Water Pumps: The Workhorses
Pumps are the workhorses behind successful water management (sewer, storm, domestic, and hot water) in and around your home or building.
Typically, you only learn about pumps when they fail. Be proactive and call a plumber for your annual inspection and maintenance by Sept-Oct. It’s essential to do it before the rainy season to prevent flooding.
Water pumps need regular service, maintenance, cleaning, and sometimes replacement. There is a large variety of pumps whose manufacturer, size, and application are essential to consider.
At Master Plumbing & Sewer, we are specialists in installing and maintaining pumps of any size. We have the qualified knowledge and experience needed to complete the tasks while keeping everything simple on your end. Here are some general descriptions of the types of pumps you may need in your home or commercial building.
Booster Pumps
Booster Pumps raise the water pressure for domestic water feeds to provide adequate flow and pressure throughout a structure.
While you might think that booster pumps are primarily used in tall buildings to feed water to higher floors, there are many more applications where liquid needs to flow upwards at some point between A and B. Large pumps always need regular maintenance, while single-family dwellings usually do not.
We install, inspect, repair, and replace booster pumps keeping in mind that size matters.
Return and Boiler Pumps
Return and Boiler water pumps are most critical for circulating hot water throughout a system. When sized correctly, they maximize the longevity of hot water heating systems and piping.
The incorrect pump in the wrong application will lead to expensive repairs and the breakdown of your heating system.
Sewer Sump Pumps
Sewer Sump Pumps* direct sewage water from toilets, sinks, and laundry facilities away from the building. Mainly when the footage to a municipal sewer system is far away, and the total dynamic head (rise) to the central system is greater than the position of the building. Therefore, regular maintenance and inspection of these pumps are essential.
Often you will see these pumps in basements with a laundry room and bathroom that may have the entire structure directed to the pump system. When not inspected and maintained, they will put sewage throughout the basement with costly removal.
A grinder pump is needed for high lift or hilly areas or in public bathroom applications when large amounts of products go through the system.
(*a pit or hollow where liquid collects)
Storm Sump Pumps
Often called a Dewatering Pump, these pumps work the same way as sewer pumps. However, they carry storm, rainwater, or groundwater away from the structure to the public municipality system.
You primarily find these in underground garages and basements where groundwater levels are high or in drainage applications where rain and storms can quickly overwhelm the area surrounding the building. A dewatering pump has unique requirements for placement because of the very nature of what it does in preventing flooding.
FAQ for Pumps
We have a room in our underground garage that has multiple sump pumps. Will our sump pumps still work if the electricity goes out to the building?
The short answer is no. Sump pumps require a continuous supply of electricity to work. The most common type of pump failure is because of poor maintenance and inspection. The second most common is electric failure due to power outages. Consider a backup generator to protect the system from failing.