Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Sump Pump’

Sump Pumps in Orange County: What You Should Know

Monday, February 6th, 2023
sump-pump

The song goes, “It never rains in California.” Well, that certainly hasn’t been true this year! We’ve received some record-breaking rainfall in southern California this winter. Although it doesn’t rain here often, when it does rain, it can rain a lot. 

When you combine this with the fact that California doesn’t have a great system in place for collecting rainwater, it can spell disaster. Areas that have been burned by wildfires are prone to flooding because the soil can’t absorb the rainwater. Far too often, the result is flooding in homes’ lower levels. When heavy rains strike and your home is prone to flooding in its lower levels, you could have a very serious problem on your hands.

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What Exactly is the “Sump” in a “Sump Pump”?

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

You may know the purpose of a sump pump, which is the removal of excess water from a low part of a house, usually due to flooding or moisture gathering from a high water table. The pump part of the name is obvious enough, since these devices pump the water away and into the wastewater system. But what is the sump part of the name mean, and is it important to know?

Saddleback Plumbing has installed sump pumps in Orange County for decades now, so we can give you some details on what a sump is and why it’s important. If you want a sump pump in Irvine, CA or elsewhere in Orange County, you only have to give us a call and let us know. We have the experienced technicians capable of handling any plumbing job, no matter the size.

The Sump

The simplest definition of sump is that it’s a low space created to collect any liquid for removal. It can also refer to a place inside a cave where water naturally collects. When referring to an actual sump pump, the sump is a containment area created during the installation of the sump pump. The sump is placed at the lowest point in the basement, where the excess water flows. Depending on the type of sump pump, the pump will either sit above the sump and draw water up into it (a pedestal sump pump) or lie submerged in the sump and push the water up out of it (submersible sump pump).

The size and the location of the sump basin varies. They are usually 2 feet across and 2 to 3 feet deep, holding up to 15 to 25 gallons of water. The professional installer must determine the spot in the basement where the natural sump occurs, and then create the sump basin using a container of plastic, metal, or concrete sunk down into a hole excavated at the location.

This isn’t work an amateur can do; the excavation part alone is too difficult and requires too high a level of precision. If you have a home that is experiencing problems from water in the basement, you need to contact experienced plumbers to take care of finding the right kind of sump pump and then creating the sump basin that will do the job necessary.

Call Saddleback Plumbing today if you have issues in your house from water damage and you want future problems eliminated. We will find the right sump pump in Irvine, CA to suit your needs, and installing it correctly.

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When Sump Pump Installation Is a Good Idea

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

Here in California, the term “sump pump” is not a term that is foreign to many. A sump pump is a plumbing installation designed to protect your home from unexpected flooding. Water damage is a serious threat to your home. Not only can it ruin your property, requiring massive renovations and destroying irreplaceable items, but it may also pose health hazards for some members of your household if mold and mildew gathers as a result.

If you’re worried about flooding, or if you’ve ever had a flood in your home in the past, sump pump installation may be the best choice for you. To learn more about installing a sump pump in Mission Viejo, CA, call on the plumbing experts at Saddleback Plumbing.

How a Sump Pump Works

A sump pump is installed at the lowest point in your home, usually in the basement or a crawlspace. A technician digs a pit in the ground and installs either a submersible pump, which has a waterproof encasing and sits inside of the pit, or a pedestal pump, which rests above the pit on a pedestal. In either case, a sump pump uses motors to impel water into a drain pipe which leads to the outdoors.

Reasons You May Choose a Sump Pump

So why should you consider a sump pump in Mission Viejo? There are a few reasons. Sure, California is not as prone to flooding as many other parts of the country, where many homeowners choose sump pump installation because high water tables indicate a high risk of floods. However, it’s still a possibility that your pipes will burst and water will move into your house, especially if it has happened in the past or if it’s a frequent problem for neighbors.

People often choose to install a sump pump to protect asthma and allergy sufferers in the home, who may have a serious reaction if mold spores move into the air. Others choose to install a sump pump to increase the property value of the home. Whatever your particular reasons, the experts at Saddleback Plumbing can help you protect your home from water damage with professional sump pump installation in Mission Viejo, CA. Give us a call!

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