Having a flooded basement can be a major burden and that can be prevented by installing a sump pump or French drain to your basement. Even when excess moisture builds up in your basement can damage as much as the foundation for your home.
Sump pumps and French drains have become two of the most common drainage systems that are used because they are the most effective. They come at affordable prices and are definitely worth every penny.
You’ll need to know whether your home needs a sump pump or a French drain and which is better for you. Today we will be looking at the differences between a French drain and a sump pump.
French Drain vs Sump Pump
A French drain is a drainage system that was made to remove excess water from your basement and prevent flooding. How this works is a 2 to 4 inch deep trench will be dug in the foundation of your home, for a perforated drain pipe to be installed. Once that drain pipe is placed in it is then surrounded with gravel and covered. It will then be there for when excess water builds up in your basement it will be guided through the French drain and then through the pipes and out your home.
A sump pump is a submersible pump that is installed in a sump pit which will be placed in the lowest point of your basement. The pit is dug at the lowest part of your basement because that is where the water will go to settle. The sump pump will then be placed in this pit and when the water reaches a certain level the pump will turn on.
Most sump pumps come with an automatic float switch that turns on when the water reaches a certain level. The water is then channeled through the discharge hose and away from your home to prevent flooding.
Main Differences Between a Sump Pump and a French Drain
Since French drains doesn’t require electricity or any type of activation once its built it will always be on standby and doesn’t need anything to operate. Sump pumps on the other hand will require either electricity or other sorts of battery backups to be able to operate.
So in the case of a storm where the electricity goes out or your batteries die then your sump pump will be of no use. Because French drains are automated in any way so the water just has to flow out it can take a lot more time to get a lot of water out.
Sump pumps will definitely get the job done quicker and save you a lot of time and there are also water powered sump pumps that will work with electricity or batteries but it can be a bit more expensive than others.
A French drain isn’t made up of any mechanical parts or include any moving parts in order for it to work so its less likely to malfunction and doesn’t make any noise. It can still be clogged but it gets less wear and very hard to breakdown.
Sump pumps however are made up of a lot of different parts and can malfunction and break down over time as it goes through wear and tear for each use. Because it has so many moving parts for it to work it makes a lot more noise and can be damaged a lot easier as well. Though not all sump pumps make a lot of noise but a French drain makes little to nose noise as all it needs to work is gravity.
Conclusion
In order to protect your basement from flooding it is always advised to having some sort of drainage system put in place to keep the water from building up. Both French drains and sump pumps get the job done and they both drawbacks so you’ll have to choose the one that seems best for you.
If you live in a flood prone area that doesn’t experience a lot of power outages or experience flash floods a sump pump would perfect for you. Ensure you have a battery backup just incase because its always better to be prepared. If you are looking to protect a large area from floods then a French drain would be better for large jobs.