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What kind of sump pumps are there?

Did you know that there are several different kinds of sump pumps available in the area?

Some of the most common types of sump pumps our plumbers work on around town:

  • Basement sump pumps
  • Battery operated sump pumps
  • Sewage ejector pumps

Each type of sump pump has a specific purpose. What are those purposes, you ask? Well, let’s explore each type of pump in detail below:

Basement Sump Pump

A basement sump pump is, well, a sump pump located in your basement. They remove excess water from the lowest level of your property (typically the basement, hence their name) and are great at preventing flood damage. Usually, you can’t directly control your basement sump pump. Instead, they’re controlled by what’s called a float switch. Float switches activate when faced with a predetermined amount of liquid (which makes them float switches). In other words, your sump pump only turns on when there is a certain level of water around it.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of float switches, troubleshooting problems with basement sump pumps is often tricky. Typically, you have to either introduce a large amount of water to the pump or wait for a flood to determine your  basement sump pump functions as intended. Since it’s so challenging to predict basement pump failure, our plumbers recommend you both get your pump inspected annually as well as install a battery-operated sump to act as a backup in the event your primary pump fails.

Battery Operated Sump Pump

As mentioned above, our plumbers recommend you install a battery-operated sump pump to act as a backup pump should your main ever fail during a flood. Also, as you’ve probably already figured out, the primary difference between a battery-operated sump and a conventional pump is that the battery backup pump gets power from, well, a battery.

Furthermore, since most sump pumps get power directly from your home’s primary power source, they don’t work during a power outage. Unfortunately, floods often bring power problems with them. So, even if you have a brand new pump that’s never failed an inspection, we still recommend you install a battery-operated sump pump in Aurora. After all, it never hurts to be prepared.

Sewage Ejector Pump

You only need a sewage ejector pump if you need to move sewage from somewhere below the main sewer line on your property. For example, if you have a basement toilet, you likely need an Aurora sewage ejector pump to move the waste from the toilet to the main sewer line on your property.