There are thousands of properties in Erie at risk of flooding over the next 30 years, and sump pumps work on the front lines (down under) to fight this risk. By simply pumping out excess water from the lowest-lying part of a property, sump pumps work wonders in keeping the foundation of the building safe.
In this brief article brought to you by Mr. Rooter Plumbing, we explore how exactly sump pumps keep the building foundation safe.
Mr. Rooter Plumbing is proud to protect Erie homes with professional sump pump installation and replacement services. Our licensed and insured plumber team installs reliable systems that work when you need them most. Contact us today to get in touch.
Where Water Attacks Your Foundation
Water reaches your foundation from multiple directions, and this creates constant pressure that can crack concrete, flood basements, and undermine structural integrity. More specifically, these pressures include:
Rain and Surface Water: Erie receives roughly 40 inches of precipitation yearly, and all that water has to go somewhere. Gravity pulls it downward, and much of it flows directly toward your foundation. Your foundation sits below ground level, and that makes it a natural collection point for surface water. This water seeps through any crack or gap it finds.
Groundwater Rising From Below: Erie sits near Lake Erie with a relatively high water table in many areas. The water table is the level below ground where soil becomes completely saturated with water. During wet seasons, this water table rises and sometimes reaches basement floor levels. When groundwater rises to your basement floor, it doesn't politely stay underground. It pushes upward through cracks and pores in your basement floor.
Snow Melt: Erie winters dump heavy snow that sits frozen for months. When spring arrives and temperatures rise, all that snow melts within weeks. Snow piled against your house melts and flows directly down foundation walls. Snow covering your yard melts and saturates soil completely. The result is enormous water pressure pushing against and under your foundation.
Frozen Ground: Winter freezes the top layers of Erie soil solid. When early spring rain or snow melt occurs while ground remains frozen underneath, water can't soak into frozen soil. Instead, it runs along the surface and collects wherever it can… like against your foundation walls or in window wells.
How Sump Pumps Work
Sump pumps sit in pits dug into your basement floor at the lowest point of your property. These pits, called sump basins, collect water that seeps into your basement from all the sources we just described.
As water seeps through your foundation walls or up through floor cracks, gravity pulls it into the sump pit. The pit collects this water continuously.
Inside the sump pit sits the pump (a motor-driven device that pushes water up and out of your basement). A float switch activates automatically when water reaches a certain level in the pit. Think of it like a toilet float that triggers flushing.
When the float rises with water level, it turns on the pump motor. The pump pushes water up through a discharge pipe that carries it away from your house. Once water level drops back down, the float switch turns the pump off until water rises again.
Professional Installation is Key
A DIY sump pump installation seems straightforward until it really matters. Incorrect installation means pumps that can't keep up with water volume, discharge pipes that freeze and cause backups, or systems that fail during storms when you need them most.
A trained plumber will size pumps appropriately for your basement volume and water intrusion rate, position sump pits at true low points where water naturally collects, install discharge pipes that drain away from foundations and don't freeze in winter, ensure proper float switch operation that triggers reliably, and more.
Call or message Mr. Rooter Plumbing to hire a local trained plumber for the job. We are a licensed and insured company with decades of industry experience, uniformed plumbers, and upfront price quotes.
