Basements in homes are common in the Burlington, VT area. Unfortunately, so is flooding in basements, whether from heavy storms, massive snowmelt, or burst pipes. Flooding not only means damage to valuable personal belongings, but also creates water damage to building material that is difficult to remediate and allows for the growth of mold and mildew.
You may not be able to stop the rains and the snowmelt, but you can outfit your home with a defense against the flooding: a sump pump. These devices automatically take care of “bailing out” your home’s basement of crawlspace in case of flooding. But you need plumbing professionals to take care of the sump pump installation or sump pump replacement, as well as any future repair issues. Red Rock Mechanical, LLC is the local contractor for Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York who will see to all your sump pump needs. We treat everyone with respect and aim to solve problems on the first call.
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Sump Pump Basics
A sump pump consists of two components, which are right there in the name: the pump itself, and the sump. The sump refers to the collection point where all the water in a basement or crawlspace flows. Plumbers determine the best location for the sump so that water will move naturally toward it, and then excavate the sump pit.
The pump itself is an electrically powered device that uses impeller motors to draw water from the sump and remove it to either the wastewater system or a well. The pump is designed to activate automatically when water starts to enter the sump.
The Different Types of Sump Pumps
Sump pumps come in different power levels, but they all fall into one of two distinct categories:
- Pedestal sump pumps: This sump pump, as the name implies, stands on a pedestal over the sump. A pipe from the pump runs down into the pit, and the impeller motors draw water up from the sump before sending it to the wastewater system. These pumps use more energy, but they are easy to maintain and have long service lives.
- Submersible sump pumps: This type of sump pump sits down in the sump itself, and draws water directly into it. The impeller motors push the water through a pipe that comes out of the sump and then moves into the wastewater system. These are energy–efficient sump pumps, but the exposure to water means they can wear down sooner than pedestal pumps.
What model is right for your new sump pump installation? Simply ask our plumbers and they’ll guide you the right one to meet your needs.
Sump Pump Repair and Sump Pump Maintenance
You want to make sure that the preventive device is always prepared to, well, prevent problems. A sump pump in the Burlington, VT area can end up doing a great deal of work over its service life to handle excess water from snowmelt and flooding, and that stress can lead to the need for repairs.
We recommend that you test your sump pump before the storm season each year by pouring water into the sump to see that it activates. If it won’t, call our plumbers to have it fixed. We can also arrange to do sump pump maintenance as part of your routine plumbing maintenance. In cases where your pump is beyond repair, we’ll take care of a sump pump replacement.
No matter what sump pump services you require, call on Red Rock Mechanical, LLC in our Burlington offices and we’ll arrange to get the job done—and done right the first time.
