A sump pump is a simple electric pump that removes standing water from a basin in the ground. Many homes use sump pumps to remove water that collects in the basement or crawl space due to rainwater or groundwater issues. Without a sump pump, this water can evaporate and then condense on wood – leading to wood rot.

How Sump Pumps Work

A sump pump uses electricity to pump water from a perforated container. Once the water in the container reaches a certain level, a float activates the pump to remove the water from the container. You can get very simple models that just turn on and off with the activation of the float, or get one with more features like a battery backup or secondary pump. They come in multiple sizes depending on the amount of water you need pumped out – usually 0.3 to 1 horsepower for residential use.

Do You Need a Sump Pump?

Take a look in and around your basement or crawl space. If there's standing water, you might need a sump pump.

Water could be coming from a variety of sources including ground water, sewer, roof downspouts or a leaky pipe. Based on this, here are some ways the water could be removed:

• Eliminate the source of water by fixing the issue (like repairing a leaky pipe or adding downspouts)
• Moving the source of water away from the house with a French drain, trench, gravel or grading
• Installing a sump pump

Why It's Important to Hire a Professional

For such a simple machine, there are a lot of considerations to keep in mind when choosing and installing a sump pump:

• Where is the water coming from?
• What size and type of pump is needed?
• Where is a safe source of electricity for the sump pump?
• Where should the water go after it's pumped? Some areas have strict rules about what you can do with the water, so if you're doing it yourself make sure you're working within your local laws.