How to install a sump pump pit the right way!

Come along and learn how we install a sump pump pit and new sump pump. We show you how we decide where to put the basin, how we break up the concrete floor, dig the hole, prepare the pit, and install the pump.
We'll soon follow this video up with an additional video showing more about the specifics of the actual pump itself and how to do that.
For more great info, check out our other videos on this channel or visit our webpage at www.CallSmedley.com
#diy #sumppump #plumber #water @HomeDepot @lowes @menards

[@45maga47]

What is the approximate cost for this type of installation?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Sump pumps can range anywhere from $3500 to $7500 for a standard installation.

[@GabrielBarrandeguy]

dont you have to use a mesh around the bucket so debris wont get inside? gravel itself seems wont do the job

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

The pump can handle 1/2" solids. So 3/8" holes are enough of a screen.

[@DennnnnnnY]

Didn't wanna run the exit pipe any longer? Will that make the yard a muddy wet pit? Also wont it just come back down to the walls since its not run further out?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

We try to balance the discharge pipe distance with effectiveness and nuisance. Further in the yard helps get the water further from the house before it's introduced to the soil but it's also mowing nuisance. So if the proper slope is there, we will typically shorten the discharge pipe to blend the best of both worlds.

[@RuggedArtistry]

I've seen catch basins that have 4" holes already cut into them. Do you ever tie the floor drain into the sump or do they operate entirely on ground water? Perhaps if the municipal sewer system were to back up, the water would have a direct path to the sump and be pumped outside before flooding the basement? Not sure.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Yes some people will tie the drain tile into the pit. We choose not to to reduce the chance of debris getting into the pit. Also you wouldn't want a floor drain in the pit or anywhere near the pit because you would not want a condition where you're pumping raw sewage outside or you're letting groundwater into the sanitary sewer system.

[@KamalaGupta-v9z]

Sir, What are the steps to become a licenced plumber ? How you get your licence in it , can you please elaborate it ???😊

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

In the US, the license requirements change for each state and each city within each state.

[@KamalaGupta-v9z]

Thanks a lot for your Quick reply sir 🙏🙏 . But how much approx bills for getting admission in plumbing school ?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@KamalaGupta-v9z best to just get a job at a local company and work your way up.

[@KamalaGupta-v9z]

Thank you again sir . For your valuable advice.

[@AngeloR674]

@@SmedleyPlumbinglearn as diy and take the state test to get licensed!

[@ericd.9157]

Great vid, How deep is this sump bin? And what make is it? I’m having trouble finding one like this

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

This basin is 22-24" deep. It's a Jakel brand.

[@dennismcguirl1546]

So you are not adding any drain tiles under the floor, just the perforated basin? Obviously much quicker and less expensive. Looks great

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

The drain tiles are already in place on these installs.

[@duotronic6451]

If the water heater, washer or another device blows, where does the floor drain to?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

There are other floor drains that are at the surface of the concrete instead of below the surface of the concrete.

[@mfb6310]

Mine was installed like you did here, without a blanket wrap to keep sand out. And then it failed, inside 6 years. Filled the pit, pump, and drain pipes solid with sand. And this caused a minor bowed wall to become a major concern, then needing a very very expensive 7 wall anchor system along with a complete breakup of that pit for a new reinstall - with that blanket.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Yeah if you have sand under your concrete, you'll need a filter wrap for that.

[@woodworks2123]

Is that jus a black plastic dustbin you used for the pit chamber?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

No. It's a sump pump basin. Plastic trash bins are too flimsy and will collapse in on themselves over time.

[@AbhijeetRawle]

How high do you drill the holes in the sump basin at timestamp 5:36?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

We drill them to within 3-5" of the top.

[@andrewlarson5055]

Why did you write "sump pump only" on the outlet? Does the pump draw a lot of power?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

It's a dedicated circuit for the pump. That way nothing can risk tripping the breaker for the sump pump.

[@shirgot]

How do you evaluate new crypto projects?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Crypto?

[@idmhead0160]

If you have a basement where the water table can sometimes be above the floor, would one necessarily need a sump pump basin as long as the walls and floor were fully sealed? I have a rental property that I inherited from my dad that has had flooding problems. It currently has two sump pumps. One on each end of the house. The second one was only recently added. Not sure how long the first one was there. As far as I know, it doesn't have drain tiles. I'm wondering if I was able to seal the concrete block walls if I would even need the sump pumps. The main entry way of water into the basement at this point is through the sump pump basins. The house is on sandy soil, but, in a low-lying area.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Good luck trying to seal a block wall. Water always finds a way.

