Do you have a sump pump in your house?

[Masked Bandit]

Basement water damage is becoming a bigger & bigger issue with insurance so one of the things we're seeing (as a broker) is the insurance companies focusing on preventative measures like sump pumps & back-flow valves. I've never lived in a home with a sump pump so I'm not really sure how common they are here in Calgary. So, do you have one?

[btimbit]

I had never even heard of a Sump Pump until the floods

[codetrap]

I live in one of the highest points of the city, altitude wise, if I need a sump pump, then I don't think my insurance will really be an issue at my new inland seafront property.

[Kinjou]

I am a new build in the far NE and a sump bump was included in the base price of my house. Some of the builders in the same area were offering them for a cost. I have back flow valves as well as the sump pump but that didn't seem to impact my insurance fees. I haven't had to use it yet and even during the floods, it wasn't enough to trigger the pump inside. So far it's just another item to look at during spring maintenance.

[roll_over]

I don't have a sump pump our home builder told us it wasn't required for our location. I have a friend in dewinton who has one because her basement keeps flooding.

[ExtraSlow]

I have one, and my place is pretty high altitude. They help with saturated ground conditions, but would never hold up to overland flooding.
For reference, mine runs maybe ten minutes a year. My yard is nicely graded away from the foundation, and that handles all the rainwater in normal circumstances.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by Kinjou
I am a new build in the far NE and a sump bump was included in the base price of my house. Some of the builders in the same area were offering them for a cost. I have back flow valves as well as the sump pump but that didn't seem to impact my insurance fees. I haven't had to use it yet and even during the floods, it wasn't enough to trigger the pump inside. So far it's just another item to look at during spring maintenance.

If your current company doesn't care about sump pump and or the back flow valve, they will eventually. Keep up with your broker on that. Make sure they have indicated to your company that you have both.

[masoncgy]

Neither of the houses I owned in Calgary had one... and neither does my home here on the Island.

My parents house that they have owned for 37 years has one though and it runs frequently when it's raining out... several times an hour actually. I am convinced their drain tiles feed into that pit and the sump pump drains it out. Seems odd, but I can't figure out another reason why it runs so often.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by masoncgy
Neither of the houses I owned in Calgary had one... and neither does my home here on the Island.

My parents house that they have owned for 37 years has one though and it runs frequently when it's raining out... several times an hour actually. I am convinced their drain tiles feed into that pit and the sump pump drains it out. Seems odd, but I can't figure out another reason why it runs so often.

When you say drain tiles are you talking about weeping tile that surrounds the foundation of the house? Or something else? It's my understanding that it's not uncommon for weeping tile to drain into a sump pit.

[01RedDX]

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[rookie101]

No sump pump, but I do have a back flow valve.

[blairtruck]

i have a sump pump and backwater valve. i installed them a few years ago when i reno'd my 1960s house.
got paid to install the back water valve from city of edmonton. sent in receipt for item ($350) and 3 hours labour for me and wife @$25/hour each $500 returned.
it was when they were doing the rebates for improving r value and that.

[fajita123]

No sump in Calgary. House in NW built in 09.

In Saskatoon they were everywhere.

[mo_money2supe]

I live in Quarry Park between Riverbend and Douglas Glen adjacent to the Bow River. A sump pump was included in the build price of our house with the builder saying that it was necessary. They even hung our furnace from the ceiling too for flood protective! But honestly, I've never heard the pump kick-in (might just need to be more attentive) and when we were evacuated during last summer's flood, they cut off power to the community anyway so it was basically useless during its most needed time.

[Alterac]

Many houses in Silversprings have sump pumps, its pretty common since they are on a spring

That being said, my house in the area doesn't have one because im even higher up on a hill and not near the ridge/river valley spots.

[dj_rice]

I has sump pump. I check it every few months to make sure its working properly.


Don't think I have the back water valve though.

[bignerd]

Every house I have lived in in Calgary has NOT had one.
Silver Springs, Coventry, Marlborough, Martindale

[stillworking]

I have a sump pump.

In Calgary sump pumps are optional, but most likely to be found in low lying properties around the Bow/Elbow rivers.

Sump pumps have been mandatory in Edmonton since 1988. Has to do with the soil conditions.

One thing to keep in mind is that sump pumps should be on their own circuit. I often see people's sump pumps plugged into the same outlet as their 2nd fridge, chest freezer, and ten other things. If the pump is working there is a chance the breaker could trip and it won't do what it is supposed to.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

No sump pump, but my bottom floor of my townhome is a garage...

[Sugarphreak]

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