Photo: Contributed - (Photo: Hugh Cairns)

Modern sump pumps provide today's homeowner with effective, economical and reliable insurance against occasional and potentially destructive basement flooding.

Sump pumps are electric pumps that are installed in the basement of a home. They are used to pump water accumulated in a sump pit away from the home. The sump pit is simply a hole dug into the ground which allows water to collect into it. Sump pumps are best paced at the lowest point in the basement floor. When the sump begins to fill with water a float switch triggers and the pumping begins.

A basement sump pump is most often used where the home’s basement is below the water table level, or in places where flooding is a concern. Sometimes these pumps are used if the bottom level of a house is below the sewer line. Usually, they drain the sump water into the house's drainage pipe system, and sometimes they simply pump the water outside, away from the structure to any place where it no longer presents a problem.

There are two types of sump pumps. Pedestal pumps and a submersible pumps. The pedestal pump's motor is mounted above the pit. The submersible pump is entirely mounted inside the pit.

Sump pumps are generally powered by your homes electrical system. It's critical for the pump to always be working. Often they have a battery backup system just in case the electricity goes out. Some sump pumps don't use electricity at all. Instead they use the home's pressurized water supply, making the sump pump's need for electricity non-existent.

General maintenance on a sump pump usually just involves cleaning it out. The pump will get clogged with gravel, dirt, sand, and other debris carried in by the water from the sump pit. Too much debris will clog the sump pump and can make it stop working completely.