[@idmhead0160]

@@SmedleyPlumbing I currently have a half-assed tub of some sort with a couple 2" holes drilled in the side of it where the water comes into the pit (bringing mud with it). At a minimum, I'm going to install a new sump pump basin, like what you did. Drilling the 3/8" holes in it and putting limestone gravel around it. Then cement up around the top. The place was a total nightmare. The tenant that lived there for 15 years covered everything in drywall. I gutted the basement and turned it into an unfinished one where I can at least see what is going on with the block walls to find out what the exact problem is. I'm going to do some grading of the ground outside and hopefully that will help also.

[@Pro1er]

NEC requires all basement outlets to have GFCI. Also, the discharge is way too close to the house, you are basically recirculating the water.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

GFCI outlets are not advised for sump pumps. They can trip during storms and you looks you sump pump until it's reset. That's why we do a dedicated circuit instead. Also, the ground slopes away from home so the water will run away from the home. In cases where there is no slope, we install a buried discharge extension. But those come with t their own possible issues so we don't install them if we have good slope away from the home.

[@Pro1er]

@@SmedleyPlumbing The 2020 edition of the US National Electric Code (422.5 A) added sump pumps to the list of appliances that require GFCI protection. The NEC lists basements as locations that require GFCI protection. The NEC used to say that sump pumps were exempt from GFCI protection if they were on a dedicated circuit, they are no longer exempt. Finished basements also used to be exempt, but as of the 2020 NEC, all basement circuits require GFCI protection.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@Pro1er I understand what you're saying. However sometimes the code book has rules that do not benefit the customer. A GFCI outlet is of no benefit to a customer on a sump pump.

[@erickkim09]

How many hp is the sump pump?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

We typically do a 1/3hp sump pump. We'll step up to a 1/2ho sump pump when needed.

[@GabrielBarrandeguy]

how much does it cost to charge up the transit ? $?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

We pay $0.05/kWh in our area so it costs us about $9 to drive it 350 miles.

[@GabrielBarrandeguy]

@@SmedleyPlumbing how can you get 350 miles of range? i just went to mercedes to drive test an electric sprinter van and they told me it is 250miles

[@isoldecurry4321]

I wish mine could look that perfect. We live in a 1940’s era house and our sump pump discharges into our septic tank. I’ve had to replace pumps so many times and with that came replacing the discharge hoses and pipes. I’ve struggled with finding the proper fitting pipes as some of the plumbing is about 1” in diameter from an old flexible discharge pipe. Finding the right connections has been a challenge.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Pumps should discharge with a minimum of a 1-1/2" pipe.

[@duanemagi-lp6vh]

How do i find the best spot to put a sump pump or does it not matter

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Near where you're sewer line leaves the home of possible.

[@WSOBLikEaBosS]

@@SmedleyPlumbing why is that?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@WSOBLikEaBosS ground water will follow the under slab sanitary drain lines.

[@shazaidi]

I noticed you did not install any interior French drain system. You simply installed a pit. Why would some contractors dig the entire perimeter for a French drain to the pit? Are you saying as long as the home has foundation drain tile and you install the pit close to that water will drain there?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

That's exactly what we're saying. The home in the video already had perimeter tiles. We just upgraded them from a slow gravity drain to a much more efficient pump.

[@shazaidi]

@@SmedleyPlumbing But you never fed the existing tile system to the sump. You just drilled holes around the basin.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@shazaidi exactly. We don't want the open tiles dumping into the pit. We use the gravel and the 3/8" holes like a filter to protect our pump from pulling in a piece of debris that could lock up the pump. Water flows freely through gravel and the hundreds of 3/8" holes.

[@ColtRobinson5]

Won't the old tiles just fill up with water instead of being directed to the new sump pump?@@SmedleyPlumbing

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@ColtRobinson5 they drain through the gravel and into the pit.

