So I recently moved and the new house has this pump.
Drymaster SP-4, however it does not work.
I'm curious if there are other pumps like this?
The site is here:
Drymaster Sumpless Pump Products

I ask because this house is higher up on the ground, and based on the old pump not working, and the previous owner not even know how it works or if it ever ran, I'd think that there is not a higher water table here. I've been here a few months, and had some hellish rains, and nothing in the basement.
This pump is $650 to replace, and if it doesn't run much, I kind of have a tough time justifying paying that money. I understand it is important to have, and intend to get one that works. Thats not what I'm looking to hear.
I'm after other options of a similar type of pump that isn't $650.

 

Something else I noticed too also confirm it doesn't run much. The outlet to the side of the house is full of dirt. I'm in the process now of trying to clear that out and find out where the water actually goes when pumped out. No idea...

 

Interesting pump. No helpful info about it on the website. Looks like a proprietary design that WaterMaster has patented. Seems to be a Michigan thing. Possibly the unit can be repaired by the company for a lot less than replacing it.

A replacement with a sump pump is going to require a pit to be dug.

Found some other threads on this... don't post on them as they are old. You could send a PM to any member in them.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/ba...mp-backup.html

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pl...-basement.html

 

Yeah, the site sucks.
I called them about fixing it since they claim to repair them as well.
I guess mine is too old of a model since its the wrong color they said.
I need to take it out of the ground and see what it does. Its hidden, and hard to really do much with now. May be just a bad start up cap or something? Who knows just yet.

 

From the other DIY threads I've read.... there is a small hose that is a pressure line that's used to activate the pump.

 

The entire length of perforated PVC pipe or terracotta tiles of a perimeter drain system have so many cubic inches of space that ground water can accumulate in. A sumpless pump can be used to empty out this space as needed although pumping of air mixed with water will start to occur when the space is about halfway emptied of water. Depending on the criteria used to determine when the pump starts and stops, the sumpless pump could suffer short cycles. (A regular sump pump can also suffer short cycles.)

In the OP's case the pump failed because the outlet pipe got clogged with dirt and this went unnoticed for a long period of time. Or the pump simply wore out in the same manner as a regular sump pump in a pit.

Ideally, as a regular sump pump runs, additional water queued up in the perimeter drain pipe or tiles will drain into the pit as the pump is still running. When the pump finally stops, there is all the space in the pit plus all the space in the perimeter drain pipe/tiles to accumulate water before the pump has to start again. (Not all systems work that perfectly.) With a sumpless pump, the only working space is the interior of the perimeter drain pipe/tiles so on average the pump cycles are likely to be shorter and more frequent.

 

I went outside last night and poked at the drain pipe a little bit.
Started with a kids shovel trying to clear out the dirt & rock in the hole.
Hit it with the hose and managed to clear out the pipe so the water will not back up.
It was about an arms length of rock and mud, crap in the pipe but it’s clear now.
Ran the hose in it for a while, I couldn’t find out where it is draining to, but it flows water now.
Just need to get the pump working for the case in which it may need to run.

My thinking, based on the above response about this pump I have drains just the tiles around the house.
Since the house is on higher ground, I’m fairly sure that the pump doesn’t run much.
That and based on the amount of crap packed in the pipe.
I think if the pump did need to run and failed, the previous owner of the house would have had a fit.