A Sump Pump with Two Pipe Connections

[Draz]

I need to replace my sump pump but it has 2 PVC pipes connected to it. I can't find any info online about it and no one I've shown pictures to has ever seen something similar. Before I replace it I'd like to know if I need somethinsimilar. Can anyone tell me the purpose of this type of sump pump? Can I replace it with a generic sump pump?

 

[Diehard]

How deep is that sump?

Are you positive you don't have 2 pumps?

Are those 2 float control wires and 1 power wire, or what?

What do the wall plugs look like.

If you are pumping at 2 different levels you should be able to determine that by adding water and detecting if a second pump gets activated.

Then you would have to determine the size of the pump or pumps required to best handle the inflow rate. Assuming this is a ground water sump. For example, if you have periods of low inflow, you don't want too large of a pump, so as to minimize starts per hour.(Typically not a problem with fractional HP motors) But then if you have periods of high inflow you want to be able to keep up with it.

I suspect you don't have any idea what the capacity of that pump system is. So you may have to play around with it in any case, just to get adequate pumping, without going overboard.

You could also get some idea of size based on current draw.

 

[Jeff Handy]

You need to work on your camera skills, some are blurry, and shoot more pics with better angles.

Always shoot several extra pics, and just keep the best ones.

You never got a good pic of the very bottom of the sump pit, which is a critical area.

Meanwhile, it appears you have two separate pumps, one mounted high and one sitting on the bottom of the sump.

The higher one looks like it could be a Hydromatic.

You might try getting pics of the one sitting on the bottom, shoot more off to the side because the Hydromatic is blocking the view of the lower pump.

Or CAREFULLY reach down with your camera to get a closer shot of the bottom pump.
Some phones or cameras are water resistant, some are not at all.

 

[Jeff Handy]

You also never said why you need to replace your sump pump, which seems to actually be two pumps.

Are they both dead?

Only one is dead?

Bad float or pressure switches?

Won’t shut off?

Can’t keep up in a big storm?

What exactly is your reason to want to replace?

Have you checked the breakers or fuses?

PS Be sure to check or better yet replace both check valves when you pull out the pumps for service, they look old and the one with black rubber couplings looks like a cheapo.

With two pumps, it is critical that both check valves work properly, otherwise some of the pumped water can just get pumped right back down into the sump pit.

 

[RS]

I need to replace my sump pump but it has 2 PVC pipes connected to it. I can't find any info online about it and no one I've shown pictures to has ever seen something similar. Before I replace it I'd like to know if I need somethinsimilar. Can anyone tell me the purpose of this type of sump pump? Can I replace it with a generic sump pump?

You should be able to test run both pumps, one at a time, either by lifting the float switch or plugging the pump in directly. It's not that uncommon for just a switch to fail, and some can be changed separately.