Introduction

The sump pump pit is the foundation for installing a sump pump. If the pit is excellently prepared then the productivity of the sump pump would be maximized and you would also have far less issues to worry about, once you have installed a sump pump at the ideally prepared pump pit. The quality preparation denies water from accumulating in the basement or the crawlspace. The water can be dangerous and can cause a lot of issues to your house and your belongings inside. Thus, the only good solution is to prepare an adequate sump pump pit and then install a quality sump pump to pump away the water from the crawlspace.

Things that you will need

The following are the major things that you will require for making a sump pump pit by yourself:

• Sum pump liner
• Digging equipment
• Level
• Tape measure

Steps required for preparing the sump pump pit

The following are the steps required for preparing the sump pump pit:

• Locating the problematic spot– The ideal location for digging a sump pump pit is where the water accumulates in your crawlspace. This will allow your sump pump to work efficiently. Make sure that the spot that you have selected has got no nearby utility or the drain lines. If you are unsure about the lines, then all you can do is to proceed slowly for digging by making sure that no nearby drainage lines could be affected. Further, the spot shouldn’t be closer to any of the outside openings as the temperature there can be very cold which makes the system vulnerable to freezing.
• Digging – The pit should be dug 2 feet in width and 2.5 feet in depth. Make sure that there are no substantial roots, rocks or any other such obstruction in the way. The walls of the pit may be tapered, if needed. The size of the pit can also be determined with the size of the liner which you are going to install next. It’s important to dig according to the size of the liner you are going to place there, because huge difference in the size of the pit and the liner would cause fitting issues and may not let you fix the whole set up properly in place. Though, little or minor difference, can be accommodated easily to fix up the system.
• The liner installation – When you are looking to install or insert the liner in the pit that has been dug then make sure that the liner of the sump pump could fit in very smoothly and seamlessly. It should be at a fixed and steady level with no free moving of the equipment. The voids that essentially surround the fit should be ideally filled in using dirt or mud. Insert mud as needed or until it reaches the saturation level. This is an important part as it will securely hold the liner in its place. It is highly critical to have the sump pump liner at the constant level right throughout the complete liner insertion process. If it is correctly laid then it will let the water to pass effectively, but the dirt and debris will be blocked. You can leave 1 inch of clearance on all the sides of the liner. This will avoid blockage from any debris or dirt.

Through all these steps the most important things is to keep in mind the point to which you need to dig the pit and the size of it. Its because the better you prepare according to the required size the better you can achieve the installation of your sump pump in an easy and precise way.

If a sump pump is running continuously, then it’s probably not a good sign. It is better if a sump pump runs in intervals. Continuous running translates to more wear and tear and an increase in electricity bill. If your sump pump has started to run continuously, it’s best if you solve it as soon as possible. Finding the root of the problem is the primary step in this process. There could be a few reasons why a sump pump has been running continuously.

Reasons:

Stuck Switch – Your sump pump has a float switch which turns on the device when water level rises in the pit. Sometimes, a float switch will get stuck in the “on” setting, which could happen because of jamming, clogging or tangling of the switch in the system. This will cause your machine to run continuously.

Not Enough Power – These devices have a certain value of horsepower. That is the amount of work they can do. If the pump is too small for the application you intend to use it, it will run almost continuously and break down sooner than later. It’s better to invest in a strong machine from the start which will be up to the task you throw at it.

Faulty or Missing Check Valve – The check valve is installed on the discharge pipe to make sure that none of the water that passes the point, returns to the sump pit. If in any case, a check valve is missing or not there in the first place, water that doesn’t cross the point where the pipe runs downhill will return back to the pit. The pump will activate again in order to push it out. Until all the water is pushed out, this process will be repeated nonstop. This will wear out the sump pump earlier than expected. Neglecting this issue can turn into a big problem, while the earlier fix is rather inexpensive.

Small Liner – If the liner is too small, but the pump is powerful, what happens is that it will discharge water faster than the liner will fill. The device will turn on and then off and then on again. This will severely decrease the life of it.

Continuous Flooding – Although it’s generally considered a good thing to dig your pump deep in the ground, it can affect the running of your sump pump. This would occur if the water table is present right under the basement floor. If left unsolved, your pump will run continuously, and it may give up when the flood gets even worse during heavy rain. In such a case, your basement will flood and it would cost you more than the repair’s cost.

Leakages – You might have a sprinkler in your yard broken somewhere from underground or a leaking sewer pipe under your floor. This would continuously flood the pit with water. The pump would have to work continuously in order to pump the water out. So we see that even a minor external problem can cause a big problem. This can even lead to foundation heaving or other bigger damages to your home.

