Submersible sump pump: The pump sits in a pit under the surface of your basement floor. It has a life span of five to 15 years. Pedestal pump: This pump is up above the basin (and the water ...

The sump pump is hidden inside a submerged pit called a sump basin. Sump basins can be too small. A builder may use a simple 5-gallon bucket as an inexpensive sump basin.

If you’re new to homeowning, you may wonder, “What is a sump pump and how does it work?” Learn more about sump pumps and why you need them.

What is a sump pump? It’s a device with one goal in life: to keep your basement or crawl space from flooding, coming to your rescue when your home is in hot water—or any water, in fact. “Sump pumps ...