Sump Pump Installation

When to Install or Replace a Sump Pump

If your basement takes on water after heavy rain, or the pump you have is old and you don't trust it through another storm season, it's time to install or replace one.

• Water in the basement after rain
• An old or failing pump
• A finished basement without a backup
• New basement waterproofing work

What Sump Pump Installation Includes

The plumber sets the pump in a sump pit at the low point of the basement, connects a discharge line with a check valve that carries water away from the foundation, and adds an alarm and backup pump if you want them.

1. Assess water inflow and choose the pump and backup.
2. Install or prepare the sump basin.
3. Connect the discharge line with a check valve.
4. Install the alarm and backup, then test the full system.

Where the Discharge Line Should Go

The water a sump pump removes has to go somewhere it won't come straight back. The discharge line should carry it well away from the foundation, to a spot that slopes away from the house. Many cities don't allow sump water into the sanitary sewer. In cold climates, the outdoor section needs to drain fully or be protected so it can't freeze shut, which would leave the pump with nowhere to send water. See sump pump repair for problems with an existing pump.

What Affects the Cost of Sump Pump Installation

Cost depends on whether you already have a pit, the pump you choose and whether you add a battery backup.

• Replacing a pump in an existing pit versus cutting a new pit.
• Pump type and capacity.
• Battery backup and high-water alarm.
• Discharge line routing and freeze protection.

When a Sump Pump Replacement Is Urgent

• The current pump has failed with rain in the forecast.
• Water is already on the basement floor.

Sump Pumps in Basement Cities

Basements are common in Indianapolis, Columbus, Chicago and Detroit, and so is basement water after heavy rain. In those cities, a battery backup pump is worth considering because storms that fill the pit can also knock out power. In cold winters, the discharge line should be routed so it can't freeze shut.

Local plumbing details: Indianapolis, Columbus, Chicago, Detroit

Sump Pumps by City

What our city pages say about sump pumps:

• Fishers, IN: A pump that quits in a storm floods a finished basement.
• Ellicott City, MD: A dead pump or a power cut lets storm water into a finished basement.
• Kenosha, WI: Spring thaw and heavy rain push sump pumps hard.
• Broomfield, CO: A dead pump lets snowmelt and storm water into a finished basement.
• Schaumburg, IL: A dead pump lets spring rain and snowmelt flood the basement.
• Centreville, VA: A pump that quits in a summer storm floods the lowest level.
• Novi, MI: A dead pump or a power cut in a storm floods a finished basement.
• Eagan, MN: Snowmelt and summer storms fill the pit, and a dead pump floods the basement.

Before the Plumber Arrives

• Clear access to the sump pit.
• Note where the discharge line exits the house.

Sump Pump Installation Questions