These above mentioned scenarios are some of the most common factors that cause a sump pump to run continuously. Such an issue should be noticed as early as possible and if you don’t bother to take.

The winter season is here and apart from the entertainment and indoor as well as outdoor fun activities, the winter days can be tedious in house cleaning. Keeping the moisture of snow and mud out of your home seems difficult to handle but here we share some easy-to-do ways to keep your house winter clean.

1. Dust and Sand

The major issue that may arise during winter is the dust particles and grit inside your home as there is less opening of windows and the air is dry and warm inside. It can scratch the tiles and floor of kitchen and bath rooms as well as make your carpets and rugs full of dust mites and mold. The regular vacuuming of the house is must to save you from the allergies. The often overlooked areas such as tops of windows and corners of décor must be cleaned once in a while to keep the inside of fresh and dust free. The regular cleaning of the home’s air ducts is essential during winters. People usually do not realize the fact that during winter they actually seal the potentially harmful contaminants inside the house and the air filters can get clogged causing the allergies and sickness for the dwellers, the simple solution is to change the air filters at least once or twice in a week and keep the air fresh inside.

2. Carpets and Floor

The deep cleaning of carpets, rugs and floor during winter days is must. The melted salt, snow, mud and grit gets collected between the fibers of carpet and tiles of the floor the which not looks untidy but also make the indoor unpleasant. To save your home from all the mud and salt you can place a shoe rack near the entrance where all the snow boots and shoes can be placed or you can put a mat which absorbs the excess dust and water. The next task is to steam clean the carpets more often and scrub the floors to make them clean and shiny. You can save your time of cleaning by placing throw-rugs on the mostly used areas of the house to make it easier for you to clean the mess and save your carpets from stains.

3. Furnace Cleaning

The furnace cleaning and maintenance must be scheduled and done before the winter season to save yourself from any inconvenience. Mostly the furnace is coated with grime and dust which directly affects its ability to function properly. It is important to get it cleaned up professionally to make it energy-efficient and safe. Do not forget to check the furnace filter and change it if required to keep your season peacefully warm and the dust and debris accumulated inside the burners of furnace should be cleaned properly before starting it.

4. Cleaning the Kitchen

You must not ignore the deep cleaning of kitchen especially ceiling which might have a layer of funk from the cooking smoke, oil and moisture fumes from cooking. You can use a dish washing soap and sponge to scrub it off to make it neat and clean.

Have you ever wondered how does a sump pump work? If not, you are in the right spot to get an idea about the working of sump pumps.

A Sump pump is nothing but a pump that is fixed on the bottom of the floor which is being used to discharge the accumulated water from the floor. These pumps are frequently used at the time of flooding or when the groundwater increases and floods the bottom area. Its work is to pump out the excess water from the basement and keep the area dry. People who live in ground floor or has a house in a very down region are the victims of this flood. A sump pump is a very useful tool for such people. Based on nature, Sump pumps can be divided into two types- namely submersible pump and pedestal pump.

Working of a sump pump:

Submersible pump:

A pedestal pump:

Usually, when there is a flood due to rain or any natural disaster, it is very common that power will not be available till the water level decreases. In order to survive this situation, it is advisable to have a pump along with a battery or to have a generator for safety purpose.

1. Battery backup pumps:

Every one of us knows that a sump pump runs with the support of electricity. But few of us never think how a sump pump can work when there are heavy storms and no electricity. It is due to the backup. Most of the pumps come along with backup availability. It can run without break with the help of backup feature.

2. Sump pump maintenance:

Sump pump must be properly maintained atleast for every 3 months. First, disconnect the power of the sump pump. Drain out if there is any water still present in it and also remove if there is debris present near the sump pump which can later make a problem. Power on the sump pump and pour some water inside and look whether the sump pump kick starts automatically. Also look whether the water is released out to the correct location.

3. Cover the top with plastic:

If you are installing a sump pump below your house then the opening must be inside your house. In such case, if it is left out without closing, the smell is going to affect your whole house. Therefore cover the top opening with a plastic which reduces the evaporation of smell. It also saves the kids and pets from falling into the pit.

4. Safe electricity:

Ensure that the cord is long enough to reach the sump pump. This safeguards you from an electric short circuit when the switch is placed at a very long distance. As the work of pump is concerned with water it is advisable to buy a long wired cord.

5. Check valve:

Have you ever wondered what this check valve is and why it is fixed on the discharge pipe? Its work is to check the flow of water in one particular direction. In other words, it protects from backflow of water in a discharge pipe.