[@arthurbcccwright8726]

The existing drain looks like a low maintenance way to get rid of water from around the home foundation. What maintenance is needed to keep the new sump pump system working as well?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

The existing drain is no longer to code and will overload the sanitary sewer system during periods of heavy rain. The sump pump doesn't really need maintenance but will need replaced every 5-7 years.

[@Joe-b1h]

great video!!!

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Thank you!!

[@kusikawdwo9720]

Nice work I love it

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

I'm glad you like it

[@Pinedeertrail24]

How many holes do you put in the basin thanks

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

As many as we can. We do them 2-3" apart.

[@giffgaming2663]

I plan to do this is my basement very soon. The basin I have now is 22inches but only 10 inches is in the ground and I’m it sure why. The basin always stays full of water, when we get a heavy rain the pump can not keep up fast enough therefore water starts to build up around the basin and even will come through cracks in the floor. The previous owner also has 1 1/2 inch pipe then 3/4 inch when it gets out of the house. (This is a terrible set up). I believe if I install a new basin, a nicer pump and a better exit (bigger pipe) it would take care of water coming through the floor and flooding around the basin, like I have now. What kind of pump and back flow valve did you guys use in this? I plan to use the exact set up in this video. Thanks.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

If they didn't sink the pit all the way, I would be on the lookout for bedrock. Sometimes we run into rock and have to break if out to get the pit all the way in.

[@giffgaming2663]

@@SmedleyPlumbing do I need to be cautious of breaking this bed rock up?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@giffgaming2663 no. Nothing you would use to break it up would be big enough to cause structural issues anywhere.

[@KenNewberry]

Reminds me of the escape tunnel in the "Great Escape" 😃

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

It feels like we're digging that far some times too! 😂

[@idmhead0160]

You are lucky you have a public dump you can use to dispose of the debris.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

It's close and cheap too!

[@idmhead0160]

@@SmedleyPlumbing I'm jealous. They just eliminated our dump because it cost too much. They also eliminated recycling. Even when the dump was there, you were still not allowed to dispose of things like rock or concrete blocks. I have a bunch of concrete blocks that I need to figure out how to get rid of.

[@Andrew-j2x]

Great video. Why did you choose to put the basin in 6-8ft away vs. in the original floor drain spot? Was this a one day job or multi day?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

One day job. The original location works sometimes. In this case, we felt it was too close to a steel foundation wall support. We try not to break concrete near or behind those wall supports.

[@On-siteMaintenanceKS]

​@SmedleyPlumbing what's safe/ preferred distance to break up concrete from steel beams?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@On-siteMaintenanceKS I like to stay 24" away if possibly.

[@mp591077]

No check valve?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

There's a check valve on there.

[@matthewpingitore]

I didn't see the check valve either, but if he says its in there then, good job !!@@SmedleyPlumbing

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

@@matthewpingitore 4:23. You can see it installed on the pump while we're setting it in the pit.

[@matthewpingitore]

sorry I missed it, good job 👍@@SmedleyPlumbing

[@vectorm4]

It was too quick/ too short to really see, but it almost looked like that siding is asbestos; and to drill a hole in it will release asbestos fibers !!!

[@MarkLightbody]

Nope look at the sawdust. Don't bother commenting if you dont know what you are talking about. Thanks for complaing and finding something you think he did wrong though.

[@vectorm4]

@@MarkLightbody Proper reading comprehension will explain my uncertainty; my comment clearly described noncommitment.

[@MarkLightbody]

@@vectorm4 Thanks, I understood your comment. Just trying to defend the installers they clearly know what they are doing.

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

I don't think I've ever seen asbestos siding in our area.

[@idmhead0160]

@@MarkLightbody What does sawdust have to do with whether or not the siding contains asbestos? Asbestos was in a lot of things. Don't think you can look at sawdust and know whether the siding contains asbestos.

[@Daddykiddocandyreview]

What about expanding a sump pit?

[@SmedleyPlumbing]

Expanding? Why would you need to expand one?

[@Daddykiddocandyreview]

@SmedleyPlumbing I had to replace my tile around the house as the old one was installed without a sock and got clogged. The installers mentioned that there is a lot of water in the arra that I live. I've replaced quality sump pumps 3x in 12 years despite havingv10 year warranties. The installer suggested that the pumps are being overworked and burning out. My pump goes off every 90-140 seconds. He suggested expanding the pit so the pump does not run as often.