So in the corner of the new house, under a built-in cabinet is a sump pit with a old sump pump. Unfortuntately a couple of times it has stuck, though it never seems to leak any water into the house. Still, paranoia reigns supreme, and so I want to replace the pump.
Of course, just replacing it would be too easy. I want a backup pump that will run on battery power in case the A/C power goes out. This, of course, is just shy of my dream of having a full backup generator for the whole house.
So first I procured a backup pump and a new sump pump. I also bought a bunch of pipe and fittings for installation. My sump pit is about 26 1/4 " to the top of the 1 1/2" output pipe. It is about 15" across.
The diagram on the right was on the back of the backup sump pump box. Basically it shows having the two pumps connected at different levels with one-way valves. It looks easy, but that sump pit shown there is about 8 times the size of mine. This is going to be a bit of a crunch.
Installation of a sump pump requires a one-way valve on each pump. I install the one way valves on each. To save space, I run both pipes straight up, and use a U-shaped pipe to connect the backup pump to the larger pump. They also get clamped together.
A key to whole process is to cut each pipe segment straight and to use the two stage PVC glue system properly. You should glue both the inside and outside of the adjoining pipes and give them a turn per the glue directions to seal them. Cutting can be done quickly and easily using a handheld power jigsaw. Alternately, a hacksaw can be used.
The final assembly required the old sump to be cut off at the pipe.
The new unit slipped into place and was glued. Make sure you test both pumps with water in the sump pit. Running the pumps dry can ruin them.
As of the posting of this, the unit has been in place for over 6 months without a problem.
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