If you’ve never done this before, this post will provide a list of tools, tips, and considerations on how to install a submersible sump pump and pipe the water out of your home.  Do it yourself & save money (but not time).

I bought a new sump pump recently and had never installed one before.  I wanted to hard pipe the installation, but had never glued PVC pipe together.  I looked on Google to see how long I would have to wait after gluing before I could turn the pump back on, but found precious little info regarding the subject.  So I figured this would make a welcome post for a few of you DIYers out there.

Sump Pump: Submersible vs. Pedestal

On my local Public Radio station, I heard a trusted home improvement expert say that pedestal pumps aren’t as preferable as submersible pumps.  I didn’t even know what a submersible pump was.  He also suggested at least a 3/4 horsepower model for most homes, although after doing some research, I don’t see why a quality 1/2 HP submersible model won’t work for most.  When my pedestal sump pump went on the fritz soon after, I went to the hardware store to pick up a new pump.

Submersible Sump Pump

Pedestal Sump Pump

What’s the difference between these pumps?

Pedestals are less expensive than submersibles.  They’re louder because the motor sticks up above most sump holes, making it difficult to put a lid on the sump hole.

Pedestals typically wear out sooner because the motor is air cooled, whereas the submersible has cool groundwater surrounding it to dissipate heat through.

Do you see the long float switch on the pedestal pump with the little guide-arm in the middle?  Yeah, that gets bent easily, and then the float gets stuck either up or down, both of which renders the pump useless.

Some people only care about lowest price, which is silly.  For the rest of us, the price details as I’ve found them are as follows:

A good submersible, 1/2 to 3/4 HP, 4600 Gallons Per Hour, Lifetime Guarantee (yes, lifetime) should run between $160 and $200 on sale.

A pedestal should be somewhere between $75 and $120.  In other words, submersibles are twice as much as pedestals, but worth it in my opinion.

Got the Pump.  What Else?

Click here for a printable PDF Shopping Checklist to take to the hardware store.

Submersible Sump Pump Install Shopping List

The Usual Stuff:

Sharpie Marker, Hammer, Tape Measure, Reciprocating Saw (or hand saw).

Sharpie Marker

Claw Hammer

Tape Measure

Reciprocating Saw with metal cutting blade

reciprocating saw blades, use metal cutting type

Ridgid brand PVC pipe saw

If you don’t have a reciprocating saw, get a hacksaw, or something like this Ridgid PVC / Plastic saw costs about $20.

Next Page >>>

In this example I took an existing basement remodel model, and began to build the main floor on top of it.

Go to: Components>(should be included in the basic templates) and choose the “Wall Framing” component.

Or Go to: File>3D Warehouse>(and search for dynamic components, joists, wall, 2×4, studs, whatever….)

Once you’ve placed your component, it’s already selected (or select it with your cursor so it’s outlined – in blue in my photo), and then Right Click> move down and Select “Dynamic Components”>then select “Component Options.”

In this case, I changed the 2×4 stud dimensions to 2×6 inches.  As you can see, the programmers of this component have provided several options to customize a section of wall framing.

Scaling a Dynamic Component in Google SketchUp

This is the most impressive, time-saving, awesome feature of Dynamic Components: ability to Dynamically Scale.

Select your component (if not already selected), and click the scale button (circled in yellow in the photo).  You’ll notice that there are neon-green cubes along the perimeter of your object.  When you grab one of these and drag it, the wall framing unit will change size to your new dimensions.  The best part is that after it resizes, it will automatically fill in with studs spaced to your preference (in my case, every 16 inches).

For those who don’t know, if you re-scale a component that isn’t dynamic, it begins to look either stretched-out or compacted, (depending on if you rescale larger or smaller), and the end result is a “disproportionate” look.  This is why Dynamic Components are a wonderful addition to SketchUp.\

If you have questions, comment on this tutorial and I’ll address them.

This post is just to talk about “Layers.”  I find it very helpful to categorize a project into layers. For example, I put the basement floor and stairs on their very own layer:

But I start my projects with a perimeter (the outer block wall of my basement).  I measured my basement.  It’s important to me when I build a project on the computer that it’s to scale. This way, if you’re creating a plan, you can be confident that it will probably work in reality.  Otherwise, you might as well draw it on a cocktail napkin.

After I created the outer wall (my “framework”), I started on the inner walls.  I’m still not sure if I want to have 2 bedrooms or 1 larger one, so this may change.  But for now, I’ve made an office and a bedroom, plus a living room area.

I’m sure some might look at this and think of how they would plan the layout differently.  Realize when you work on your projects that you’re going to have to work around obstacles.  In this case, I’m not going to relocate the toilet or the shower drain, as they’re set in concrete and I don’t want to get into all that work.

Also, I’m not planning on moving the stairs or main ducts, but would like to move the furnace and hot water heater (which I’ve done in this model).

I added furniture to get perspective on how livable the rooms will be.  This goes back to the importance of taking accurate measurements of the space you want to remodel.

Another great thing about SketchUp is ”3D Warehouse” in which you can find just about anything you need (furniture, trees, windows, fixtures, etc…) and download it directly into your model.  Saves you the time of making everything from scratch.

When I do make something original, I like to upload it (or “share”) so that I’m contributing instead of just taking.  Here’s the hot tub I made:

Then I decided that I’d need an egress window in each bedroom.  I read up on what that would entail, and decided it would be easiest to make a couple of existing windows larger.  You can see the lighting scheme and the doors, plus the main ducts in this picture.

I even created the joists in my model to get an idea of how to move some ducts and where to put the recessed lighting.  This wasn’t necessary, but I was enjoying this project and went all out with details.

SketchUp 7 now has scalable “dynamic” models that you can download from 3D Warehouse, which makes creating joists, 2×4 walls, shelving, and other tasks much easier.

Here’s the joists and ceiling drywall.

(click on the pics to see enlarged version)

For Walk Through Animations and different SketchUp projects, check out my website.