This page is a collection of 4 sump pump myths that give reasons for getting a sump pump. But, before you get convinced into wasting an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary sump pump, we would suggest you study our reasons for NOT GETTING a sump pump. Our explanations of how sump pumps work will immunize you against slick talking salesman. They want you to buy something that is not necessary and may even be counterproductive to having a dry, damp free basement.
Basement waterproofing for water in basement has led to some inaccurate theories of how water moves underground on its way to get the basement wet. We can help with DIY basement waterproofing by accurately understanding how water is getting into the basement.
Most waterproofing construction companies will tell you they check where the leak is coming in when they inspect in the basement. In fact they are only verifying the basement penetration source for the water in the basement. This is not the primary water leak source. See our article on the true cause of basement leaks. After their quick inspections, they inform you that you probably have a high water table, or a clay bowl around your house. They may then tell you that hydrostatic pressure is pushing water in your basement. But, they neglect to fully explain what this means and they certainly don’t analyze your house for any evidence these justifications are true. Next, they launch into a pre-prepared sales pitch where they use fear and high-pressure sales tactics to sell you an expensive sub pump and drain tile system. Their FREE estimate was a way to get into your basement and scare you into spending $10,000 to $20,000.
We do not sell anything when we investigate your water leak in the basement. By the time we are investigating the leak in your basement, we have already sold you on our services. The only thing we sell is our investigation service. Our intention after you hire us is to show you the least expensive way to fix the leak in your basement. We can show the DIY basement waterproofing person just what needs to be done, and how it needs to be done to do it right.
Before you get convinced into wasting an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary sump pump, we would suggest you study all our reasons for NOT getting a sump pump. Our explanation of how sump pumps work will immunize you against slick talking salesman. They want you to buy something that is not necessary and may even be counterproductive to having a dry, damp free basement.
Basement waterproofing for water in basement has led to some inaccurate theories of how water moves underground on its way to get the basement wet. We can help with DIY basement waterproofing by accurately understanding how water is getting into the basement.
It is a myth that any home needs a sump pump and drain tile system. These systems are at best a temporary emergency fix for a problem of water leaking in the basement. They should never be relied on to pump water out of your basement continually. If your sump pump is running then you have a leak.
We use the analogy of a fire sprinkler system for sump pump systems. It is a good to have an emergency fire sprinkler system when there’s a fire. But, you do not want to use the fire sprinkler for every day events, like cooking. If every time you fried potatoes on your stove and it started a massive fire in your kitchen, the sprinkler system would save your house from burning down, but you would be extremely disappointed with your kitchen. The sump pump is doing the very same thing with water leaking in the basement.
With a sump pump system, water is still leaking into your basement. And, in order to get to the sump pump, the water now flows along the footings under your walls. These footings are holding up your house. The water is still undermining the soil stability around the footings of your home. It is impossible for some pump systems to isolate water from the footings. Every single time the sump pump turns on your house settling. So we see some pump and drain tile system are an emergency backup pump for extreme weather situations. But, for 97% of homes, they are not necessary day to day. But what about the other 3%?
Some homes were erroneously built in floodplains. A few others have inherited water from bad drainage practices of their neighbors in such a manner that they are source of the problem cannot be remediated. And these very rare circumstances (we only see this 3% of the time) a drain tile system (emergency backup system) must now be employed full-time to save the house from utter destruction.
Before you get convinced into wasting an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary sump pump, we would suggest you study all our reasons for NOT getting a sump pump. Our explanation of how sump pumps work will immunize you against slick talking salesman. They want you to buy something that is not necessary and may even be counterproductive to having a dry, damp free basement.
Basement waterproofing for water in basement has led to some inaccurate theories of how water moves underground on its way to get the basement wet. We can help with DIY basement waterproofing by accurately understanding how water is getting into the basement.
Some pumps are an extremely expensive addition to your house with little to show for it. A slick sales representative for a waterproofing basement contractor will tell you that you can sleep peacefully at night knowing that some pub is removing water from your basement. The reality is your basement is still leaking.
The sump pump and drain tile system only removes water leaking into your basement in a manner which is less obvious than before. These companies do not accomplish the simple task of stopping the leak. They hide the leaking water under the concrete. Its the same thing as sweeping a problem under the rug.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to stop most leaks. For example, most of our clients repair their leaks for less than $100. YES, you read that correctly, LESS THAN $100!
97% of the leaks we investigate have relatively inexpensive repair cost. Paying $10,000 or more for something that can be accomplished for as little as $100 is NOT a good value. Please see our other sub pump myth articles for more facts about some pumps the other basement leak companies don’t want you to know.
Before you get convinced into wasting an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary sump pump, we would suggest you study all our reasons for NOT getting a sump pump. Our explanation of how sump pumps work will immunize you against slick talking salesman. They want you to buy something that is not necessary and may even be counterproductive to having a dry, damp free basement.
Basement waterproofing for water in basement has led to some inaccurate theories of how water moves underground on its way to get the basement wet. We can help with DIY basement waterproofing by accurately understanding how water is getting into the basement.
Sump pump salesmen are very selective when they describe what their sump pump will do. They usually won’t tell you “The leak has stopped,” but rather they will say, “Your basement is now dry.”
Saying, “Your basement is now dry”, is not the same as waterproofing your basement or stopping the leak to your basement. The best way to waterproof your basement is to deal with surface water drainage systems. (They have pushed the water to the bottom of the footing - the worst place to push water!)
Some pumps do not stop leaks! Rather, they catch water that is leaking into your basement before it shows up on your floors or wall.
Essentially they hide the water leaking into your basement and channel it under the floor so you don’t see it, over to a sump pump which pushes it out the wall. They may even put fancy coatings over the walls so you do not see the leak, but its still there. They hide the water a few inches below the concrete in your floor so you do not see the leak. Essentially they are very good at hiding the leak in your basement that is still there.
Before you get convinced into wasting an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary sump pump, we would suggest you study all our reasons for NOT getting a sump pump. Our explanation of how sump pumps work will immunize you against slick talking salesman. They want you to buy something that is not necessary and may even be counterproductive to having a dry, damp free basement.
Basement waterproofing for water in basement has led to some inaccurate theories of how water moves underground on its way to get the basement wet. We can help with DIY basement waterproofing by accurately understanding how water is getting into the basement.