6. Does it makes an unusual sound:

By using a sump pump for weeks and months probably you might be used to the sound of the sump pump. But suddenly when you hear an unusual sound from the sump pump it shows that there is a problem somewhere. Try to replace the pump or overhaul them before it completely stops working.

7. Horsepower in pumps:

Do you know the reason for the difference in horsepower in sump pumps? To understand better let us look into a short example. Let’s take three sump pumps, one with 1/3rd horsepower, second with ½ horsepower and the other with one horsepower. If you only have to move the water 20 feet away from the house then a 1/3^rd horsepower pump will work fine. If you have to move the water further way long then go for a higher horsepower. If you want to move the water 60 feet or more from the house then ½ or one horsepower pump works fine.

8. The float mechanism:

There are different float mechanisms used in different pumps. To choose a right one first you must know what the normal water level is. For instance, a pedestal pump turns on when the water level raises to 10 inches. In a submersible pump, one variety works with a diaphragm switch. It can turn on when the water level has attained 8 inches and no adjustment can be made. And another model of submersible pump floats and kick-starts when the water reaches 4 inches. Another submersible pump works with a tether switch

9. Two active pumps:

When the basement is a large area, one single sump pump cannot handle the situation. At this time you can buy a two active sump pumps variant. It has two pumps which can quickly send out excess water from the house. When one sump pump fails to kick start then the other starts and discharge the water.

10. Plastic or cast iron:

Cast iron pumps are heavy in weight and also works perfectly for more number of years. It also does not float in water. But in case of plastic pumps, they are light in weight and can easily float if the water level is more. Though the manufacturer guarantees for few years it is not the right option.

Have you been wondering how to pick the best RV water pump for your RV? Well, wonder no more. We here at Hiking Camping Guide website are willing to help.

We understand too well that an ordinary camping enthusiast like you may not possess the right skills to make the best possible decision. That is why we have dedicated this review to help you do the job well. We strongly urge you to also consider visiting our website to know more about hiking and camping gears reviews before buying them.

Things to Consider Before purchasing The RV Water Pump

These water pumps consume some power to generate the rotational force that eventually pumps the water. The power consumption rating is designated in Volts (V). The power output, on the other hand, refers to the amount of force with which they pump out water. It is designated as Watts (W).

A good water pump has to consume as little power as possible and release or pump out water with as much force as possible. You should, therefore, settle for one that has as low Voltage and as high Wattage ratings as possible.

This refers to the quantity of water that the said pump can handle at any given time. It is designated as Gallons per Minute (GPM). Your choice of the right pump on the basis of this consideration should mainly be informed by your water needs.

Choose a pump that has a higher flow rate in case you will require plenty of water and vice versa. You should also ensure that your tank is large enough to accommodate the extra volume of water.

Water pumps carry out the task of pumping water primarily by generating rotational force from their motors. This force is the one that ‘sucks’ water from the source and ‘pushes’ it to the tanks. In the course of doing so, the motors generate some noise. In case you intend to utilize your recreational vehicle in areas that are sensitive to noise such as public squares, pay keen attention to the pump’s noise emission levels. Choose a pump that is as quiet as possible.

How long, wide, deep and heavy is the pump of interest? The best pump has to be able to fit in the limited space that is at your disposal. So you should first and foremost ascertain the space that is in existence at your disposal before you proceed to acquire that pump that fits that particular space.

Other than that, you should also determine how frequently and remotely you intend to utilize the pump. Settle for a lighter pump if you will have to manually carry the pump every quite often. This is to spare you from unnecessary hassles and drag.

Obviously, the water pump of choice has to be able to work together with the existing plumbing of your recreational vehicle without conflicts or inconsistencies. This is to prevent any leakages, damages, or unnecessary inconveniences. To take the guesswork out of your mind, you should only settle for that water pump that is recommended by the manufacturer of your recreational vehicle. This is because the specifications of those pumps are more likely to blend well with the technical specifications of your recreational vehicle.

CONCLUSION

Of course, the factors to consider we have outlined above are not all that you should possibly think of. There are indeed several other factors which we inevitably had to leave out due to the limited time and space at our disposal. We, therefore, urge you to consider carrying out further research in order to familiarize yourself with all of them. In all, a water pump for a recreational vehicle is a very worthy possession. If you are a camping enthusiast or the lover of outdoors, you clearly have no choice but to incorporate it into a standard part of your armory. Use the tips above on how to pick the best RV water pump for your RV to go about the issue.