Sump Pump Installation Calgary
It doesn’t take a lot of flooding to cause thousands of dollars of damage to your basement. A sump pump can save you that money, the hassles of repair work, not to mention the anguish of losing your valuable belongings.
As with most aspects of plumbing, getting expert advice is your first step.
Knight has been helping Calgary with plumbing and sewer needs since 1970. We’re award winning and fully certified. We can explain the options to you and give you a free quote – all costs included – in advance. You’ll have everything you need to decide what type of sump pump makes sense for your home.
While we can’t control the weather, we can help you control the damage from flooding.
Calgary Plumbing Services
Our Recommended Sump Pump Brand
When it comes to pumps we typically install the Liberty Pumps brand. They have a wide variety of reliable pumps that are built to last. Some have additional features like alarms that can be sent to your smart phone. Liberty Pumps distributes around the world, is ISO 9001 certified, and was named as Inc. Magazine’s top 5000 businesses for 7 years in a row.
Liberty Pumps also have some very budget friendly solutions that can make sense if your home has a low risk of flooding.
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Sump Pump FAQ
A sump pump is a pump that removes water from the ground directly under your basement to prevent flooding. It sits in a tub or pit in the lowest part of your home. The tub collects water that would otherwise flow into your basement, and the pump lifts it to your sewer line or other drainage pipe where it can be carried away. These days most pumps have and automatic startup and shutdown. You can learn more about how sump pumps work here.
If you’ve just bought a home, here are some key signs that will tell you that a sump pump is a good idea:
- If the basement is unfinished, you may be able to see a white mineral line on the floor or partway up the wall. This will tell you that there’s been a flood in the past.
- There is a persistent musty or mouldy smell even if you’ve been using a dehumidifier. While most basements tend to be a little humid, they shouldn’t be damp enough to encourage mould.
- There are cracks in the foundation. While this may be caused by several things, the causes usually involve too much groundwater that doesn’t drain away from the foundation.
If you live in a low-lying area or near one of our rivers, you already know our flooding history means sump pumps are a smart idea.
Not necessarily. Groundwater can rise in many areas that aren’t in our usual flood zones, especially if bedrock is near the surface. The age of the surrounding storm sewer can also make a difference as to whether we recommend a sump pump or not. Rural properties typically need a sump pump, but not always.
Most sump pumps are powered by electricity. If your home is especially prone to flooding we may recommend a battery-powered backup that will keep going even if the power fails.
Battery-powered pumps are often cheaper than most generators. We still recommend electrically-powered pumps for your main pump, however, because of course the batteries will need to be recharged frequently if the pump has a lot of work to do.
This will depend on the model you need, if the pit and drainage connections are already in place, and how the drainage works in your home. Every situation is unique.
If we’re just replacing a previous sump pump it will likely cost several hundred dollars, but if an entire sump system needs to be created it can cost a few thousand.
No matter what the price is you will always get the full price quote in advance from Knight. There will be no extra fees or hourly labour charges. Plus, it’s definitely cheaper than repairing flood damage.
Yes. In some areas, even heavy thunderstorms can lead to basement flooding if your home is vulnerable. Typical contributing factors include:
- Clogged rain gutters or downspouts.
- Old or improperly poured foundations.
- How the ground around your home is graded.
A sump pump will control the amount of water under your home, but of course it can’t fix the root of the problem if it’s something like this. On a side note, to prevent sewer backups you can have a backwater valve installed.
You can help further protect your home from rising water levels with this checklist >
Get Expert Advice from the Friendly Plumbers at Knight
A sump pump is an important part of keeping your home dry and safe. Ask us to visit your home to let you know for sure if a sump pump can help you. Knight has been repairing, replacing, and installing sump pumps in Calgary for over 50 years.