flooding in basement - need help fast!

Impossible to answer without knowing anything about the pump beyond "it's a small pump."

Your best bet is to call the manufacturer and ask them.

Run the pump for as long as necessary even if you kill it. Pumps can be replaced and are cheap compared to water damage.

Just run it until it breaks, or until the smoke starts leaking out, whichever comes first.

Pumping water without much pressure isn't much work and what these pumps are designed to do. Repeatedly starting and stopping is harder on a motor. -----

- gpsman

It is a good idea to have a spare ready to go in when you have a serious problem like this. (In fact, having a battery powered back up is a darn good idea also; but that's another thread.)

At my old house my pump would run nonstop for days at a time, and it lasted years. Now that was a submersible; I understand they last longer because the water cools the motor.

At my new house the pump has never run. All things considered, that is better.

Just let it run. If it is a decent pump, it can go for many hours, maybe days. We run pumps here for 24 x 5 for years.

thanks, this is my first flood. Any tips on what I need to do? The water is down to about 1" now, provided the pump keeps working what other tools will I need to get my basement back to normal? I guess I should get a wet dry vac for the water that doesn't make it to the pump, anything else before I go?

- Do NOT buy a cheap wet-dry vac! Just don't. And DO get a big one, no matter how much you think otherwise. Trust me.

- DO read the instructions before using the vac to pick up water.

- After the vac tank fills with water, you have to drain it somewhere. If the sump pump's hole is full of water, where ya gonna go with the shop vac? Probably upstairs & outside, which means you and a helper will be lifting a lot of sloshy weight, with your fingers under an edge that the Chinese manufacturer didn't smooth out very well. Pick up some cheap garden gloves.

Did it bring dirt in? When I had 5' of water everything was covered with mud. I found the only thing that removed it was waiting until the water level receded, and then hosing it all down and squeeging it into the sump..

Obviously you will want a dehumidifier.

....and maybe a good floor fan, to blast some air circulation into corners and behind things he can't move. Long extension cords, too.

Duh. How could I forget booze? You're entitled to drink heavily today. And, if there are any power tools you've wanted, but couldn't justify them to the Mrs., this is a perfect time to start thinking like a creative advertising exec.

Also, consider purchasing a good capacity dehumidifier, and if your basement gets cool get one that operates in low temperature not just your basic one. By capacity I'm not referring to the size of the water collection hopper, but the ability to remove water from the air. In fact, if you get one that will allow hose discharge and bypass the tray just get the drain hose and let it run into your sump. That way you can set it and forget it.

Exactly! Perfectly put.

There should be prisons for previous owners who do things like that. A friend of mine just had a new furnace installed. The installer had a WTF? moment when things weren't working right. He found that the previous owner (or an installer) had stuffed the cold air returns with pink fiberglass batts.

Prison for these people, I say. But first, a mild beating, a la Tony Soprano.

Everybody needs a $400 pair of waders from the Orvis catalog at a time like this.

I can trump that. My previous owner put 3 20a circuits on a 50a breaker, and both hots of a multiwire circuit on the same leg.

It's finished. No carpeting. I just recently bought the house and figured I'd see how it functioned in all four seasons before I bought a carpet. It was my one note of solace going through my mind this morning. It's drywalled but there is about5 inches of molding all around the walls so the water never made it above it. I assume the drywall behind it is damaged but it doesn't show yet. Most of the standing water is gone now there are just pockets left that I'm sweeping toward the pump. It's about 43 degrees outside today and the rain finally stopped. I'll keep the cellar door open and get some fans going. Thanks to all for the help and moral support - my first stop will be Home Depot - second will be the liquor store! Happy hour starts at noon today!