View Full Version : Sump pump volume calculation
ljohnston
Sep 20, 2004, 06:06 PM
I'm currently trying to solve a sump pump capacity problem. I never have water in basket except in very bad 5+ inches of rain in short periods 1/2 day or less. Then it comes so fast It is almost impossible to keep up with.
I'm planning on installing a new Zoeller pump capable of 93 gpm with 10 foot head. My question is is there a simple calcualtion for how much volume per minute I will use when I have to install a 45 degree or 90 degree elbow in my 2 inch run?
Help would be much appreciated. 1/2 hp unit capable of the volumes descrived above.
labman
Sep 20, 2004, 08:59 PM
Not really. A 90 elbow is considered to add 5 pipe diameters to the length of the pipe. A 2'' pipe with one elbow should have about the same restriction as a straight pipe 10'' longer. The actual is a bit messy. Two points, use the longer radius DWV elbows if you can find them. To really make sure, go up a pipe size. In high speed water, a 1'' pipe would have 32 times as much restriction as a 2''. The only thing to watch is to make sure you have more restriction on the outlet than the inlet. Otherwise the pump may cavitate and destroy itself. That is the suction is enough to boil the water and unbalance the pump with pockets of water vapor. Go for the biggest practical pipe size. If you get a horrible vibration in the pump when you check it, shut it off and add a restriction to the end of the discharge.
oregon renter
Dec 29, 2007, 10:56 PM
If you get a horrible vibration in the pump when you check it, shut it off and add a restriction to the end of the discharge.
Hi, sorry to tack on to someone else's question, but this sounds like what our problem might be. We've just rented a place on a hill with a sump pump. I know NOTHING about sump pumps and hadn't even heard of them until yesterday, however; here goes:
There is a pit in the ground where the pump obviously is. There is a pipe running straight up from the pump and through the house. I don't know how high the pipe goes, but I assume it goes all the way to the roof? The pump runs every couple minutes or so (apparently the is a small river running under our house) we're told this is normal during the winter months. Anyway, my problem is the noise. Every couple minutes the pump turns on and we can hear the sound of the motor all the way up in the second story. I'm afraid I will never learn to fall asleep to this noise and vibration. Is the noise and slight vibration going all the way from under the basement through the top of the house normal? And if so, how can we deaden it? And if not, what might be wrong?
If the above quote applies to my problem, what in a restriction and what is the discharge?
oregon renter
Dec 29, 2007, 10:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by labman
"If you get a horrible vibration in the pump when you check it, shut it off and add a restriction to the end of the discharge."
Hi, sorry to tack on to someone else's question, but this sounds like what our problem might be. We've just rented a place on a hill with a sump pump. I know NOTHING about sump pumps and hadn't even heard of them until yesterday, however; here goes:
There is a pit in the ground where the pump obviously is. There is a pipe running straight up from the pump and through the house. I don't know how high the pipe goes, but I assume it goes all the way to the roof? The pump runs every couple minutes or so (apparently the is a small river running under our house) we're told this is normal during the winter months. Anyway, my problem is the noise. Every couple minutes the pump turns on and we can hear the sound of the motor all the way up in the second story. I'm afraid I will never learn to fall asleep to this noise and vibration. Is the noise and slight vibration going all the way from under the basement through the top of the house normal? And if so, how can we deaden it? And if not, what might be wrong?
If the above quote applies to my problem, what in a restriction and what is the discharge?