sump pump lifetime?

[peter]

How long would a submersible sump pump last when it is submerged in water at all time?

I assume the main cause of failure is rust/corrosion of metalic parts.

Is there any sump pump designed so that metallic parts stays dry except when it is pumping?

In theory, only the water sensor and the inlet hose need to be submerged at all times. The rest of the pump could be located away from the water.

The reason for asking is I'm getting bids for crawlspace waterproofing (more like water draining). Most contractors by default offer a french drain + sump pump system. But there is a drainage pipe already in the crawlspace, possibly connected to the storm drain, and possibly partially clogged -- that's why I have wet crawlspace. If the pump won't last more than 10 years, I might insist on fixing the existing drain so that the system works purely on gravity.

[hallerb]

go with gravity if at all possible.

had a home, big storm, power failure.

flooded just remodeled basement

I use a sump pump for a driveway drain.

Siince 1984 I have churned thru 4:(

[Banty]

If you can get the system working on gravity do that, never mind all this about sump pump lifetime. Heavy rain correlates with power outages. Having a drainage system that works without power is a Good Thing.

BTW, B-Dry warrantied my subersible pump for 5 years. Lasts longer than that, but just to give an idea..

Banty

[Banty]

If you can get the system working on gravity do that, never mind all this about sump pump lifetime. Heavy rain correlates with power outages. Having a drainage system that works without power is a Good Thing.

BTW, B-Dry warrantied my subersible pump for 5 years. Lasts longer than that, but just to give an idea..

Banty

[Joseph Meehan]

If the situation is right, stick with gravity. In most cases however you can't always rely on gravity and you will want a sump pump. A good pump should last 5-30 years. In your case I would say it would be towards the upper end. Cheap pumps would be good for closer to 4-10 years.

[Bob]

If you stick with a quality brand sold at a plumbing supply house, you should have no problem. If you go to a place like Home Depot or Lowes, then you get exactly what you deserve. I've had a Little Giant 1/3 hp for about

15 years. Let a plumber with a good reputation buy and install it, and he's not going to sell you a piece of crap.

[Bennett Price]

For what it's worth, every sump pump I've ever seen is partly submersible since they don't use an inlet hose but submerge the impeller and it's housing. Sometimes the motor is submerged, sometimes not. I believe the impellers are often hard rubber/plastic rather than metal; ditto the housing.

And, perhaps, dur> How long would a submersible sump pump last when it is submerged in water at

[Christian Fox]

I've made it a point of replacing mine every 6-7 years or so. I'd rather not wait until the pump fails and I have a flooded basement before I replace the pump. It's cheap insurance.

[Pat]

No need to insist. I would think the contractor would willing as long as you are willing to pay.

[mm]

Mine, which came with the house 26 years ago lasted about 15 years

The pipe that holds up the motor rusted out at the water line.

When I went to get a new one, the one that looked like it a big box store had a plastic pipe there. I don't expect that will ever rust out.

The impeller of the old one was dirty and scungy, but looked like it could last another 50 or 100 years. It's under water all the time. All or half of it is metal.

Like I say, the impeller and the rod that it attaches to, and the bolt that holds it on to the rod were fine.

The water float -- I wouldn't call it a sensor even though it is one

-- of the old one might have been metal, but it was in fine condition. The new one is plastic anyhow. A rod extends up from the float, and trips a mechanical electric switch when the water gets high enough;.

It will, I would expect last 20 or 30 years if it doesn't have that metal pipe that holds it up.

I think you should clear the drain if possible. Of course.

We had a crawl space when I was a teenager. It was always muddy down there. For the neibhtor 300 feet down the street, tThe map showed a stream running through his property, but there was none, just a very muddy back yard much of the year. It wasn't until 40 years later that I r ealized that is probably why our crawlspace was so wet too. We had no drainage and no big reason to make it dry. I went down there once for my mother, and no one went down there again in the 8 years we lived there. But it didn't cause any problems either. Indianapollis.

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