your basement sump systems totally relies on mains power to operate effectively. When are you most likely to get a power cut? The answer is in a severe storm situation and this is when your sump pump unit is most likely to be tested.
So, I would always recommend using two pumps in your sump chamber and a battery back up system should the power fail. Talk to your supplier here as the quality of battery back up options vary tremendously. Make sure the duty rate you are getting of mains is replicated with the quality of your battery back up system.
hopefully you have now a list of questions to assist in your basement sump choice.
For specification of the right system you cannot go past the expertise of a quality sump pump supplier. I would even go as far as to get a qualified sump pump installer to perform the installation as they can then offer you an ongoing maintenance contract which is critical to make sure your pump works when it is needed.
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