Inline Water Pump?

IVB

Senior Member
Howdy guys, anyone ever hear of an inline water pump? I've got 2 rooms in my basement that are "disconnected" and nowhere close to the room that I'll be flattening/slanting out, and I need to drain them. Rather than dump another $5000/room for sump pumps, I thought I could just put
1) some form of downward facing pipe.
2) use an Elk watercop but raised so it has to be at a given level, and
3) turn on the pump via a zWave switch if the watercop triggers such.

These rooms are not enough of a "big deal" to warrant serious investment, and naturally drain by themselves within 24ish hours, but anything I can do to avoid standing water now that i've got the equipment 20' away would be nice.
 
Yeah, the sump pump parts aren't too bad, I just bought all that stuff. It's the damn Northern California labor rates, $100/hour, to dig the hole. I don't have the time or WAF signoff to take the time to dig the hole.

I just picked this up, this is definitely "good enough". I may not fully automate it, just putting in an Elk watercop to tell me whether I need to turn it on or not. I can hook it up to zWave so I don't need to even need to go downstairs to do it.

8d780dde-27da-4a13-af87-9e8ffa75bf90_300.jpg
 
Yeah, the sump pump parts aren't too bad, I just bought all that stuff. It's the damn Northern California labor rates, $100/hour, to dig the hole. I don't have the time or WAF signoff to take the time to dig the hole.

I just picked this up, this is definitely "good enough". I may not fully automate it, just putting in an Elk watercop to tell me whether I need to turn it on or not. I can hook it up to zWave so I don't need to even need to go downstairs to do it.

8d780dde-27da-4a13-af87-9e8ffa75bf90_300.jpg

That looks like the one they sell at hd. If it has rubber impellers, be very careful not to let it run dry.

Brian
 
That looks like the one they sell at hd. If it has rubber impellers, be very careful not to let it run dry.

Brian

It is the one from HD. I haven't opened it up yet, but i'll be sure to not let that run dry; is that for fire safety purposes?
 
That looks like the one they sell at hd. If it has rubber impellers, be very careful not to let it run dry.

Brian

It is the one from HD. I haven't opened it up yet, but i'll be sure to not let that run dry; is that for fire safety purposes?

I think the rubber overheats from the friction, as it uses the water for lubrication and cooling. I don't think it's a safety issue, it will just render the pump kaput. I speak with authority on this issue :)

Brian
 
::edit:: I just noticed you already picked one up, my bad. ::edit::

Have you checked into the pre-enclosed pumps? I don't know regulations in your area, but these are used in commercial applications quite a bit. My father used one to drain a basement kitchen sink; the output gets pumped a good 9' straight up, and out to a common gravity drain.

You'll need a backflow valve to prevent cycling, but these are full enclosed and work quite well.

Goulds is the brand of his, but I'm sure there are others. Cost IIRC was around $4-500. Grinder/pump combos would be more of course.

Pump/basin packages: http://www.goulds.com/master.asp?ID=4
 
What's the difference between those and a regular sump pump? Wouldn't I still need to dig a hole to put them in?

I haven't opened up the one I bought, so I can easily return it if there's a better idea.
 
What's the difference between those and a regular sump pump? Wouldn't I still need to dig a hole to put them in?

I haven't opened up the one I bought, so I can easily return it if there's a better idea.

The difference is just the bucket: it eliminates the absolute need for a pit. My father tells me they are used in local McDonald's for constant-use applications and they are simply sitting on the floor.

He has had a float switch fail before(wouldn't kick the pump on): the sink backed up, but the bucket remained relatively leak-free. I guess installing in a pit would be a secondary precaution to leaks(?).

I plan to use one of these for a clothes washer drain.

What are you draining from these two rooms? Solid waste, wet-bar, etc? The above Wayne pump looks good for a long-run fluid transfer: I'm not so sure how it would hold up to constantly changing water levels (ie running dry). The bucket allows there to always be a small amount of residual water for priming purposes.

Cheers,
Jamie
 
It's just rain-water flooding two of my basement rooms, so quasi-clean. Both rooms have cement floors, with no existing holes, so i'd have to dig something. Well, one of the rooms has a small crack, but the water is draining out through there over time so I haven't bothered fixing it ;)
 
It's just rain-water flooding two of my basement rooms, so quasi-clean. Both rooms have cement floors, with no existing holes, so i'd have to dig something. Well, one of the rooms has a small crack, but the water is draining out through there over time so I haven't bothered fixing it ;)

I suppose I completely mis-read your post... I didn't realize the water was from foundation ingress issues. That said the Goulds enclosed pump wouldn't really be of much help... after-all you have to get the water to drain into the top of it.
 
"It's just rain-water flooding two of my basement rooms"

Do you have rain gutters? If so, do the downspouts carry the water well away from the basement walls? Does the ground around the house slope away from the foundation? If you can answer "Yes" to these questions, you should have little water entering your basement.

Aloha. . . .John
 
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