Keyword Search

Found 21 results for the keyword(s) ‘Sump Pump’

• Article

  Creating Drainage Paths Under Basement Walls

    For years we have talked about protecting the sill plate of basement walls from moisture rising up from the concrete.  This could be water in the concrete from plumbing spills, or even from under the slab from a high-water table.  The old standard ways to protect that bottom piece of wood on t...
• Article

  What makes a good sump pump pit?

  It is rather surprising to me how little information there is available on sump pumps and more specifically on sump pump pits.  We find two basic kinds installed in homes. One is just a water collection box where perimeter drains flow and a pump then lifts the water up and away from the house. ...
• Article

  How do I keep a shallow Sump drain from freezing outdoors?

  Michael writes from St. Lazare, Quebec : We recently found a nasty surprise with our new house. The land has a high water table and as a result we have sump pump in the basement. The plumbing for this pump was hidden in the walls and ceiling of the basement. When our inspector inspected the home,...
• Article

  Should a washing machine drain into a sump pump?

  No. I am sorry about that, Reese from Ingersol, Ontario.  The washing machine puts out far too much water far too fast for a sump pump to be able to carry it away. Also there is always a bit of lint in the drain water, which will eventually plug up the sump pump filter. In addition the soap can...
• Article

  Can I drill holes in the sides and the bottom of a sump pump pit?

  Ken in Winnipeg wants to know if he can modifiy his sump pump pit.There are really two kinds of sump pump pits.One is an underground container or catch basin designed to receive water from the perimeter drain tiles and any other basement spillage or back-up and pump that up and out of the house.T...
• Article

  Legality of DIY electrical and plumbing work

  NEW CONSTRUCTION In the interests of health and safety a number of trades are controlled by law, most particularly plumbing and electricity. The degree to which plumbing and electrical work are actually regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance almost all work performed in...
• Article

  A gadget for watering hanging plants

  The "Rain Stick" is used to get a lot of water quickly from your bucket to a hanging plant. You put the end in a bucket of water and pull the plunger back, then lift the end up over the plant and push the plunger back out. Simple and effective, with no ladders or falling off of chairs.   That g...
• Article

  Getting hot water to a remote sink -- fast

  Here is one that I answered one year , and found a better answer a year later.   GETTING THE HEATER CLOSER TO THE FAUCET In 2003 a viewer asked me about how to get hot water to that back bedroom because they have to run the water for two or three minutes before the hot water arrives from the b...
• Article

  The river is rising – preparing for a flood: OVERVIEW

  This article is about stopping water outside the house, then if necessary, controlling the situation as your basement floods.  For some very interesting water alarms, covering both plumbing and overland water,see Stopping Plumbing Floods.   SANDBAGGING The first line of defense is sandbaggin...
• Article

  Tracing annoying sounds

  One homeowner had an annoying screech coming from her hydronic heating system that was hard to trace because it only happened occasionally and then usually late at night.  The servicemen could find nothing wrong, and of course it never made a screech when they were there.    RECORDING THE SOUND...