What is a Sump Pump?

As a buyer agent, I show a lot of homes to first-time buyers. For many buyers, it's the first time they go into houses that aren't their own or their families which means they see a broad ranges of styles, approaches to problems and unique attributes not seen before.

One of those is the sump system and it often baffles new buyers. Here's a brief overview of the system.

What is a Sump Hole? In some basements (these holes are not in homes with slabs or crawl spaces) of homes, usually in a corner, is a sump hole about 2 feet wide and around 3 feet deep. It is often lined with a plastic liner to keep the surrounding earth from filling the hole.

What Does a Sump Hole Do? A sump hole sits below the surface allowing two things: a) a place for standing water to flow or be pushed into, and b) a place for a pump to sit.

How does the hole get there? In new construction, a hole might be dug as part of the building process. In an existing home with water problems it might be dug by the current owner.

What is a sump pump? In the bottom of the sump hole sits a pump that allows the water to be pumped up and out of the basement, usually through a window, sometimes through a hole in the foundation and then through a pipe or hose away from the foundation. Sump holes need to be reasonably close to an outlet since they work on electricity.

What kinds of pumps are there? There are two basic types of pumps. The first is called a pedestal pump which is taller and not usually as powerful as a submersible pump. These are good for occasional uses and are easily portable. The submersible pumps are usually more powerful, heavier and are meant to sit permanently at the bottom of the sump hole.

How does the pump turn on? The pumps have a regulator and when the water reaches a certain depth, the pump automatically turns on (assuming the pump is plugged in and the electricity is on), and then turns off automatically when the water level is low enough again.

How does the water get out? A series of pipes, usually plastic, or a hose hooked up to the pump helps the water escape to the outside.

What are the Potential Problems? The biggest one is not having the pump plugged in when it is needed, or needing the pump when the power is out. Pumps can take care of standing water in a sump hole, but often the water rises when the electricity is off since it can't take care of the water as it comes.

Sump holes and pumps are an ingenious, simple way to conquer and manage water problems, keeping basements relatively dry.

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