Getting a bigger sump pump

micky · 2014-07-25T03:59:22+00:00

To AHR, copies to friends Maybe I need a bigger sump pump, so at the Ace Hardware, I looked at the boxes. If I get a Wayne pump, I can get a 1/3 HP that pumps 3800 GPH, or a 1/2 HP " " 4200 GPH, or a 3/4 HP " " 4500 GPH. With ACE brand, I can get a 1/3 HP that pumps 3300 GPH, or a 1/2 HP " " 3600 GPH, and maybe they make a 1/2 HP but I didn't see it. So a 50% increase in the power of the motor yields only about a 10% increase in GPH. The next 50% yields a 7% increase with Wayne. With ACE, 50% increase yields a 9% increase in GPH. Why is this? Once in the 31 years I've been here I've needed a bigger pump -- because the pump was working full blast and still couldn't keep up with the water coming into the sump from outside** -- and 3 of these pumps are bigger than my current 1/3 HP, but i'm discouraged from buying anything if I'm going to get so little increase. **It just caused wet boxes (cardboard cartons) in the laundry room, for the nth time, and I don't even do anything anymore when this happens, but I would still like to have eveything working "right".

Jul 25, 2014 22 Replies

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makolber 12 years ago

In most places it is against code to connect a sump pump to the sanitary sewer system

I suppose anything goes in an emergency but you probably don't want to do this as a rule.

Mark

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micky 12 years ago

FTR sounds like a misunderstanding. I wasn't suggesting that. Nothing about the sanitary sewer in the previous post.

A neighbor did do that 10 or 20 years ago, but it's a particularly stupid idea here, because for four houses, and his was one of them,, sometimes the basement sink backs up, and that's no time to discharge the sump pump into the sink. But a later owner undid what he did. And the backing up has been solved too.

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